Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Tall Story
    Unavailable
    Tall Story
    Unavailable
    Tall Story
    Audiobook5 hours

    Tall Story

    Written by Candy Gourlay

    Narrated by Ramon de Ocampo and Jayne Entwistle

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Andi is short. And she has lots of wishes. She wishes she could play on the school basketball team, she wishes for her own bedroom, but most of all she wishes that her long-lost half-brother, Bernardo, could come and live in London where he belongs.

    Then Andi's biggest wish comes true and she's minutes away from becoming someone's little sister. As she waits anxiously for Bernardo to arrive from the Philippines, she hopes he'll turn out to be tall and just as crazy as she is about basketball. When he finally arrives, he's tall all right. Eight feet tall, in fact-plagued by condition called Gigantism and troubled by secrets that he believes led to his phenomenal growth.

    In a novel packed with quirkiness and humor, Gourlay explores a touching sibling relationship and the clash of two very different cultures.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 14, 2012
    ISBN9780307968746
    Unavailable
    Tall Story
    Author

    Candy Gourlay

    Candy Gourlay is an author and a journalist who knew that she wanted to write ever since she was a little girl in the Philippines. She lives with her husband and her three children in London.

    More audiobooks from Candy Gourlay

    Related to Tall Story

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Fantasy & Magic For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      ‘It’s Really Strange To Be Reminded Of Your Perpetually Dead Parents’: Frieda Hughes On Her Famous Literary Family And Her Magpie Memoir George

      Apr 28, 2023

      ‘It’s Really Strange To Be Reminded Of Your Perpetually Dead Parents’: Frieda Hughes On Her Famous Literary Family And Her Magpie Memoir George
      9 min read

    • Article

      Slanted & enchanted

      May 30, 2021

      MIRRORLAND, by Carole Johnstone (HarperCollins, $32.99), is the imaginary place identical twins Cat and El have created in the basement of the strange house near Edinburgh they share with their neurotic mother and frightening grandfather. They have m

      3 min read

    • Article

      Out Of The Shadows

      Mar 25, 2020

      Out Of The Shadows
      6 min read

    • Article

      My Mother, the Troll

      Mar 24, 2023

      My Mother, the Troll
      17 min read

    • Article

      Caught in a WEB OF LIES

      Sep 14, 2022

      Caught in a WEB OF LIES
      3 min read

    • Article

      On The Shelf

      Oct 21, 2019

      When Abbie wakes up in hospital with no recollection of how she got there, the man sitting next to her bed might be the only one who can help her remember. He claims to be her husband and says that after five years of trying, he has finally managed t

      2 min read

    • Article

      Best Books

      Jul 6, 2021

      Best Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Would You Kill Mum For Me?

      Jun 19, 2019

      Would You Kill Mum For Me?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Read! Read!

      May 9, 2021

      Heroes aren’t always the cape-wearing fighters we see in comics and films. Heroes come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Every person in this rad read has found a heroic passion, from inventions that save thousands of people, to small acts of kindness.

      1 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Apr 7, 2023

      By JENNY JACKSON Hutchinson Heinemann In need of a lighter read, this book caught my eye. It follows the lives of three women in a wealthy New York family – two who were born into it and one who married in. I was hooked from the first page. Successf

      3 min read

    • Article

      When Playtime’s Over

      Jul 25, 2023

      When Playtime’s Over
      1 min read

    • Article

      MY POOCH AND PARROT ARE best friends

      Aug 10, 2022

      Parking outside the shopping centre, I scrolled on my phone. I hate buying clothes, I thought, delaying going in. Then I noticed a post online for a gorgeous cockatoo named Sweet Pea. My heart broke when I read she was looking for her fourth home. I

      2 min read

    • Article

      Unforgettable Fiction

      Apr 1, 2021

      Mpisi Mpisani is apoplectic with rage as he travels from Johannesburg to his home village to bury his mom who, it’s believed, was killed by his father through the use of sorcery. He swears he’ll murder his dad. However, more tragedy strikes when Mpis

      3 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jan 6, 2021

      REVIEWS ANNABEL LAWSON It’s only January but this will surely be my best novel of 2021, and it’s Alderton’s first. Nina has a dream job, owns a bijou flat in North London. She had a good relationship which lasted seven years. Her ex lost no time in m

      2 min read

    • Article

      Family Feast

      Mar 1, 2023

      Write a story about a missing sock. Here are the only rules: 1. Your story should be 150 words or fewer. 2. Your entry must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, authorizing its publication in print and/or online and saying it’s your own idea. 3.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Family Feast

      Mar 1, 2023

      Write a story about a missing sock. Here are the only rules: 1. Your story should be 150 words or fewer. 2. Your entry must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, authorizing its publication in print and/or online and saying it’s your own idea. 3.

      3 min read

    • Article

      THE Buzz

      Mar 29, 2023

      THE Buzz
      1 min read

    • Article

      A New Calling

      Nov 15, 2020

      A New Calling
      7 min read

    Reviews for Tall Story

    4/5

    51 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This is a touching story about Andi, a thirteen-year-old British girl in London, and the arrival of her teenage half-brother from the Philippines. Bernardo was delayed there waiting for immigration papers to be processed. When he arrives in England, the family are surprised to find that he suffers from gigantism and is eight feet tall. The story addresses a couple of forms of prejudice. Andi is short yet loves to play basketball while the team at her school doesn't allow girls to play. In the background they must contend with constant stares at Nardo. There is a nice mythical twist generated by the people of his village in the Philippines who are convinced that he has some influence on earthquakes. This is intended for young adults but would also appeal to younger teens. It is a humorous and sensitive story, well-written by Filipino author Candy Gourlay.
    • 3/5
      Rarely do I see kids' fiction featuring Filipino characters, so this was nice to discover. Andi lives in London with her mother and English father. Her older half-brother Bernardo has been living in the Philippines for years with their aunt and uncle until immigration papers can be processed. But the villagers of San Andres have ascribed a mythical status to Bernardo, after the story of giant Bernardo Carpio, and if he leaves they believe San Andres will no longer be safe from earthquakes. A nice combination of magical realism, myth and contemporary concerns. Basketball-loving Andi is particularly appealing, as is the developing connection between brother and sister.
    • 4/5
      Clever, orginal, warm story that beautifully weaves together many compelling themes.
    • 5/5
      The day short 13 year old Andi makes the basketball team as a point guard is the day she has to move to a new house and a new school. Her brother 16 year old Bernardo, who lives in the Philippines, has been waiting to come to London, England his entire life but he and his aunt and uncle have been keeping a terrible secret from his mother. Bernardo is eight feet tall. At times funny, especially if you have traveled to Asia or are close to families who have immigrated from Asia, this book hits so many idiosyncrasies of immigration and cultural difference right on the head. The story is told in alternating points of view between Andi and Bernardo as their worlds collide in sometimes scary ways. Chapters are short which gives one a sense of accomplishment. The story takes place in London so there are references to a different style of schooling that may leave some American readers a bit confused. Children who are in split families, for whatever reason, will like this book, as will sports fans and children who are physically different from others. Highly Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Amandolina (Andi) knows her life is in for a change when she learns that her half-brother Bernardo is moving from the Philippines to live with her and her parents in England. People have always said Bernardo is "tall" but at eight feet he towers over everyone - taller even than Andi's hero Michael Jordan. At his home in the Philippines, Bernardo's height is considered a mark of good fortune. Though he longs to reunite with his family, he fears leaving his superstitious neighbors behind.Tall Story is a tale of family, friendship, wishes, and curses with a twist of folklore blended into a story of growing up. The book is told in alternating chapters by Andi and Bernardo and author Candy Gourlay does a remarkable job giving each character a unique perspective and voice. Though their situations are original they both face awkwardness and adjustments that any young adult can relate to but the heart of this story is a theme of love and family that will charm readers of any age.
    • 5/5
      Affectionate story of a giant Filipino boy and his basketball-playing half-sister who are reunited in London. Delivered in a stacatto style it conveys the youth of its 13-year-old narrator with engaging assurance.