A lovely fantasy adventure set on the coast of Wales, where each year Michael spends his summer vacations with his cousin and best friend, Barry. But this year Barry has a broken leg, so Michael finds himself spending his mornings on the beach with Barry's seven-year-old sister, Polly. When Polly demands that they build a giant out of sand, Michael complies. When Polly insists they save the giant from the incoming tide, Michael balks, but then finds himself busily scooping out a channel in the sand in order to protect their creation. Then the Sandman, as Polly calls him, begins to stretch and come alive, and Michael can barely believe his eyes. But to Polly, it's perfectly natural - of course the Sandman and all the other characters who feature in Gramps' wonderful stories are real! A warm, lively family is at the center of this charming, funny story in which the boundaries between real and imagined are delightfully blurred. (Ages 8-10)

Michael always spends summers at his Uncle's farm in Wales, and the best part of the visit is Gramp's wonderful stories--especially the one about the Sandman and the turtles. One day at the beach, Michael and his cousin Polly build a giant sandman like the one Gramps told them about--and are swept up in a rollicking adventure.