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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this book and it was so satisfying to be able to read it in a few hours.
This book is a collection of forced "philosophical" thoughts and moral lessons shoehorned in (Shoe-Horn would be a better name for Crane-Man) to a book about medieval Korea, a setting which should be fascinating and compelling, but is reduced to mundanity by boring details and a predictable orphan-on-a-journey plot.
Basically, a grouchy old man takes advantage of an orphan's drive for success in order to get his own personal gain, but this is Totally Okay, because History.
The actual history behind the book is very interesting, so I'm glad it illuminated a bit about this era of pottery that I knew nothing about. But I'd rather Google Image celadon pottery than read this book again.
Basically, a grouchy old man takes advantage of an orphan's drive for success in order to get his own personal gain, but this is Totally Okay, because History.
The actual history behind the book is very interesting, so I'm glad it illuminated a bit about this era of pottery that I knew nothing about. But I'd rather Google Image celadon pottery than read this book again.
It is awell written book. I thought she developed her characters well.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Korea in the Middle Ages is not a common setting for literature and especially not for middle grades lit. It's a really nice change of pace, especially since -- while the main character is a homeless orphan whose only friend and de facto guardian is a physically disabled man -- there is no war, or abuse, or other horrible tragedies. Instead, the novel provides a glimpse into a Korean village and lots of interesting information about the ancient art of celadon-glazed pottery.
My son read this for 7th grade language arts, along with a social studies unit on ancient Asia (primarily China, Korea, & Japan). He enjoyed it, especially since he takes pottery classes at the local art center (or did, and hopefully will again post-pandemic).
My son read this for 7th grade language arts, along with a social studies unit on ancient Asia (primarily China, Korea, & Japan). He enjoyed it, especially since he takes pottery classes at the local art center (or did, and hopefully will again post-pandemic).
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm not entirely sure what I expected out of this novel. I picked it up on a whim recently and went in without knowing anything about it.
While I found the beginning to drag a bit, once it got going the story surprised me. There are a lot of quiet moments between characters that are profound and moving. Many of these moments seem simple on the surface, a word spoken here or there, but the internal dialogue and the meanings behind these words speak to much more. I enjoyed how this book felt like a quiet story about some seemingly unimportant characters. It was subtle and poignant and more than the sum of its parts.
While I found the beginning to drag a bit, once it got going the story surprised me. There are a lot of quiet moments between characters that are profound and moving. Many of these moments seem simple on the surface, a word spoken here or there, but the internal dialogue and the meanings behind these words speak to much more. I enjoyed how this book felt like a quiet story about some seemingly unimportant characters. It was subtle and poignant and more than the sum of its parts.
https://librarianonthelake.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/a-single-shard-by-linda-sue-park/