A Single Shard
Linda Sue Park
Reading Level: 6.6
Interest Level: Middle Grades
2002 Newbery Medal Winner
Hardcover
ISBN: 0395978270, Published by Clarion Books, 160 pages.
Paperback (available March 2003)
ISBN: 0440418518, Published by Yearling Books, 160 pages.
Audio Cassette
ISBN: 0807207012, Published by Listening Library, unabridged.
A Single Shard was written by an author whose parents were Korean immigrants.
The book is set in twelfth century Korea.
It is a story about a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear, who was named after a kind of mushroom that has no parent seed. This is a good name considering that his parents died when a flu ravaged their village.
He lived with Crane-man, a poor, kind old man in the village of Ch'ulp'o.
The village was renowned throughout Korea for its magnificent celadon pottery.
Tree-ear is always looking for food to survive, until one day when he sees Min, one of the best potters in the village, at work. He is so amazed by the quality of the work that he inspects it when Min is gone and breaks one of the pots. Tree-ear gets caught and must apprentice himself for eight days to Min to compensate for the damage. After the eight days, he becomes an apprentice.
This book keeps getting better.
If you want to know what happens, be sure to read this book.
Anyone who likes to curl up with a good book will love A Single Shard.
This book is definitely Newbery worthy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Myles Bugbee
Related Resources
Additional ORL titles by Linda Sue Park
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Linda Sue Park
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