A Single Shard

Originally posted May 6, 2003

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Clairion Book/Houghton Mifflin)

2002 Newbery Medal

I gobbled up A Single Shard in one big read. I LOVED it! Such that I'm eager to read the other books by this author. It takes place in ancient Korea. Two homeless people, a boy and a man who's cared for him since he was little are the main characters. The boy ends up being an apprentice to a master potter. There is a little of the "midwife's apprentice" stuff in here with the master not exactly being the most encouraging or nurturing teacher ever and the boy having to be so determined and devoted. But it's a much sweeter story than the Midwife's Apprentice in general, for me. Plus there is a ton of information about the history and craft of pottery, which I found really fun to learn. (NOTE: SARAH HOWE, I think you would find this a fun read as a potter!) I also appreciated a book set in Asia (my mom is Japanese) especially as I haven't come across this yet in the Newbery medal list in my reading so far. (It seems like Asian American children's literature is just now coming into a period of flourishing, where as African American children's literature is by now quite well represented, including in the Newbery Medal winners.)

Themes of friendship, loyalty, abandonment/belonging, loss/healing.

There is some gritty stuff in the hard life of the homeless boy and his friend and the injustice of that. And some events in the last few chapters that I would definitely preview before sharing with a younger kid. (Let me know if you want details I don't want to lay it ALL out for people who are about to read this!) It all ends well, though not with out some sadness in the mix. But definitely uplifting and hopeful in the main!

I would recommend this one enthusiastically!

Meanwhile I've been dragging through MC Higgins The Great (even though I've loved other's by Virginia Hamilton) and haven't really been grabbed yet by The Whipping Boy either, in fact I took a break from "working on" either of these (they do feel like work!) to fly through Bridge to Teribithia and A Single Shard, both of which have that "capture me and make me want to read through to the end" quality I really love in a book! Maybe these books will redeem themselves by the end, I'll let you know!

Love, Louise