A Single Shard

With the fast pace of life today, it's not easy to slow kids down to the painstaking pace of a potter's village twelfth-century Korea. The rewards in this, the 2002 Newbery Medal winner, are great. Listeners will be moved by the struggles, triumphs, and sacrifices of the young orphan, Tree-ear; his protector, Crane-man; and the master-potter, Min. Graeme Malcolm has superb command of the story, unfolding it with skill and emotion that connect each character with the listener. Narrator Malcolm transports us to this unusual time and place and smoothly makes us understand, not just the customs and traditions, but also the universal lessons. Unforgettable. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2003 Audie Award Finalist, 2003 ALA Notable Recording and YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

March 10, 2003

In a starred review of this Newbery Medal winner, PW
wrote, "The author molds a moving tribute to perseverance and creativity in this finely etched novel set in mid- to late–12th-century Korea. Readers will not soon forget these characters or their sacrifices." Ages 10-up.

February 4, 2002
British actor Malcolm initially seems an odd choice of narrator for Park's novel set in 12th-century Korea, but he proves to be a compelling performer on this adaptation of the book that was recently named winner of this year's Newbery Medal. Tree-ear, a 12-year-old orphan, spends most of his time rummaging in trash heaps for food for himself and his friend and protector, the crippled Crane-man. But Tree-ear longs for much more; he wants to become skilled like the potters of his village, Ch'ulp'o, famous for its prized celadon ceramic ware. Tree-ear begins his path by accident, watching master potter Min in secret. Before long, Min grudgingly takes Tree-ear on as an assistant, having the boy fetch wood and do other menial tasks. Eventually Min entrusts Tree-ear with a most important job: delivering two specially crafted vases to the palace in hopes of securing a royal commission for Min's fine pottery work. The vases meet with disaster on Tree-ear's journey, but he persists on his mission, with only a single shard to show the royal emissary. Though Malcolm's performance slows a bit when reading passages describing the routines of the potters and Tree-ear's travels to the palace, listeners will likely be hooked by Tree-ear's perseverance and fascinated by a look into this craftsmen's colony from Korean history. Ages 10-14.