A Single Shard

Winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal

In this Newbery Medal-winning book set in 12th century Korea, Tree-ear, a 13-year-old orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch'ulp'o, a potters' village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter's craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated -- until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min's irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself -- even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min's work in the hope of a royal commission . . . even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 04/23/2001
ISBN: 9780395978276
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.70w x 0.60d
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Massachusetts Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Sequoyah Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Newbery Medal - Winner
Award: Young Reader's Choice Award - Winner

Review Citations: Kirkus Review - Children 01/15/2001 pg. 114
Publishers Weekly 03/05/2001 pg. 80
Booklist 04/01/2001 pg. 1483
School Library Journal 05/01/2001 pg. 158
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2001 pg. 313 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
Multicultural Review 12/01/2001 pg. 102
New York Times 02/10/2002 pg. 21
Booklist Ed Choice Adu Bk YA's 01/01/2002 pg. 767
ALA Notable Children's Books 03/15/2002 pg. 1235
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2002 pg. 45
Booklist 05/15/2002 pg. 1608
Christian Home & School 10/09/2002 pg. 28
Booklist 05/15/2003 pg. 1664
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2001 pg. 313 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 49768 / Single Shard
Reading Level: 6.6 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 6