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Dec 16, 2009

Angela Dawn rated it:

Set in 12th century Korea, this book offers a glimpse into an ancient and ritualized society through the memorable and touching story of a young orphan boy and his foster father, an elderly hermit.
Detailed and charming, the story is effective on several levels.
Although certainly simple enough for the young readers who are it's intended audience, it has a universal message speaking to the innate desire in every person for a sense of belonging.
All ages will also find a fascinatin More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2009

Ross rated it:

What a beautiful book. It is far more accessible than I had imagined knowing only that it was set in twelfth-century Korea and that the main character is called Tree-ear. But it could be thought of as a coming-of-age novel, as it tells a timeless story about taking a journey. The writing is lyrical in places, which brings the art and nature in this story alive. I feel like I can picture the Thousand Cranes Vase without ever having seen it.

The plot is compelling, too. The basic outli More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 23, 2009

Rian rated it:

Summary: This novel tells the story of Tree Ear, a young orphan in 12th century Korea. Tree Ear goes to work for the master potter, Min, and he learns the craft of pottery making as he finds new family and a new place in his village.

Response: I have never read a book set in Korea, and I love historical fiction, so this was a wonderful historical fiction reading experience. I enjoyed all the details of life in 12th century Korea, and I thought the author did a good job of making all More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 08, 2007

Amanda rated it:

An unusual story and uncommon setting mixed with a strong protagonist makes A Single Shard a high-quality work of historical fiction written by Linda Sue Park. Set in Korea during the 12th century, a homeless boy’s life gains meaning as he works for a potter and eventually finds a calling and a family.

Tree-ear is a 12-year-old orphan who lives under a bridge in a seaside village with an elderly crippled man who cared for him as a child. Now that Tree-ear is growing up he longs for More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 30, 2008

Lucy rated it:

This is a 2002 Newberry Medal Award Winner in Juvenile fiction. It is a story of a 10-year old, homeless orphan named Tree-ear in 12th century Korea. He lives under a bridge with another homeless man, Crane-man, who has taken care of him for years. They struggle to eat and stay warm but this 10-year old has a secret indulgence...he goes and watches a master potter work at his wheel. One day, he finds the potter gone but notices several of his pieces drying on a shelf. He goes in for a closer loo More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 16, 2009

Heather rated it:

This was a good read, a wholesome read! It was clean, uplifting and enjoyable. I really liked the story, including some of the "wisdom of life" comments and discussions that occur between Craneman and Tree Ear. I also appreciated the extra information and notes that the author included at the end to explain more about celadon pottery. I would definitely recommend this book!

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2012

Caleb?\Cubby? added it

A Single Shard
Book written by: Linda Sue Park
Report written by: Caleb Rowe

A Single Shard is about an orphan named Tree Ear. This story takes place in the town of Ch’ulp’o. Ch’ulp’o is known for making very unique pots. Tree Ear is very eager to make a pot but has no one to teach him. Tree Ear likes to watch a master potter named Min. one day he stumbles upon some of his work and decides to inspect it. Min thought he was stealing his work so he hit him with his cane caus More...

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Mar 13, 2009

Barky rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 17, 2009

Manzoid rated it:

I don't understand how this won a Newbery award. The plot and characterization were mechanical and simplistic. You could see the ending a mile away -- sure, it's a kid's book, but I haven't found clunky obviousness to be the norm with high-quality children's fiction. It felt like the kind of multi-culti book that committees like because they think it will be Good for You, as opposed to it simply being good.

I think the prize committee might've been suckered in by the simple prose More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 09, 2012

ميّ أحمد rated it:

, جاءت فكرة النص للكاتبة وهي تبحث عن تاريخ كوريا القديمة فلفتت نظرها بعض العبارات عن الفخار الكوري والذي ينظر له في تلك الحقبة على إنه من أروع الأعمال في العالم .
على الرغم من قلة عدد صفحات هذه الرواية الشيقة حيث أنها تحوي 147 صفحة فقط
إلا أنها استغرقت أربعة أعوام لإنجازها منذ انبثاق فكرة الرواية وحتى كتابتها مرورا بتنقيحها
تدور الرواية حول طفل يتيم يعيش تحت جسر مع رجل مشلول تستهويه صنعة الفخار يقف مفتونا أمام أعمال أحد معلمي صانعي الفخار ويحاول أن يصل إلى السر الذي يجعل أعمال More...

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Jan 06, 2012

Anthony Magliocchino rated it:

Can a single shard show all of a potter’s skill? Tree-ear hopes it can in the book, A Single Shard. This Newberry Award winning book is about a young boy named tee-ear who lives under a bridge. Tree-ear was always fascinated by potters and often found himself watching a potter named Min work. After damaging property Tree-ear ends up working for min and goes on a journey to deliver pottery to an emissary. The author’s message was that even a tiny piece of something can show a million things.
More...

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Dec 13, 2011

Ad-RyaN is currently reading it

A Single Shard is a great book about a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear that lives with a man named Crane-man who lives under the bridge.Tree-ear ended up here because he was taken by a mysterious man to a temple.He was being carried to this friendly monk who his mother and father knew,but their was a terrible disease going around causing many deaths.Then people started telling this mysterious man to take him to Crane-man under the bridge,so he did.When the disease passed,the monk attempted to com More...

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Aug 31, 2011

Jessica rated it:

Tree-ear has been living under a bridge with the one-legged Crane-man since he was orphaned at age two. Their 12th century Korean town of Ch’ulp’o is famous for its Celadon glazed pottery and Tree-ear loves to hide in the woods behind the town’s most skilled potter’s house to watch the master, Min, at work. Feeling brave one day, Tree-ear ventures to the drying racks behind Min’s house and accidentally breaks a piece of pottery. He volunteers to labor for Min in payment for the broken piece, but More...

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Aug 27, 2011

Adriana rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 10, 2011

Aimee rated it:

This story of hard work, honesty, and perseverance is set in twelfth-century Korea. The author sculpts a compelling story of destiny and determination, accurately describing a culture steeped in tradition. Tree-ear is an orphan living under a bridge in a potters’ village, in Ch’ulp’o. His companion Crane Man watches over him and teaches him the way of the world, stressing the importance of integrity and honor. When Tree-ear breaks a piece, created by the master potter Min, he arranges to work fo More...

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May 26, 2011

Robert added it

Read by Lorie, Summer 2006:
"The intended reading audience depends of what review you read, but I feel it is appropriate for 6th grade up. This is a story of an orphan in 12th century Korea, Tree-ear who lives under a bridge in Ch'ulp'o, a village famous for pottery. He is be-friended by a cripple, Crane-man, who takes care of him and teaches him lessons in honesty and integrity in the form of riddles. Tree-ear yearns to make pottery and works for Min a famous potter for free afte More...

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Apr 22, 2011

Andy rated it:

This is another book to check off of my quest to read all the Newberry Medal Winners and the first with a Korean character in it.

The book is set on the Korean Peninsula circa, 900 AD in a village called Ch'ulpo known for the fine pottery they fashioned. The title character is an orphaned boy named Tree Ear that finds a place in the world when orphans really had no opportunities. The only friend or family that he had was a homeless cripple named Crane-man, who he lived with under a More...

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Jan 04, 2011

Jill rated it:

Tried to listen to this as a book on tape and the man reading it was overdoing it so much I had to abandon it. I kept hearing his voice every time I read the name Tree-ear; almost ruined the book for me. Isn't it amazing how that can happen?

Tree-ear is an orphan. Throughout the story he wonders who his real parents were and toward the end it seems that he might have the opportunity to search for them. I thought the story would take the obvious path of having him seek out information ab More...

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Nov 16, 2010

Jinky rated it:

"Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters’ village. For a long time he is content living with Crane-man under a bridge barely surviving on scraps of food. All that changes when he sees master potter Min making his beautiful pottery. Tree-ear sneaks back to Min’s workplace and dreams of creating his own pots someday. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage. Though the work is long and hard, Tree-ear is eager to learn. Then he is More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 18, 2010

S10_tommccormack rated it:

Ages: 10 - 14
Format: CD

"A Single Shard" is the story of a poor orphan named Tree-Ear who works as an apprentice for a skilled potter, Min, in 12th-century Korea. Tree-Ear lives under a bridge with an older friend, Crane-Man. The two struggle to subsist but remain positive and hopeful. As punishment for breaking one of Min's pieces one day after watching him work, Tree-Ear starts doing work for Min and evolves into his apprentice.

When a government official More...

1 comment like

Jun 18, 2010

Shally rated it:

Summary: This is a historical fiction novel about a boy named Tree-ear who is an orphan that is taken care of by his friend and mentor, Crane-man. He is 13-years-old when he goes starts working for a famous potter, named Min. Tree-ear finds that he loves pottery as he secretly watches an old artist as he crafts his pottery. One day he breaks one of the artist's pots and gets caught by the potter. Tree-ear asks if he can work as Min's apprentice in repayment. Min hesitantly agrees. He is a very c More...

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May 30, 2010

Marcy rated it:

I read this book for a new Primary Source course I am taking about East Asia. A Single Shard tells about an orphan named Tree-ear who lives under a bridge with a man called Crane Man who is like his father. They are both homeless, but they help each other find food, tell each other their innermost thoughts, and find solace with each other. Tree-ear becomes enamored of the pottery that is made on a wheel by a famous Korean potter. Tree-ear begins to work for Min when he accidentally breaks a More...

6 comments like

Mar 01, 2010

Mark rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 01, 2010

Cynthia rated it:

I absolutely loved this book. It's ultimately the story of an orphan establishing relationships with older people in 12th-century Korea. A beautiful story of different ways of showing love and finding accomplishment and acceptance. All the orphan Tree-Ear wants is to become a potter, but the potter he starts working for to repay a debt won't teach him. He takes on various parts of the potter's job during the day while living with a disfigured homeless man under a bridge at night. The relationshi More...

1 comment like

Oct 26, 2009

Carolynne rated it:

Would you be drawn to a book about the making of Celadon pottery? No? Well, how about a book about a poor youngster with no future in 12th century Korea? Still no? I invite you to think again, because that is exactly what this Newbery award winning book is about--but it is so much more than that. It well deserves more attention than it has received (it is #395,836 in Amazon). Tree-Ear (named after a tree fungus that grows without benefit of parents, just like the orphaned boy who bears its n More...

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Sep 26, 2009

(NS) Lauren rated it:

Grade Level: 4-6

This is a beautiful tale, set in 12-century Korea, about an orphan boy named Tree-ear, and his quest to learn the pottery trade. As Tree-ear scavenges for food in the rummage piles of his village, he becomes entranced by the work of an old potter named Min. When he dares to take a closer look at one of the pieces, he is startled by Min, and the intricate clay boxes shatter on the ground before him. Tree-ear begins to pay off his debt with back-breaking work for Min More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 15, 2009

Janette rated it:

My children have a theory about book awards. They think they're only given to books where characters important to the hero/heroine die. To them, that little gold circle is a warning lable.

They have a point.

Still, I liked this book a lot. (Although it makes me angry when books make me cry, so from now on I'm deducting a star for the death of any characters I like. Authors beware: if you kill off multiple characters I like, you may end up with a negative rating.)
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2009

Debbie (Readerbuzz) rated it:

I read this a couple of years ago at the urging of some of my students. It was a magnificent read, all the more so because it had been students who encouraged me to read it.

It was even better this time. That is one of the marks of an outstanding book for me, a book that bears up under the pressure of a reread.

The story is that of Tree-ear, an orphan, living in twelfth-century Korea. He lives under a bridge with a fellow outcast, Crane-man, a man who is only able to hobble More...

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Jan 10, 2012

Kitae rated it:

This book is an excellent one that takes place in 12th century Korea about a touching story of an orphan boy living an aged man as his companion until destiny splits them apart. The boy, Tree-ear, had his parents die at a very young age. Monks sought out to help this poor fellow but a sickness was raging inside the temple. They carried him to Chul-po and this aged man named Crane-man took him under his wing. Together under a bridge with Tree-ear speedily growing rapidly, they live with peace More...

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Sep 10, 2010

Lina rated it:

In twelfth-century Korea, Tree-ear, a young orphan who has been raised by a homeless man, begins working for a renowned potter in order to repay a debt to the potter. Once the debt has been paid the potter sees the value of having an assistant and keeps him on, paying him not in cash but with meals and clothes. Tree-ear learns the basic routine jobs required in preparation before being able to spin or mold the beautiful pots and hopes to one day learn to spin himself. This hope is dashed, tho More...

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