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The Stones Are Hatching
The Worm is waking... After centuries of undisturbed slumber, the Stoor Worm -- the World Eater -- is waking. A creature of monstrous proportions and unimaginable evil, the Worm must be destroyed. Already its murderous hatchlings are spreading terror and destruction. And a strange trio -- Mad Sweeney the Fool, Alexia the Maiden, and the Obby Oss, a two-legged, talking hors...more
Paperback
Published
June 18th 2002
by Harper Teen
(first published April 1st 2000)
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I liked it.
I was a little uncertain at first, but I soon realised that was a sign that I hadn't read any truly British YA fantasy lately and was in US mode, which I think has a different tone. It certainly has a different tone to this.
Once I realised that, I fell back into the more UK mindset of the books I read from the library as a YA myself. (In those days, I had no money and borrowed library books, which were mainly English; these days I buy books through my specialty bookstore and they te...more
I was a little uncertain at first, but I soon realised that was a sign that I hadn't read any truly British YA fantasy lately and was in US mode, which I think has a different tone. It certainly has a different tone to this.
Once I realised that, I fell back into the more UK mindset of the books I read from the library as a YA myself. (In those days, I had no money and borrowed library books, which were mainly English; these days I buy books through my specialty bookstore and they te...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sep 18, 2011
Miz Lizzie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Miz Lizzie by:
Katherine Langrish
Shelves:
britain,
childrensbooks,
death,
faeries,
fairy-tale,
fantasy,
fear,
folklore,
friendship,
history,
world-war-i
The Stones are Hatching is a dark and delicious fantasy fully steeped in actual folklore and folk beliefs of Britain. Ostensibly a children's book, this is the kind of old-fashioned fantasy that will appeal to the rare modern-day child who adores fairy tales (and I mean the real fairy tales, not the Disney and Disneyfied versions that are all most children today are exposed to) but will primarily resonate with older readers who have an appreciation for the folk traditions at the root of the stor...more
Jun 14, 2010
kyliemm
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-lit-class,
summer-2010
This young adult fantasy novel is about a boy named Phelim Green who is told by a variety of magical creatures that he is the only one who can stop the terrifying Stoor Worm from awakening. The Stoor Worm was supposed to sleep eternally in the British landscape, but is being woken too early from its sleep by the violence of WWI, especially the sounds of gunfire. As the Stoor Worm awakens, her Hatchlings begin to awaken too, and mystical, magical, evil things start happening all across the countr...more
Jul 25, 2011
Tori
added it
2004-Tired of Harry Potter? Try Philem Green! This young adult fantasy set in 1919 England grabs you right away. The hero of our story, Philim, awakens one morning to find his kitchen filled with glashans, a people who are normally invisible to humans. The glashans want Philim to help them, for the Worm is waking, and as she does, her Hatchings are wreaking havoc across the country. Philim is quite confused at first, but with the help of a Fool, a Maiden, and a Horse, he discovers that he seems...more
I hated this book at first but actually it was awesome. Very fairy-tale-ful-like.
Eleven year old Phelim is called upon to save England from the gigantic Stour Worm, assisted only by Mad Sweeney, the witch Alexia, and 'Obby 'Oss (the horse). Understandably, he feels overwhelmed. Based on a wealth of ancient British folklore, it describes the worst of what would happen if folktales came alive. No Tinkerbell or friendly Jiminy Cricket in this peculiar story. McCaughrean is a well respected writer in the UK, but this book was hard to keep on with. Two and 1/2 stars, really. The...more
Apr 10, 2008
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Not recommended.
Shelves:
youngadult,
fantasy
Phelim Green awakens one morning to find the door and windows barricaded, and an enormous Black Dog trying to get in. The house familiar, the Domovoy, tells Phelim that he is Jack o’ Green and he must go fight the Hatchlings, and forces him out.
Phelim meets a crazy man in the trees called Sweeney, who also says Phelim is Jack o’ Green, and he’s Phelim’s Fool. Phelim meets his Maiden Alexia next, a pale girl with no shadow, who explains that the great Stoor Worm has been roused by the great guns...more
Phelim meets a crazy man in the trees called Sweeney, who also says Phelim is Jack o’ Green, and he’s Phelim’s Fool. Phelim meets his Maiden Alexia next, a pale girl with no shadow, who explains that the great Stoor Worm has been roused by the great guns...more
This book is aimed at a younger audience, and starts with a flash. The hero is an unlikely one, a brow beaten youth with a controlling older sister. The scene, just after WWII. The place, England.
A fascinating mix of legend and fantasy written into an engaging tale of a youngster growing up and taking his own life under control.
A fascinating mix of legend and fantasy written into an engaging tale of a youngster growing up and taking his own life under control.
Jun 25, 2011
ZoeMeow
added it
I'm not even going to bother rating this... I only got 26 pages into it because I just couldn't read it. I didn't even begin to understand what was happening, and I didn't like the writing style. Maybe someday I'll read the rest... but I doubt it.
This book failed to capture my imagination and I couldn't finish it. It is rare for me not to finish a book but this is the second one this week. Maybe I am just in a mood. Please take my review with a grain of salt.
Very symbolic book. Has lots of mythical creatures and interesting rituals (not satanic in the least). Phelim and Alexa, the girl who doesn't have a shadow, must save the world, along with a mad man.
It amazed me how much English folklore I did not know. The book was well written but without the background myths I had trouble following some of what was going on.
I'm a big fan of Geraldine McCaughrean, but this took a while for me to get into the story. It's a great story once it warms up (pun kinda intended).
Started slow, but as I read it really picked up the pace. There is some scary material here in this novel based on Celtic folklore.
I enjoyed this book, but suspect I would have appreciated it more if I had more knowledge of fairy tales from the UK.
This was a really weird book. It kind of freaked me out, and some parts were creepy.
A funky take on Celtic legends - I liked the ending. I might recommend this one for our bookclub. It's not tremendously profound, but a fun little adventure.
book 28 of 2011 - aim 133 books for 2011 -- started last night
This one isn't worth reading.
Kind of a dark British fairytale. A bit irritating with the whiny main character, but the story is kind of a conglomeration of the old tales of Jack Green, the Obby Orse, the Awakening Wurm, etc. Also includes some sacrificing. It felt kind of choppy, and probably would have been less frustrating if one of the other characters just sat down and explained to the main character what had to happen.
I have to say this is probably the weirdest book I have ever read. At times I felt like it read like an encyclopedic work of folklore with a bit of story superimposed on it, but McCaughrean has a brilliant way of describing physical responses.
Nov 12, 2008
Caitlín (Ink Mage)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
past-favorites
I think I really liked this the first time I read it, but when I read it another time (the second time or the third or fourth, I used to constantly re-read books) it kind of freaked me out.
Jan 07, 2010
Meghan
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
never-finished
I was bored with this book and I didn't care about the characters. I couldn't find it in me to put up with the whole thing. I never finished.
Odd little book. Been awhile since I read it, so I will have to read it again to get a better grip on it.
Mar 07, 2012
Bettie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Shelves:
dragons,
kiddlewinks,
fraudio,
spring-2012,
tbr-busting-2012,
published-2000,
wwi,
historical-fiction,
fantasy
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Weird, a little jumpy and hard to get into.
Nov 23, 2007
Lesley
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
5th grade and up
Might interest fans of Susan Cooper.
Jun 05, 2013
Flare Flame
marked it as to-read
Jun 01, 2013
tate
marked it as to-read
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Geraldine McCaughrean was born in 1951 and brought up in North London. She studied at Christ Church College of Education, Canterbury and worked in a London publishing house for 10 years before becoming a full-time writer in 1988. She has written over 120 books, 50 short plays for schools, and a radio play.
Her adult novels include Fires’ Astonishment (1990) and The Ideal Wife (1997), but she is bes...more
More about Geraldine McCaughrean...
Her adult novels include Fires’ Astonishment (1990) and The Ideal Wife (1997), but she is bes...more
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