Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher

Fletcher, Charlie. Stoneheart. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2007. 450 pages. $16.99 ISBN 9781423101758

Plot Summary: Twelve-year-old George Chapman is like any other kid his age, he just wants to get through the school year. While on a field trip to the Museum, George gets in trouble and is sent outside to think about what he's done. In his rage he punches the carved wall of the museum, thinking mid-punch that he's about to break his fist. But no, it's not his fist that breaks, it is the head of a gargoyle! Thus begins his perilous adventures in the middle of the war between Taints and Spits, and reveals there may be more to George than he knows. George abandons his field trip after being pursued by a stone Pterodactyl and is saved by the Gunner. The Gunner is a Spit, a good statue, and explains George's predicament. Now George and his new comrade the Gunner, and later a named Edie, set off on a journey through London to find a way to restore peace before an all out war breaks out in the statue sub-world.

Critical Evaluation: This clever book is a fantastic quick read for tweens fifth grade and up. Fletcher steeps the book in London history that, although immersed in a work of fiction, will surely reinforce British history lessons. The narrative is easy to follow and the characters are intriguing. Fletcher gives enough information about each character to lead the reader on, on a quest to find out what the characters are really all about. Part one of a trilogy, Stoneheart leaves the reader eagerly wanting to read the next book to find out what happens next.

Reader's Annotation: George Chapman, a twelve-year-old Londoner, becomes the center of an age old battle among the city's statues: the Taints and the Spits.

Author Bio: Before writing the Stoneheart trilogy, Charlie Fletcher was a screenwriter. His television credits include several BBC series episodes like "Wire in the Blood," "Ultimate Force," and "MIT: Murder Investigation Team." In 1995 he adapted Paula Gosling's novel Fair Game for the screen, which started William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford, and featured Selma Hayek. Later in 2001, Fletcher co-adapted "The Longest Yard" to star Vinny Jones as an imprisoned footballer (soccer star) who challenges the prison guards to a match. "Mean Machine" also stars Jason Statham and Jason Flemyng and was produced by Guy Ritchie. Fletcher, after moving to Los Angeles he met his wife, Domenica, and had two children, Jack and Ariadne. The family later moved to Scotland, where they currently reside.

Genre: Fantasy

Curriculum Ties: None.

Booktalking Ideas: Talk about inanimate objects coming to life and how they would handle it.

Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 5 and up, ages 10 and up.

Challenges: One challenge may be the word usage of the Gunner. The Gunner is a statue created in honor of WWI, and is what his name implies: a gun man. His word usage, mainly his swear words, however British and outdated they may be could cause some issues among parents.

Reason for including: After picking up the book, being intrigued by the cover, I thought it sounded really interesting. I'm a sucker for books that take place in an alternate reality.