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A Single Shard

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Readability Age Range

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Awards

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Book Review

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine.

Plot Summary

Tree-ear, a 12th-century Korean orphan, lives beneath a bridge with his crippled, old friend, Crane-man. When Tree-ear breaks an expensive piece of pottery created by an artist named Min, he works off his debt and becomes Min’s assistant. Though Tree-ear dreams of making his own pots, Min seems bent on using him solely for menial tasks. When a royal buyer wants to see Min’s work, Tree-ear offers to make the treacherous journey to the palace with the vases. Robbers attack Tree-ear and destroy Min’s pottery, but Tree-ear continues the trip and presents a single shard of a broken vase to the king’s emissary. The shard provides enough detail to convince the emissary to offer Min a royal commission. Tree-ear returns home and finds that Crane-man has died. Min and his wife invite Tree-ear to live with them and plan to teach him to be a potter.

Christian Beliefs

None

Other Belief Systems

Tree-ear lives in a Buddhist culture, where monks help the poor and bells ring to summon people to prayer. Crane-man ponders what animal he will be in the next life. He attributes sickness and agitation to demons. Both Crane-man and Tree-ear fear foxes because they believe the creatures “posses an evil magic that can lure a man to his doom.”

Authority Roles

Crane-man, though homeless and too crippled to work, has somehow cared for Tree-ear since the boy was 2 years old. With gentleness and love, he shares many wise proverbs while teaching Tree-ear about pride, honesty and the natural world. Min “barks” many commands at Tree-ear and hides his affection for the boy. Min lost his own son, and Tree-ear reminds him of the child. Min’s wife stealthily provides food and clothing for Tree-ear and Crane-man, so as not to injure their pride, and asks the boy to call her Ajima (a nickname like “auntie”). In the end, Min and Ajima adopt Tree-ear. Min even agrees to teach him to be a potter, a trade traditionally passed down from father to son.

Profanity & Violence

In the tale of the “Rock of the Falling Flowers,” women jump to their deaths.

Sexual Content

None

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books.

Additional Comments

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.