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The Flint Heart (2011)

by Katherine Paterson(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0763647128 (ISBN13: 9780763647124)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Candlewick Press

review 1: I might have enjoyed it more if I were more familiar with the original Eden Phillpotts's 1910 Fantasy from which this fairy tale is "freely abridged." Unfortunately I didn't find it magical or enchanting. The initial premise seemed interesting. The flint heart is a talisman of power that brings out evil and greed in those who wear it. It was created 5,000 years ago, wrecked havoc on the stone age tribe in the south of England where it was created and then is discarded and forgotten until Billy Jago of Merripit Farm discovers it. It changes hands several times, with each wearer falling victim to the greed, power and evil it imparts.A lot of the story involves absurd scenarios in which two of the Jago children, Charles & Unity and their dog Ship, shrink in size to be able t... moreo visit the King and Queen of Fairyland. They are on a quest to rid their father of the evil flint heart and they meet the Zagabod (the wisest and most brilliant creature in the Universe). Once they rid their father of the heart, they help deal with the magical creatures and animals that find the flint heart and fall under its spell. Strangest perhaps is their friendship with a leaking hot water bottle made in Germany. That just seems weird, even if he does fit into the story in a clever way.I wanted to read something by Katherine Paterson before I go to the Library of Congress Book Festival on September 21, 2013 and thought this might be one she would discuss since it was written in 2011. I should have gotten on my library's waiting list for Bridge to Terabithia although I am also intrigued by two other Paterson titles - Bread and Roses, Too and The Wide-Awake Princess.
review 2: Title / Author / Publication Date: The Flint Heart/Katherine Paterson/2011Genre: Fiction, FantasyFormat: HardcoverPlot summary: An ambitious Stone Age man demands a talisman that will harden his heart, allowing him to take control of his tribe. Against his better judgment, the tribe's magic man creates the Flint Heart, but the cruelty of it causes the destruction of the tribe. Thousands of years later, the talisman reemerges to corrupt a kindly farmer, an innocent fairy creature, and a familial badger.Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: The Flint Heart makes people cold hearted and violent. The first section of the book involves individuals being chopped in half with axes and other references to killing. Review citation: Abbott, A. (2011). The Flint Heart. School Library Journal, 57(8), 82. Section source used to find the material: Children's Core Collection, Most Highly RecommendedRecommended age: 8 and up less

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