Reading And Walking: A Single Shard

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Welcome to Reading and Walking, where I go for a stroll and attempt to listen to an entire audiobook. I’m going to review the book and show you what I saw on my walk. Simple, right? For this adventure, I chose to listen to A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. I chose it because it won the Newbery Medal in 2002, and it’s short. The audiobook is 3 hours, 3 minutes. I knew I could walk for that long and finish the book in one afternoon.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Genre: Middlegrade historical fiction

Pages: 192 (3hr, 3min audiobook)

Publication date: April 2001

Content warning: Homelessness, death, disease, verbal abuse, robbery, orphans
Available at: Amazon | Book Depository

Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a potters’ village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter’s craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated—until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min’s irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself–even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission.

While listening, I did the same 7-mile walk on the Cherry Creek Regional Trail that I did last month. I realize it’s boring for me to do the same walk over again, but it’s not my fault! A few weeks ago, my part of the world got trapped in a bomb cyclone. The snow dropped by the cyclone melted quickly and flooded the paths near the creek. You have to be a duck to use those paths now.

This trek was much pleasanter than the last one. I didn’t get snowed on! None of my body parts froze! I didn’t question my life choices! When I started walking, it was 45°F (7°C) and windy. My phone kept informing me that I was damaging my ears because I needed to have the volume up really high to hear the book over the wind.

I may have disobeyed this sign.

*Sigh.* This is going to be a squishy walk. I should have listened to the sign.

There usually isn't a pond here.

A Single Shard is set in Korea during the twelfth century. The main character, Tree-ear, is an orphan boy who lives under a bridge and dreams of becoming a potter. One day, he accidentally wrangles his way into becoming an assistant to Min, one of Korea’s most well-respected potters. Min is too old to carry pots over the mountains and deliver them to the royal family, so Tree-ear takes on the task. (Of course) things go horribly wrong.

The plot is straightforward and easy to follow. I only had to rewind once because I got distracted (by ducks). The audiobook narrator, Graeme Malcolm, has a nice voice that never got on my nerves.

This might sound awful, but for me, the most relatable character is Min, the verbally abusive perfectionist who takes Tree-ear as an assistant. As a perfectionist myself, I can confirm that the author understands perfectionism. Min definitely feels the self-imposed stress of having to be more ambitious and creative than the other potters. He lashes out when things don’t go his way. I think a lot of readers know people like Min, or are similar to Min themselves.

A Single Shard is full of valuable lessons for young readers. Tree-ear learns that no job is fun all of the time. He’s eager to make a pot on the wheel, but first he has to chop wood for the kiln and cut clay from the river. Even then, he may not be allowed to make a pot. He learns that if you want to do something fun, you have to put in the hard work first.

The top of a bridge.

A prairie dog. Most of them run and bark when they see humans, but this one is brave (or stupid).

Look at the blue sky! I didn't get frozen this time.

There are three topics I don’t enjoy reading about in fiction: art, music, and sports. Those things are awesome in real life, but they lose their luster in books because you can’t see or hear them. There are a lot of details about pottery in this story. I learned some things, and I appreciate Tree-ear’s enthusiasm for art, but I struggled to make myself care. I’m just profoundly uninterested in pottery. It didn’t help that Tree-ear’s personality is about 90% pottery. He doesn’t have much of a life outside of his interest. He’s mostly pots, most of the time.

My biggest complaint is that the plot is disappointingly predictable. The book is called A Single Shard, and it’s about a kid who has to carry two fragile pots over the mountains. I’m pretty sure everyone can predict what’s going to happen to those poor pots. I spent about 1/3 of the book waiting for what I knew was going to happen.

So, I didn’t love the book. If you like art, I’d recommend it, but it’s not my favorite Newbery winner.

There's actually green grass along the creek!

Sleeping ducks.

Ducks with their heads in the water. They were humping loudly about a minute before I took this photo.

I ended up walking for the entire 3 hours and 3 minutes. I went a little over 7 miles. Along some parts of the path, the dog walkers and competitive cyclists were out in force. That means I didn’t see a ton of wildlife. I saw birds, mostly: hawks, crows, woodpeckers, and ducks. So many ducks. Sometimes I got too close to the weeds near the creek, and the ducks took off and almost decapitated me. Fun times. I’m looking forward to doing this again next month.

Buy A Single Shard on Amazon

Buy A Single Shard on Book Depository

Do you listen to audiobooks? What are some short, awesome ones?