The Iron Giant - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375801677 ISBN 13: 9780375801679

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1999

Synopsis

A mysterious creature stalks the land, eating barbed wire and devouring tractors and plows. The farmers are mystified - and afraid.

And then they glimpse him in the night: the Iron Giant, taller than a house, with glowing headlight eyes and an insatiable taste for metal. Where has he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows. What they do know is that the Iron Giant must be stopped.

But the real threat hovers above, darkening the sky with its scaly wings: a space-bat as big as Australia, hungry for every living thing it sees. And suddenly, the world needs a hero - a giant hero - like never before...

First published in 1968, Ted Hughes's classic tale is a powerful tribute to peace on earth - and in all the universe.

About this title

Review

A huge, mysterious iron man stands at the top of a cliff, surveying the ocean. His eyes glow white, red, infrared. Then, he lifts one enormous foot and steps out into nothingness. Crraaasssssh! His head, arms, legs, ears, hands all break off as he tumbles onto the rocks below. The end of the story? No, it's only the beginning of this modern parable of peace in the universe. The Iron Giant has an insatiable appetite for barbed wire, tractors, and rusty chains. While farmers and townspeople run around trying to stop him, destroy him, capture him, only one boy understands what must be done. Meanwhile, an even bigger threat hovers over the land, in the shape of an evil-looking space-bat-angel-dragon. How will the people of the world survive the impending doom?

Ted Hughes, poet laureate of England, first wrote this compelling tall tale in 1968. Clearly, the need for its message of peace has not diminished in the decades since. Simple, repetitive sentences carry the mesmerizing spirit of traditional fairy tales. And Andrew Davidson's black-and-white illustrations, with their menacing air and timeless appeal, drive the point home in vivid style. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From the Back Cover

"A tall-tale hero in a parable for today. The author's intensely felt theme and his invention of dramatic details make this brief piece of fiction high-spirited and entertaining."--The Horn Book

"A clever, inventive fantasy of timely appeal to children."--Booklist

"Written with such great gusto, with such vivid precision, that children will sit spellbound in their ringside seats."--Publishers Weekly

"A great book to start up a family reading tradition. Irresistible."--Boston Phoenix

"Reckoned one of the greatest of modern fairy tales."--The Observer (England)

"A thrilling and unforgettable tale, magnificently told."--Trade News (England)

"Hughes has never written more compellingly...with linguistic tact and imaginative power to achieve something of possible enduring consequence."--The Times (England)

"Riveting."--The Tablet (England)

"Brilliant."--The Listener (England)

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0375801677
• ISBN 13: 9780375801679
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Hughes Ted, Davidson Andrew