Ironhand

Now that George Chapman has upset the fragile truce between the warring statues of London, he has been drawn into a war that will test his mettle. He and Edie, a glint who can see the past, may have succeeded in their quest to find the Stoneheart, but their journey is far from over.

Edie and the Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, have been captured by the Walker, and it’s up to George to save them. But first he must deal with the three strange veins, made of marble, bronze and stone, that have begun to grow out of his hand and curl around his wrist. Legend has it that unless he successfully completes three challenges, the veins will continue up his forearm, and eventually pierce through his heart.

As George struggles to find the strength within to face the choice he has made, to take the Hard Way, he is determined to use his power for good—even as others wish to harness it for its great potential for evil.

Grade 5–9—In this sequel to Stoneheart (Hyperion, 2007), George, 13, Edie, 12, and the Gunner continue to flee from the Walker, a man cursed to walk the Earth forever, and from "taints," evil, soulless statues. George has accidentally upset the balance in this alternate London, a place where statues can get up and roam. Edie is kidnapped by the Walker, who wants to use her talents as a "glint," someone who can touch stone or metal and see into history, and to lure George into his malignant grasp. Meanwhile, the Walker has also dumped the Gunner, a World War I statue and self-appointed protector of the children, into the depths beneath the city. If the Gunner cannot return to his statue base by midnight, then he will never walk off his plinth again. George, alone and confused by his new status as a potential "maker," someone with the ability to create statues, sets out to rescue Edie and keep the Gunner from losing his "life." Ironhand is a well-written, fast-paced, and suspenseful fantasy. Fletcher successfully draws readers in with action and a continuously developing backstory for each of the characters. However, though the author includes a brief overview of the first book, this one does not stand on its own.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT
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Starting up just minutes after the events in Stoneheart (2007), for which a synopsis is included, this even scarier adventure plunges George further into the world of walking, talking, battling statues. When George, Edie, and the Gunner are separated, their experiences unfold in alternating, cliff-hanger chapters that will leave readers breathless. George’s story is particularly vivid, involving three veins, one of marble, one of stone, and one of metal, that appear on his arm and threaten to pierce his heart. Readers’ sympathies for these characters will deepen as the significance of the war between the taints and the spits comes clear in this arresting sequel. Grades 5-8. --Diana Tixier Herald