Product Description

Paul Fleischman spins three engrossing stories about the unexpected ways an artist's creations reveal truths - tales whose intriguing plots and many moods will entertain readers and inspire future writers.

Can wood, copper, or marble communicate? They can if they are the graven images in Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman's trio of eerie, beguiling short stories. If you whisper a secret into a wooden statue's ear, will anyone find out? Can a wobbly weathervane bearing the image of Saint Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers, steer a love-struck apprentice toward the girl of his dreams? And if a ghost hires a sculptor to carve a likeness of him holding a drink to a baby's lips, what ghastly crime might lie behind his request? And, in a brand-new afterword, the acclaimed storyteller reveals how he found his own author's voice.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2001979 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-14
• Released on: 2006-02-14
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–Three tales of the supernatural are rejuvenated in this spellbinding performance of Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman's 1982 novel that is now back in print (Candlewick, 2006). The voices of actors Paul Michael, Susan Denaker, and Lincoln Hoppe provide a cushioning effect for these eerie stories about the secret lives of statues. Hoppe nails the youthful voice of a love-struck boy in Saint Crispin's Follower, and Denaker's narration of The Binnacle Boy gently introduces listeners to the hidden knowledge of a shipboard statue. Michael has an uncanny ability to dramatically change his voice and switch easily between accents. He presents an especially compelling performance as a sculptor and his model in the final story, The Man of Influence. The rich and mysterious lives of graven images are detailed further in the production's closing remarks as Fleischman divulges what inspired him to write his short stories. Older readers who have moved beyond Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories will find more than enough spooky thrills in this fascinating audio production.–Celeste Steward, Alameda County Library, Fremont, CA
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From AudioFile
Three short stories revolve around a quirky theme: the role of a statue in delivering a person's inevitable reckoning. The first and last stories are dark and even a bit spooky, describing the wooden statue that survived a mysterious shipboard disaster and a desperate Italian marble sculptor who takes on a questionable assignment. In contrast, the middle story, which incorporates a weathervane, enjoys more whimsy. A different narrator for each story provides suitable separation and diversity in the compilation. The author's brief afterward explains his inspiration and provides insight for young aspiring writers but would have been more meaningful if read by the author. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Ingram
A wooden boy, a copper saint, and a ghostly marble statue open a creaky door on mystery, romance, and murder in this 1983 Newbery Honor Winner with chilling new illustrations.