The Iron Giant [Hardcover]

Ted Hughes (Illustrator), Andrew Davidson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 1999 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com 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

Review

"The Iron Giant is a story so gripping that when you begin to read it aloud, everyone stops to listen, young children and old people alike. And once you know it, you never forget it. A classic is something utterly strange and original, and yet as deeply familiar and necessary as your own hands. The Iron Giant is like no other story in the world, and thirty years after its first publication, we need it as much as ever." -- Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife

"A wonderfully inventive story with the vivid language and startling images of the poet. It has music, momentum, and magic. What else can you ask for?" -- Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth

"High-spirited and entertaining... The Iron Giant is a tall-tale hero in a parable for today." -- The Horn Book

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; Anv edition (May 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375801677
• ISBN-13: 978-0375801679
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,628,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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