The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant
by Ted Hughes

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Book Summary Information

Author: Ted Hughes
Illustrator: Andrew Davidson
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1999-07-20
ISBN: 0375801537
Number of pages: 96
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Yearling
Product features:

ISBN13: 9780375801532
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of The Iron Giant

Book Review: If you loved the movie, Don't read the book!
Summary: 3 Stars

If you are thinking about buying this book because you and your kids love the Brad Bird/Warner Bros. film of the same name, don't. Yes, this is the book that they based the movie on, but other than having a large metal man and a boy named Hogarth, there aren't a lot of similarities. Both the Giant and Hogarth are very hard to empathize with or relate to. (Spoiler alert!)In the book, the Iron Giant hardly notices humans. Hogarth betrays the Giant by louring him into a trap so that he can be buried alive. It's OK, though, because the Giant frees himself to save the people of Earth from an alien space monster, after he has been sufficiently bribed, of course. I'm not sure what lesson this story is supposed to teach children or what impressions they are supposed to come away with. I actually felt sorry for the space monster.

If you have not seen the film, but liked Pete Townsend's musical of the story, then you just might enjoy the book. The musical is very similar to the book, but fills in some of the holes in the story. What you will get out of the book is Ted Hughes narrative style, which is amusing to read. This book is also great as a comparison piece for studying script writing adaptations.

If you are just picking up the book to read to your kids at bedtime, your children will have some hard questions for you by the end of it. Be sure to read this book with your own child in mind before you share it with them. My daughter found the story just a little creepy, and it sparked some interesting discussions on the morality of slavery and how to deal with peer pressure. Ted Hughes said he wrote the book for his children to cheer them and help them deal with the death of their mother. It might have worked as a distraction, but I don't find it very cheerful, other than the incredibly forced "happy ending."

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Summary of The Iron Giant

From Ted Hughes, England's Poet Laureate, Knopf is proud to present a children's classic which has been unavailable in the U.S. for many years. First published in 1968, The Iron Giant is a modern fantasy about a massive giant who stalks the earth devouring metal, terrifying farmers and townspeople everywhere. Despite his insatiable hunger, the Iron Giant is quite gentle and good-natured, though the townspeople are too frightened of him to realize it. So they capture him and put him in a scrapyard, where he happily stuffs himself with stoves and bicycles. The people forget about the Iron Giant until a space-bat the size of Australia hovers over the earth, poised to destroy it. Earth needs a hero and only the Iron Giant is big enough and brave enough to do battle with the hideous creature from outer space. With a tractor-eating giant, a menacing space-bat, and a young boy-hero, The Iron Giant is an accessible, early chapter book with plenty of appeal for reluctant readers and budding science fiction and fantasy fans.

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

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