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

Book Reviews of The Iron Giant

Book Review: Favorite childhood book
Summary: 5 Stars

Poetically written, metaphorically sound, and a joy to read.

I used to read this roughly twice a week when I was 8 or 9. Picked it up again recently.

Amazingly relevant and formative in the academic direction I took.

Still can't bring myself to watch the film however.

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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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