 First edition cover | |
| Author | Linda Newbery |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | David Fickling Books |
| Pages | 357 |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-75103-2 |
| OCLC | 61131736 |
Set in Stone is a children's fantasy novel written by Linda Newbery. It received the Costa Children's Book of the Year Prize for 2006, and was nominated for the 2007 Carnegie Medal.
Samuel Godwin, an aspiring artist, is forced to drop out of art school following his father's death. Without any qualifications, he contemplates what to do for work. Wealthy businessman Ernest Farrow advertises for an art tutor for his two daughters, and Godwin successfully applies for the position.
He moves into Farrow's mansion, Fourwinds, with adequate time to pursue his own art. Godwin becomes infatuated with Farrow's youngest daughter, Marianne, but questions remain unanswered. Marianne wanders the grounds at night, while her sister, Juliana, is always quiet and sad. Godwin discovers the previous art tutor, a talented sculptor, was sent away from Fourwinds before he finished his masterpiece.
Although written as a children's book and nominated in awards categories for eight- to fourteen-year-olds, critics have said that it should not be read by under fourteen-year-olds due to the themes of incest in the book. [1] The author, Linda Newbery, considers the book to be young adult fiction rather than specifically for children. [2]
The novel is set in 19th-century England, influenced by Wilkie Collins and Charlotte Brontë, with hints of Victorian gothic. [2] The book alternates between the point of view of two different characters, in alternating chapters. [3]
Norah Piehl reviewed the book for TeenReads.com. She described the plot as "sensational" which "will keep readers wide awake and shivering late into the night". [3] Two children who read the book on behalf of the BBC One's Newsround Press Pack whilst on the Costa Book Awards panel did not like the book compared to others on the shortlist. [4] One did not think it was his type of book, while the other preferred a different shortlisted book, The Diamond of Drury Lane . [4]
Set in Stone won the 2006 Costa Book Awards prize for Best Children's Book. [5] The other shortlisted books were David Almond's Clay, Julia Golding's The Diamond of Drury Lane and Meg Rosoff's Just in Case . [4] Following that win, the book was placed on the shortlist for Book of the Year, but that ultimately went to Stef Penney's The Tenderness of Wolves which had qualified for the list by winning the First Novel award. [5] The novel was also nominated for the 2007 Carnegie Medal. [6]
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children". The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Books selected are widely carried by bookstores and libraries, the authors are interviewed on television, and master's theses and doctoral dissertations are written on them. Named for John Newbery, an 18th-century English publisher of juvenile books, the winner of the Newbery is selected at the ALA's Midwinter Conference by a fifteen-person committee. The Newbery was proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world. The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the next ALA annual conference. Since its founding there have been several changes to the composition of the selection committee, while the physical medal remains the same.
Patricia Reilly Giff was an American author and teacher born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. She was educated at Marymount Manhattan College, where she was awarded a B.A. degree, and St. John's University, where she earned an M.A. and Hofstra University, where she was awarded a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters. After spending some twenty years as a full-time teacher, she began writing, specializing in children's literature. Giff resided in Trumbull, Connecticut, along with her husband Jim and their three children. Giff's writing workshops have influenced other children's authors such as Tony Abbott and Elise Broach. She was a Newbery Honor, ALA Best Book For Young Adults, and Christopher Award laureate.
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