Stoneheart (Stoneheart Trilogy, Book 1)

By: Charlie Fletcher

Narrated by: Jim Dale

A city has many lives and layers. London has more than most. Not all the layers are underground, and not all the lives belong to the living. A 12-year-old boy named George Chapman is about to find this out the hard way. On a school trip he's punished for something he didn't do. In a tiny act of rebellion, he lashes out at a small carving on the wall - unexpectedly breaking it off. And then something horrible does happen: a stone pterodactyl unpeels form the wall and starts chasing him. George is already running before his mind starts trying to tell him that this is impossible!

©2010 Charlie Fletcher (P)2010 Scholastic Audio

pretty good

Any additional comments?

I was looking for some light fare, something I wouldn't have to think too hard about. And that's just what i got. Kid's stuff,I know but Jim Dale is a great narrator, and if you like the Harry Potter books, this one is worth a listen. Make no mistake, Harry Potter is tough to beat. And while this was a good book, it was not Harry Potter.

Not so thrilled

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I love Jim Dale's narrating, so I thought I'd give the book a try. The narration is wonderful, but the story drags.

What could Charlie Fletcher have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Some of the problems the kids ran into could have been left out to get the story moving. Maybe the story shouldn't have been planned to span several books.

Which character – as performed by Jim Dale – was your favorite?

My favorite character was the Gunner. Jim does an excellent job of creating voices that stay with you.

Was Stoneheart worth the listening time?

For me, no. I was on a long drive, so I listened. But personally i felt the story moved too slowly. I did enjoy the narration, though.

Any additional comments?

More Jim Dale narrations! He is excellent.

Average book. Some inappropriate language.

The story starts off great and I love the Gunner in the story. But it sort of breaks down in the middle part and has a so-so ending. All in all it just isn't anything to write home about.

It is worth noting that, for a book that is supposedly for kids and features a 12-year-old hero, there is some language that you might find inappropriate for children. You'll find instances of 'bast***' and 'what the h***' for example. It's certainly not a book I find appropriate for my wife's second-grade classroom (which is one reason I was listening to it).

The reader, Jim Dale, is pretty good as always.

I'm sorry I already bought the sequels in the kids book sale. Now I have to listen to them. Maybe the next one is better...

Wonderful Story

Great summer reader for kids. Of course Jime Dale sucks you into the novel and makes you feel apart of the story.

Intriguing story & a great audio performance by Jim Dale

A truly enjoyable listening experience. Charlie Fletcher has crafted a highly original fantasy adventure and Jim Dale brings it to life in another of his astonishing audio performances. Highly recommended.

I am hooked

another London, a world that is just out of sight. It's believable enough to really enjoy the fantasy that is spun.

Intriguing Story

I came into this stroy not sure wht to expect. Iwas pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed not only the flow of the narrative but the readers performance of it. Jim Dale did a wonderful job transporting the listener into this strange and yet oddly familiar other London. I look forward to continuing the journey with the both Fletcher and Dale.

Fast paced by narrator...might want to change

I enjoyed the story. It was different and interesting. There was a lot of running. Regarding the story I wish there was more information shared to George and therefore the reader.
I guess because of the time limit Jim Dale felt like he had to race through telling the story. For the first time ever I had to slow down the speed of a story because it felt like Jim Dale didn’t know how to pause after a period. I was afraid it would slow his voice and make the story difficult to listen to, but when I changed the speed to 0.80 it felt like Jim was finally speaking at a normal reading pace without distracting from the story and there was no distortion. Once finished change the setting back to normal (1.0) otherwise the next book will probably be read too slow.
I thought it was interesting that a handful of words in this story one would find in the HP books. Maybe those words stood out because of the narrator. I was relieved that there were a limited number of speaking characters because then each character definitely had their own voice and I didn’t have to guess who was speaking.

Looking forward to the next one!

I bought all 3 books in the series on sale because I am a fan of Jim Dale. The Harry Potter books and Jim Dale are what got me into audiobooks. I read a few reviews and the synopsis for all of the books and went for it. So far so good. The story is pre-teen friendly, but I enjoyed it- and I'm way not a kid anymore. The idea of statues coming to life is very Harry Potter and Dr. Who rolled together. The story is great. The narration is great. Looking forward to the next one.

Like Harry Potter? Listen to this.

Wonderful story. Same eloquent writing as J.K. Rowling. Same magical narrator as the Harry Potter series. Perfection. (If I didn't know better, I'd say this is J.K. Rowling writing under a Pen Name.)