Clay

by David Almond

Book Overview

Fourteen-year-old Davie and his best friend, Geordie, are altar boys at their local Catholic Church. They're full of mischief, but that all changes when Stephen Rose comes to town. Father O'Mahoney thinks it would be a good idea for Davie and Geordie to befriend him--maybe some of their good nature will rub off on this unhappy soul. But it's Stephen who sees something special in Davie.

Stephen's a gifted sculptor. One day as Davie looks on,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044042013X
• ISBN13: 9780440420132
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Rh Childrens Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

A fantastic mix of reality and the supernatural.

This is a book you could read in a day - and will want to. The dialogue is quick, funny, and rich with life and character. The plot progresses at such a fast pace, but is masterful in how it quickly introduces characters that seem like you've known them forever. The border between real-life and gothic supernatural is walked well by the author, David Almond. What's real, and what's imagined are always a tease to the reader, but in the end, the reader is left with some very compelling issues to ponder: religion, creation, art, death, violence, conformity. Almond provides a deep reminder that evil lurks in the world, and always will, but the greatest battle of all is to conquer the demons inside oneself. With an ending that's not quite an ending (in the proper sense of the word), but satisfying nonetheless, I would recommend this whole-heartedly. A fantastic read!

Creepy Good Fun

This book is so different from anything I have been reading lately. A new weird boy in town introduces Davie to his strange talent - he makes clay come to life. So they create a clay man and...I'm not going to tell you the rest but it's creepy and good. The story is supposed to make you think about the choices we make and good vs. evil and even God. Even if you don't want to think about it on that level, this is one goooood tale.

If Things Don't Get Out of Hand

Winning of the Printz Award for his young adult novel KIT'S WILDERNESS and nominated for the Printz with his first novel SKELLIG, David Almond has delivered CLAY, another quality story that has made the ALA's 2007 Best Books for Young Adults list. "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." ~ Genesis 2:7 Thirteen-year-old Davie and Geordie serve as altar boys under the tutelage of Father O'Mahoney, receiving tips for grieving at funerals and help out wherever needed at the masses. Like all good altar boys, they crave adventure and live in fear of the town bully. Noticing this and trying to stretch their souls to a little goodness, O'Mahoney challenges them to befriend the weirdest kid in their English countryside town. "He just needs a few mates." "From the very start, he had a good heart." If one were looking, Stephen Rose could be found in the garden staring at the moon. Howling in the shed. Carrying lumps of clay around in the graveyard. He lives with Crazy Mary because his mother is crackers, his father's dead, and his granddad's wild. Which might not be nowt serious if that's all it was. But there are the rumors too. Black Masses. Upside-down crosses. Black candles. The "Our Father" backwards. Dark things in dark places. "There but for the grace of God..." As David and Geordie get to know Stephen, they quickly learn that dust and wood isn't enough for Stephen to do the Lord's work--Stephen needs clay. He has the amazing gift of sculpting, the ability to turn common mud into astounding images. He sees art in the clay. He sees life there. Ever since the angel visited him, he says he's longed to do something special with his life, to rise above the ordinary and create something lasting, something people will remember him for. Which might end up a noble enough cause, if things don't get out of hand. -- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens Copyright 1997-2007, Teenreads.com. All rights reserved.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

"I am here master, command me." Thirteen-year-old Davie and his best friend, Geordie, have a wild time when Stephen Rose moves into Crazy Mary's house; she's the craziest woman they know. When the church paster informs Davie that he is expected to be friends with this new, weird kid, he is in shock. When Stephen shows Davie how they both have powers to make things come to life, Davie's life starts falling apart. He and Geordie are not friends anymore, he's stealing from his church, the girl he loves thinks he's crazy, and he and Stephen Rose are making a life-size monster--and it makes absolutely no sense at all. When this brilliant idea of bringing something to life turns into a total meltdown and starts to kill someone, Davie has no choice but the obvious. What will he do, or what can he do? This is a great book that I think explores the unknown imagination. It is a well-written story that has exciting detail in each chapter. Reviewed by: Holly

An utterly creepy tale of good versus evil

David Almond's latest effort, CLAY, is an utterly creepy tale of good versus evil. Set in the English north countryside --- like Almond's Printz Award-winning novel, KIT'S WILDERNESS, and Whitbread Award winner THE FIRE-EATERS --- CLAY tells the story of Davie, a 13-year-old altar boy who finds his faith questioned when a new boy comes to town who claims he can make a monster out of clay. At the beginning of the story, Davie is just your typical mischievous altar boy who along with his friend Geordie enjoys stealing the sacramental wine and smoking stolen cigarettes. They do go to confession each week though to make up for it. Along with their altar boy antics, Davie and Geordie are enemies with the town bully, a typically drunken and belligerent Protestant named Martin Mould, aka Mouldy. They're convinced that Mouldy is out to get them, and against Mouldy's entourage Davie and Geordie know they don't stand a chance. When a mysterious and creepy new kid named Stephen Rose shows up in town, and Father O'Mahoney encourages them to befriend the troubled young man, Davie and Geordie think that maybe Stephen is exactly what they need to win the Mouldy war. But Stephen seems nearly as crazy as the aunt he lives with, who is known as Crazy Mary from town. Plus, Stephen has a mysterious past that includes a dead father, a mother in a mental hospital and an expelling from his last school. When Stephen stabs one of Mouldy's chums, Geordie freaks out, but Davie remains oddly enthralled with the creepy kid and finds himself spending more and more time alone with him. Then, Stephen shows Davie what he can do with clay and how he can make it move and turn to life. When Stephen comes up with a plan to make a monster out of clay, Davie is caught in the middle. A monster would help protect him against Martin Mould. But still, does that justify Davie stealing the body and blood of Christ from the church in order to give the clay creature a soul? Things get out of control when the clay creature comes to life and taunts Davie's thoughts and dreams saying over and over, "I am here, master. Command me." It's up to Davie to figure out his feelings about both God and playing God. How will he deal with this monster named Clay? David Almond's writing is concise yet hauntingly resonates after the last page. CLAY is like a reinvented FRANKENSTEIN roaming the hills of the English countryside. Warning: You might have nightmares after reading this one. --- Reviewed by Kristi Olson