George Chapman

George Chapman is the main protagonist of the Stoneheart Trilogy. He is a twelve-year-old boy who gets trapped in a parallel world after he breaks the head of a stone dragon from a wall outside the Natural History Museum in London. After meeting up with Edie and the Gunner, George is told to find the Stone Heart, which can help him get back to his old life. George is a maker, or someone who creates statues, and he finds out more about his skills throughout the books.

Appearance
At the beginning of Stoneheart, George is said to wear pale gray clothes, some that don't fit him properly such as his oversized jacket. He stands hunched over a little, and he says he feels smaller than other kids his age; this seems to be a constant problem for him, as he can't see over his classmates' shoulders during the tour of the museum. George's hair is also grown out longer than the average haircut for twelve-year-olds.

Personality
George is a bit of an introvert; he tends to avoid the other kids in his class. When he tries to get a better view during the tour of the Natural History Museum, nobody lets him through, and one kid even elbows him in the ribs. He is very independent, and does not like to cooperate with others, especially his teacher Mr. Killingbeck. Despite his bitterness towards some people, he tries his best to be good-natured and caring; this is shown when he feels sorry for Edie after the Gunner decides to leave her behind. He does not want to leave Edie on her own, despite the Gunner's warnings about who she really is.

At the start of his journey, George abandons the Gunner after the statue saves him from the Temple Bar Dragon. He did not want to leave the Gunner behind (he feels horrible about it later) but the fear that he experienced was enough to scare him away. Edie, however, says that he was being selfish and cowardly.

There is a change that takes place in George after he meets with the Clocker. George seems to become more brave and in control. The first sign of this is when he gives Edie his coat so she can stay warm as she waits at the bottom of the Monument. He later loses Edie's heart stone, but instead of panicking, he takes control of the situation; he offers to re-climb the Monument himself to retrieve the heart stone, despite being tired. During the fight with the Minotaur, it is George who tells the Gunner to distract the taint while he makes a bullet for the spit to use.

Role In Plot
(Warning: contains spoilers)

Stoneheart
George is first seen on a class field trip in the Natural History Museum. He is wrongly accused by his teacher, Mr. Killingbeck, of knocking over an exhibit. Because of this, he is placed alone in an office, away from his class. Instead of waiting like he is told, he wanders outside of the museum. In his frustration with everything, George smashes his fist into the stone relief of a dragon's head. The dragon head falls off. Almost immediately after he does this, he watches the stone statue of a pterodactyl come to life. The statue chases George away from the museum.

George runs through the streets to escape the pterodactyl. He tries to board a bus, but the driver cannot see the pterodactyl coming. Three stone salamanders join the chase as well. As he escapes, George realizes that nobody else can see the moving statues. George runs all the way to the Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park and, just before the pterodactyl catches him at the foot of the monument, the statue is shot repeatedly and destroyed by one of the statues from the Memorial. This bronze figure, known as the Gunner, then kills the three salamanders.

The Gunner then tells George that the boy has started something bad. Confused and scared, George follows the Gunner to a parking garage, where the two of them hide from a cat gargoyle. On the way, the Gunner explains to George that in the un-London that they are in, statues move and talk. He also explains the difference between spits and taints. After the gargoyle leaves, George and the Gunner meet a girl named Edie. The Gunner says that they cannot be seen by her, but the girl proves him wrong when she states that she can see them. Realizing that the girl (who calls herself Edie) is a glint, the Gunner orders George to leave her behind. George feels bad about doing this, but when he tries to apologize to Edie, she hits him. He then leaves with the Gunner.

George is taken to the Sphinxes at Cleopatra's Needle, where the Gunner hopes to find answers to George's problem.