Five puppets find their connected but unexpected destiny in a richly told fairy tale by 2014 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo (Flora & Ulysses and The Tale of Despereaux).
Readers first meet the five puppets "jumbled together at the bottom of a trunk" with the word SPELHORST stenciled on its lid. The shopkeeper who owns them declares that the king, the girl, the boy, the owl, and the wolf are united by destiny. "The puppets must be purchased together or not at all... for they are in a story." The group is then shuttled from owner to owner in the (possibly) Victorian-era European land of Norendy. From the toy shop they go to a lonely old sea captain, then to a rag-and-bone man, and eventually to two girls, where the puppets are separated almost immediately by an array of tragicomic circumstances. Savvy DiCamillo fans will know the story is a long way from finished and that the five will find their way back to one another--with all the adventure that is their proper due.
DiCamillo has a knack for capturing the real sentiments of children (and puppets), foibles and all, in fantastical settings and circumstances. In this delightful first in a series, Julie Morstad (Bloom) creates art that evokes a bygone era of cobblestone streets and parlor plays. Her elegant spot and full-page drawings add a turn-of-the-century feel, similar to the works of E. Nesbit. As in all DiCamillo's stories, the pages are peppered with smart, wry humor, balanced with moving moments of flawed humanity. An absolute gem. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor