The Puppets of Spelhorst

I recently moved to another part of the country, a long-planned, much-desired relocation. When I saw the announcements of Kate DiCamillo's newest book, I immediately checked my new local library system for a copy. ONE copy, in a library that would not lend it outside their own town limits. Not even on order anywhere else. Well, it WAS available as an e-book. I don't like e-books. They tire my eyes, the lighting is uncomfortable. But if I wanted to read it, that was my only choice. So I downloaded it.

I still dislike e-books. But only a few pages (screens?) in, the tears were seeping over the quiet, lonely death of an old sea captain. A little wolf was obsessing persistently and pathetically about the sharpness of her teeth. An owl show more "intoned" portentous phrases. (One of the many things I love about DiCamillo: she is not afraid to write words like "intoned" and "winsome.") A boy sharply chides the wolf; a king pronounces on his kingly demands; and a sensible, clear-sighted girl abides with them all. Each one of them has dreams and fears but lacks the ability to act on them. Things happen TO them that they did not expect and cannot control, even when they think they can, and peril abounds. But other things they did not expect happen to them; succor comes from surprising places, and may give them some of what they have dreamed of, or teach them lessons that will serve them. And when I think of it, isn't this what children know about? Being filled with curiosity and wonder, and yet powerless to do much to shape their own lives? And learning hard lessons - and good ones - and finding out that what seemed terrifying may in fact bring great value and reward? That sometimes we choose wrongly and pain will follow? And the surpassing joy of a completely unexpected blessing?

Every single chapter wrought that seep of tears, and a lump-in-the-throat smile. I thought Edward Tulane was my favorite DiCamillo. But this one wins. Thank you, Kate.

And I have ordered a hard copy through bookshop.org, because it's worth it. And then some. show less

Evie's Review -- she's 10.
I enjoyed it. I liked the ending because it was happy. And it shows how there's more to life than just being a puppet just like how there's more to life than just being human. Because everything is a burning dumpster fire but this book was not.
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I spent the first half wondering what was going on. It felt like the story wasn't going anywhere, but then the author hits me with all the twists and everything comes together beautifully with all the invisible strings moving all the pieces into place.

Is my kid observant, listening to me and Jesse discuss the state of the world even when we think she's not? Yes.

This feels like a classic - with language in the vein of A Little Princess or The Velveteen Rabbit. Meaning that it will endure and feels sort of reminiscent of an older time/era, despite being recently published. It's enchanting with sort of a wondrous, hazy fairy tale vibe about it and is beautifully presented and told. It assumes the readers's intellligence if not their age.

It gently presents big themes - camaraderie, and purpose, longing for adventure, love lost and found, finding your place and people, and being a small part in a bigger story.

Rumor has it this is the first installment of what's intended to be a series involving the same characters, but this one stands alone and well even if you don't read further.
May equally appeal show more to child-at-heart adults or old-soul-type children.

Highly, highly recommended. show less

Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends--a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl--bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart's mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room in the home of two little girls, the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have imagined.

DiCamillo gently builds several life lessons into a short tale of five puppets. Using repetition, sly humor, and stark pencil illustrations, this fable has a lovely old-world feel. The ending should inspire conversation between children and adults who read this story together.

A girl, a boy, a king, an owl, and a wolf hang together in a toy shop window: intricately made puppets. One day, the clear violet eyes of the girl puppet catch the attention of an old sea captain, who buys the whole set because the toy seller won’t separate them. They are all, he insists, in a story together. The puppets are passed from one person to another upon the sea captain’s death, until they come to the home of two little girls, where they will have more adventures, both together and separately.

This is very much a Kate DiCamillo book, with lovely writing and deep themes running through the fabric of the story. I liked it better than some of her books but not as much as others. It felt ever so slightly unfinished to me, but show more that may be because it indicates that it’s the first part of a series. Fans of this author should certainly take note. show less

Five puppets are purchased by an old man who promptly dies, but the story just begins there! What will happen to the puppets next?

I continue to be underwhelmed by Kate DiCamillo's books and wonder why she's highly rated by others. This book was so dully repetitive and simplistic in a way that feels like it's talking down to children. The prose is presented like such (paraphrasing, not a direct quote): "I have such long teeth," says the wolf with the long teeth. A sentence or two like this might be fine but instead it's basically every sentence. The book is a short 120 pages approximately, but it feels longer because of the need to repeat the same lines that were never complicated to begin with and therefore don't need repeating.

The plot show more itself is very thin. I do think there were some fun twists, like the wolf puppet who dreams of running in the woods being picked up in the mouth of a fox as it scurries back to its den, and the reveal of the audience including the old man's lost love, but it still wasn't much. There are far cleverer and more fun stories of toys coming to life or having thoughts/feelings of their own -- and usually these are accompanied by some amount of self-sufficiency, rather than these puppets who cannot make anything happen but must merely sit back and see what life throws at them next.

The black-and-white sketches are certainly fitting to how basic this story is, but they are also largely unnecessary. The final page spread illustration is the only one that actually adds anything to the story. This is the first book in a series, but I have zero interest in picking up another one. show less