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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: The Puppets of Spelhorst: A Norendy Tale Author: Kate DiCamillo Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 3-7 Genre/Type of Book: J fantasy, magic, adventure, fairy tales
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: n/a Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: It is by Kate DiCamillo, is a NY Times bestseller, plus the cover looked intriguing. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: "May you journey out into the great wide world. And wherever you go, may you love without regret- for that is the greatest glory there is." - King/Wizard, p.135
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Review:
This fabulous book really is a book for all ages, as many of DiCamillo's books are. An elementary student would love it and I loved this layered story as an adult. The story is intriguing and suspenseful at times, the illustrations add to the emotion of the story, and I loved how the characters (the puppets) interacted with each other. I loved every one of them! I can't wait for book 2 to see what they are all up to!
It is a smaller book with lots of illustrations. There is a lot of white space on the page, making it seem (and it is) an easier read, especially from a middle school librarian's perspective. The story is told in three acts. It is about love, hope, loss, regret, dreams, grief, and big adventures, making it a great book for all libraries. People who love fairy tales would be drawn to this book. I think it would make a great play or movie, and also a great read aloud with a lot of discussion points. Even more fun, is a read aloud with puppets!
The book begins with a bunch of puppets- a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl puppet- laying all jumbled up in a trunk with "Spelhorst" written in gold lettering on the top and sides. They were waiting for their story to begin. Spelhorst is an old sea captain who doesn't have a family, nor any children or grandchildren. One day, on his walk, he passes a toy store where he sees some puppets on display. The girl puppet reminds him of someone he used to know and loved a long, long time ago. "Loved and lost, loved and lost, the ever-repeating story of the world. (p.11)," says Spelhorst. The toy store owner tells him he must take all the puppets as they are part of a set and in a story together, and so Spelhorst does. Adventures ensue.
One of my favorite things is the way DiCamillo developed the personalities of each puppet. The wise, old owl whose favorite phrase is, "And all shall be revealed!" when things looked bleak, and the puppets were trying to figure out life. Or the wolf, who loves to point out his sharp, pointy teeth at every opportunity. Wolf is allergic to owl's feathers, and he always sneezes when he gets close to owl. It would be fun to do a character study with a class, or even practice predicting how each character will react or what they will do next.
There are a lot of "moments" in the story- suspenseful ones, heartfelt, lonely ones. Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I had tears in my eyes as I read this book. I especially loved the ending, which is a picture of where the puppets ended up and I can't wait to join them there in the next book!
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Find this video and other resources for The Puppets of Spelhorst at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
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