Author(s): Kate DiCamillo

Junior Fiction | Claire's Book Talkers

From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits.

Once, there was a king. And a wolf. And a girl with a shepherd’s crook. And a boy with a bow and arrow. And also, there was an owl...

They were puppets, and they were waiting for a story to begin.

In this new work of short fiction by twice winner of the Newbery Medal Kate DiCamillo, exquisitely illustrated in black and white by Governor General Literary Award Finalist Julie Morstad, five puppets who find themselves together in an abandoned trunk are carried off into the adventure of a lifetime.

CONSTANT READER STAFF REVIEW - CLAIRE

Ever since Kate DiCamillo graced my primary school years with her storytelling, I have returned to her writing time and time again for its magic and gentle wisdom. I vividly remember listening with complete enrapturement as a teacher read aloud the opening chapter of another of her novels, Because of Winn-Dixie, and to this day I still find her words just as enchanting. Somehow, without fail and usually within an astonishingly tiny span of pages, she manages to make you feel…just…so…much.

This little book is no exception; being infinitely more complex and multilayered than I could ever give it credit for. Grazing its surface gives you a beautifully theatrical fable, but delving just a hair’s breadth deeper brings forth a kaleidoscopic reflection on identity, belonging and love in its myriad of forms. Paired with Julie Morstad’s captivating black and white illustrations, this was a delight and a nostalgic comfort to read!