The Puppets of Spelhorst

The Puppets of Spelhorst
Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick, 2023
149 pages
Grades 2-5
Fantasy

Written in a series of acts, this is the story of a trunk of puppets and the lives they touch. A long time ago an old sea captain at the end of his life spots some puppets in a toy store window and one of them remind him of past regrets. He purchases the lot and takes them back to his small room. At night we hear the conversations of the various puppets: a king, a wolf, an owl, a girl, and a boy, as they try to make sense of their world. A series of events takes them to the home of two girls, where the puppet's adventures continue and the girls become inspired to create a show. They perform this show for a special audience to great acclaim. Lives are touched by the message of the theatrical, bringing the tale back to the beginning. One participant becomes inspired to make a serious change, leading the puppets on yet another chapter of their adventurous lives.

This is a sweet and simple story set in the past and told within the framework of an old tale. In typical DiCamillo fashion, not one word is wasted, yet much is conveyed. The main themes of the story are living your life to your full potential with no regrets and to put love first. Similar in format to the author's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, the reader experiences the events through the eyes of puppets, who can feel and have personalities, even though they need human hands and voices to make them work. Placing the plot within acts gives the story the mood of an actual puppetshow and adds dimension to the story. Haunting pencil illustrations by Julie Morstad give the tale an extra layer of depth and convey the final thought at the end of the tale. I personally am a fan of puppets, believe in the power of story and performance, and love DiCamillo's writing style, making this one of my favorite books of the year. Will it resonate with kids? I don't know that they will read it on their own. That said, it would serve as a great read aloud for a classroom or a family. A beautiful story for a cold winter's night that is sure to touch many hearts and will invite kids to look at their beloved toys a bit sideways.