The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo

What worked:

It’s creative to tell the story through the eyes of puppets. The puppets are able to talk to each other but the humans they encounter can’t hear them. The puppet characters can’t move on their own so their actions are dependent on human manipulation. Their comments and thoughts are based on the positions they happen to be in when other characters put them down. The owl can’t see much at one point when she’s dropped face down on the floor. The girl puppet describes the beauty of the moon because the others are stuck in a trunk. They’d never seen the sun or trees before because their view from the toy store was of a brick wall on the other side of the alley.

The relationships between the characters are unique and transformative. The characters are mostly focused on themselves in the early chapters with each having dreams of what they want to do. The king wants everyone to listen to him, the owl wants to fly, and the boy believes one day he’ll do something important. The wolf constantly reminds the others, “My teeth are razor sharp”. They all realize they’re part of a future story but events result in all of the characters being separated. The conflict becomes how will they be reunited to achieve their destined story.

The fairy-tale-like narrative is written in a simple voice but the characters will make readers think. The first sentence “There was once an old sea captain…” sets the tone and sounds like a tale being read to children. The puppets’ thoughts are mostly based on things they can see although their minds begin to wonder about possibilities. Their individual dreams differentiate the characters and display a range of personalities. The king and wolf are more one-dimensional, the boy and girl have more imagination, and the owl is the philosopher in the group. Despite their differences, they slowly realize all of their lives are connected.

What didn’t work as well:

Readers may wonder about the housekeeper’s actions at the end of the book. On the one hand, her decision makes perfect sense but on the other readers may wonder why the puppets are included. It provides food for thought after the final pages are read.

The Final Verdict:

This book can be read quickly or slowly depending on how much thinking you want to do. The innocent, naïve characters are loveable and the way their lives are affected by humans will make them even more endearing. Overall, this is a charming, fun story and I recommend you give it a shot.