Faith Elizabeth Hough
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Book to Share: The Puppets of Spelhorst, by Kate DiCamillo

10/29/2023

9 Comments

 
Picture
I remember writing a review years ago (can't track it down now) in which I said I'd read a grocery list if Kate DiCamillo wrote it. I stand by that sentiment. Kate DiCamillo has the ability to take the most basic, simple of stories and make it captivating.

I bring that up only because it was rather hard to pin down what is so wonderful about Kate's newest book, The Puppets of Spelhorst. The ostensible main characters of this original fairy tale are puppets, therefore they cannot make choices or—in themselves—move the action forward. They move from the hands of one person to another, hardly allowing the reader the pleasure of following any human character just as you start to really care about them. The story is simple. The entire drama unfolds in under 150 small, highly illustrated pages.

And yet… it's no grocery list. 

Kate DiCamillo's storytelling is incisive. With simple language and not a single wasted word, she gets to the heart of what it means to be human, what courage looks like, what beauty can do to us, what it means to be part of a story.  She masterfully weaves together the simple, passing tales of each of the humans the puppets encounter as the toys look for their own story, and only the reader can really see the deeper story, the deeper roles they play.

To borrow a quote from the book itself, the feeling I had the entire time reading it was, "It's all so beautiful… I wonder what will happen next."
​

Finally, I can't neglect to mention Julie Morstad's gorgeous illustrations. They complement and enhance the simplicity and beauty of the author's writing perfectly. A complete delight.
9 Comments
Ms. Yingling
10/30/2023 03:22:09 am

I am curious as to how children and tweens react to this book.

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Brenda link
10/30/2023 10:38:56 am

So happy to read your thoughts, I adore Kate DiCamillo's book and haven't had the chance to read this one yet. Your review makes me eager to push it up on the TBR list too. Happy MMGM

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Greg Pattridge link
10/30/2023 03:58:54 pm

I totally agree with you regarding Kate DiCamillo. I have this one high on my future read list and appreciate your insightful thoughts. Thanks for being a part of MMGM this week.

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Carol Baldwin link
10/30/2023 04:31:43 pm

I agree with your thoughts about Kate as an author. And this book looks so fun--puppets as characters. What a novel idea!

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Natalie Aguirre link
10/31/2023 02:15:33 pm

I'm a huge fan of Kate's too. She's such a talented storyteller. This sounds like another great story by her that isn't too long. Glad you liked it so much.

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Rosi Hollinbeck link
10/31/2023 03:52:32 pm

Well, you can't go wrong with a Kate DiCamillo book, and it sounds like this is no exception. I'll have to hunt down a copy. Thanks for the review.

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Valinora Troy link
11/1/2023 11:23:50 am

Kate DiCamillo is on my TBR for a while, and I see so many fans that I must move her up my list. I love puppets in stories so this sounds a must read for me! Thanks for sharing!

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Sue Heavenrich link
11/6/2023 12:11:45 pm

main characters who cannot make choices and are totally dependent on others to do ... well, everything - that sounds like a BIG challenge. So now, of course, I've got to get that book!

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Anaheim Meet for Sex link
2/14/2025 03:48:24 pm

Thanks for thhis blog post

Reply



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