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They had been lying for some time at the bottom of a trunk with the name Spelhorst, engraved on the outside.
There was a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy and an owl puppet.
They waited for their story to begin.
The personification of the puppets allows their voices and opinions
to be heard.
An old sea captain owns the name of Spelhorst.
Totally alone in the world, he spends a lot of time simply gazing out to sea, sharing sounds created by the movement of others around him.
On occasion, he fills his day walking through the city. It is on one of these walks that he comes across a toy shop with the five puppets hanging in the window. The girl puppet catches his eye. Her stunning beauty reminds him of his lost love of long ago. He must have it.
But the girl cannot be bought alone. All the puppets belong together. They are an untold story in waiting.
The old man buys them all and takes them home, throws the four puppets in the trunk, and places the girl on a shelf in full sight. Writing a letter, he throws it in the trunk with the remaining puppets. A wonderful tale is told through the voices of the puppets, united in their lonesomeness.
Finally, their story has begun.
The old man is found dead when the rent due, is not paid.
On the same day the trunk is carried away by a rag and bone man. It is then
sold on to a man who gifts the puppets to his nieces.
Their story is made up of longings, secret dreams, and possibilities that the puppets always only imagined could become reality. The nieces become the instigators of the puppets’ destiny. The dolls experience many adventures; along paths towards becoming who the five have waited so long to be.
After the girls find the old man’s letter in the
trunk, Emma the eldest, writes a play to put on using the puppets. This is the pivotal point of
the story. Lives are changed. Destinies are fulfilled.
A magnificent ending brings everything full circle.
Another philosophical novel by Kate DiCamillo, two times winner of the Newbery Medal. A unique style and thought-provoking prose are her banner. Stunning black and white illustrations are a novelty.
This is the first book in the Norendy Tales series.
The Hotel Balzaar, is a magical story of
love, belief, and hope.
Marta and her mother Elena, come to the Hotel Balzaar and take up residence in a tiny attic room where Elena begins work as a maid. Marta must occupy herself in the quietest way possible throughout the day. She finds ways to do this by counting the back stairs going up and coming down, looking at a painting in the lobby of a single angel wing, and staring at the grandfather clock while the cat and mouse chase each other.
Marta finds Norman, the bellman, asleep standing up,
with a smile on his face.
Marta longs for her father to return from a war
that destroys everything, always. Her mother cries at night. Their loneliness and longing become palpable.
Father’s last letter is all they have to cling to.
The arrival of the eccentric Countess and her
parrot, bring new interests and occupation to fill Marta’s days. The old lady
draws the girl go to her room with the promise of a series of stories.
The stories begin and are linked in a subtle way together. Marta, who has lost belief in all things, due to her father’s absence, initially struggles to identify any of the hidden messages the Countess is conveying. It is the story of how a general became a parrot that now sits on the elderly woman’s shoulder, that holds Marta’s curiosity the most.
As the stories progress, each one takes on a
specific shape. One after the other, they prepare a staircase of information
leading to the final revelation.
This is another beautiful novel full of stories
within stories, about grief and sorrow, regret, enduring love and belief in all
that is good.
Kate DiCamillo’s insightful prose is always mesmerizing. Her ability to create powerful sentences is what retains
the reader’s focus from beginning to end. Strong messages flow
through this extraordinary novel, specifically the futility of war and its outcomes.
Stunning illustrations by Julia Sarda complement the text, while DiCamillo’s use of repetition to accent certain expressions is very effective.
This is the second book in the Norendy Tales
series.
Title: The Puppets of Spellhorst/The Hotel Balzaar
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Julie Morstad ; Julia Sarda
Publisher: Walker Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 18 October 2023; 1 October 2024
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781529512854; 9781629523782
For ages: 10+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction
