An exquisite little book about five puppets in which a play they perform overlaps with their experience. With lovely retro images and wisdom about friendship and adventure. - The Sunday Times

This story is like a perfectly polished pebble. While other writers for children build extravagant worlds and create exhausting quests, Kate DiCamillo has done the opposite with her latest book, The Puppets of Spelhorst, taking all the big themes - love, loss, longing - and distilling them down, down, down to the beautiful, bare bones of a fairytale… It is quite unlike everything else. DiCamillo is a puppetmaster extraordinaire and such an effortless storyteller that you can barely see the strings… A playful, poignant and peculiar story that might just “break your heart and also heal it”. -- Lucy Bannerman - The Times

Kate DiCamillo is a master storyteller - always weaving her words with a moral intertwined in the tale. […] The book has wonderful, detailed black-and-white illustrations by Julie Morstad which bring the characters to life. The tale is full of hope and love and will be loved by adults and children alike. - NetGalley Reviewer

Absolutely loved this story. Although written very recently it feels like an original fairy tale. DiCamillo’s writing is just perfect. - NetGalley Reviewer

This book made me cry so much. I love it, and will more than likely use it in my class […] The story is structured like a Russian Doll. It reminds me of "Clockwork" by Philip Pullman. - NetGalley Reviewer

Author of the Newbery Medal-winning The Tale of Despereaux and the bestselling Because of Winn-Dixie, now a major Hollywood film!