Abstract
Reviewed by: The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice by Lisa DeSelm Natalie Berglind DeSelm, Lisa The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice. Page Street, 2020 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781645670803 $17.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-10 Pirouette is eighteen, but she has only been human since she was eleven, when Gephardt, the local puppetmaster, performed forbidden magic in a forest to turn her from wood to flesh. Now acting as Gephardt’s daughter and apprentice, Piro struggles to help her ailing father fulfill the Margrave’s order for a hundred life-size soldier puppets—and when he can’t do it in time, Gephardt is taken away to a cell and Piro must finish the request on her own. With help from the other local makers, Piro finishes within the new deadline, only to have the Margrave’s son take interest in her talents, asking first for a saboteur puppet, which somehow kills his enemies at night, and later, a bride that he will bring to life with the ritual that made Piro human. This take on Pinocchio refers to some classic elements, including physical consequences for lying (Piro’s skin splinters) and animated puppets, and puts them in a quaint old German-inspired town full of local artisans and forest magic. Readers have a lot to look forward to here, from a sweet, healthy romance between Piro and the tailor’s son, to mysterious blue moon magic, to Piro’s outwitting of the stubborn new Margrave while in captivity. This will sit well on shelves alongside other retellings that adequately capture the wonder of their sources. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Published Version
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