A brooding, Dickensian novel with a touch of fantasy and a glimmer of hope. . . . As mysterious and timeless as a fairy tale. Booklist (starred review)
Laura Amy Schlitz's Newbery Honor winning Victorian gothic is a rich banquet of dark comedy, scorching magic, and bewitching storytelling. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, invites master puppeteer Grisini to entertain at her birthday party. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion falls upon the puppeteer and his orphaned assistants. The three children, two penniless waifs and one pampered heiress have been caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance she's determined to shed before it's too late.
Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic / Toys, Dolls & Puppets / Family - Siblings
Ages 10-14
400 pages | 6.00" x 8.50" Paperback