Puppet Master - Softcover

Joanne Owen works in children's bookselling and publishing. Puppet Master is her first novel.

Part historical fiction, part fantastical nightmare, this haunting debut, set in 1899 Prague, celebrates the city's rich folklore and long tradition of puppetry. On the same day that Milena's father, a renowned puppeteer, fell to his death, her mother vanished. In Old Town Square, Milena encounters a traveling puppeteer and his menacing protégés, who are identical twins, and as the story changes perspective between the Puppet Master and Milena, readers will quickly realize that the sinister newcomer is responsible not only for loved ones who have disappeared but also for a ghoulish plot to control the city. Illustrated with creative, mood-setting spot art, the book includes frequent chapters of Bohemian stories, which are printed on pages resembling leaves of an antique book. A map would have been welcome, but an appended glossary and cultural notes offer background on names and places. The blend of terror, macabre theater, magic, lore, and fin de siècle setting creates an unusual, captivating adventure that, like many old Czech legends, celebrates strong women and their power to rescue entire lands. Grades 4-8. --Gillian Engberg