The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo

From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale—with enchanting illustrations by Julie Morstad—in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning, and high spirits.

Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends—a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl—bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart’s mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room in the home of two little girls, the truth is more astonishing than any of them could have imagined. A beloved author of modern classics draws on her most moving themes with humor, heart, and wisdom in the first of the Norendy Tales, a projected trio of novellas linked by place and mood, each illustrated in black and white by a different virtuoso illustrator. A magical and beautifully packaged gift volume designed to be read aloud and shared, The Puppets of Spelhorst is a tale that soothes and strengthens us on our journey, leading us through whatever dark forest we find ourselves in.

Hardcover, 149 pages

Published October 10, 2023

 by Candlewick Press

4/5 stars

As I slowly making my way through Kate DiCamillo's backlist, I came across this one, the start of a series. I am glad I had a print copy because the illustrations, thanks to Julie Morstad, were a wonderful addition.

This is a middle grade story however I think it would also be enjoyed by those of a younger age. As you can see from the cover, there are five puppets.  Each tell their story which begins after being released from an old sea captain’s trunk.

These five characters are sold off and land in the home with two young girls. This is a book that had a lot of heart as each puppet had ambitions and unique personalities. They go on adventures while learning a lot of about themselves.  It's a story of friendship, imagination and hope.

This is the first book in a trilogy with book 3 being released this fall.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge and is book #13

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

The beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie has outdone herself with a hilarious and achingly real love story about a girl, a ghost, a grandmother, and growing up.

It’s the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris’s mother’s chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris’s grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans—wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons?

As Charisse likes to say, “Every good story is a love story,” and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages: emotionally resonant and healing, showing the two-time Newbery Medalist at her most playful, universal, and profound.

Hardcover, 226 pages

Published March 5, 2024

 by Candlewick Press

5/5 stars

This is one of the reasons why Kate DiCamillo is one of my favourite MG authors. Sadly, it’s been a while since I have read any of her books, but I was instantly reminded when I dove in and found myself falling in love with her writing again.

Ferris just finished fourth grade. She lives with her grandmother, her parents, her uncle Ted has moved into the basement and apparently there is a ghost roaming the house . Well, not really it roaming seems to have built a connection with the grandmother. Plus, there is her little sister Pinky who is quite the handful, she packs a punch with her antics and confidence, though that confidence isn’t always directed in the right places.

Not only was it the writing that I enjoyed but the story. This book made me smile, laugh out loud with its zany characters, witty banter but ultimately it pulls at your heart string when you really get to the zest of the story. I loved Ferris and I would love to see another book with this family again, I miss them already.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge.

Review: Beverly, Right Here (Three Rancheros #3) by Kate DiCamillo

Revisiting once again the world of Raymie Nightingale, two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo turns her focus to the tough-talking, inescapably tenderhearted Beverly.

 Beverly put her foot down on the gas. They went faster still.

This was what Beverly wanted — what she always wanted. To get away. To get away as fast as she could. To stay away.

 Beverly Tapinski has run away from home plenty of times, but that was when she was just a kid. By now, she figures, it’s not running away. It’s leaving. Determined to make it on her own, Beverly finds a job and a place to live and tries to forget about her dog, Buddy, now buried underneath the orange trees back home; her friend Raymie, whom she left without a word; and her mom, Rhonda, who has never cared about anyone but herself. Beverly doesn’t want to depend on anyone, and she definitely doesn’t want anyone to depend on her. But despite her best efforts, she can’t help forming connections with the people around her — and gradually, she learns to see herself through their eyes.

In a touching, funny, and fearless conclusion to her sequence of novels about the beloved Three Rancheros, #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo tells the story of a character who will break your heart and put it back together again.

Kindle, 256 pages

Published September 24th, 2019

by Candlewick Press

**** 1/2

The third book in Kate DiCamillo series about 3 spunky girls, each on their own mission. Each book can definitely be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading them all in whatever order you choose but just read them.

Beverly is only 14 when this book begins in the late 1970s, she is sad and missing her dog so what else can she do but run away from home. Thus the adventure begins. Just like the other 2 books I loved the quirky situations she gets herself into, her thoughts and actions define her unique characteristics.

Beverly was a fun read, with an eclectic cast of characters, a heartfelt storyline that focused on friendship, loneliness and self-discovery. With humor mixed in Kate DiCamillo is one of my goto for middle-grade books.

My thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

 Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest.

 But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.

 Paperback, 272 pages

Published May 1st, 2017

by Walker Books Australia

****

I read this book in anticipation the third book in series, Beverly, Right Here coming out next month. Last year I read book 2 in series Louisiana’s Way Home - talk about reading books way out of order. But no big deal each works just fine as a stand-alone. But once you start with one you will want to read more.

As you can read from the synopsis, not just Raymie is on a mission but Louisiana and Beverly as well.  It’s Raymie that I got a clearer picture of this time around. A confused girl who just wants her dad back, to have him show he cares and what better way than to win a contest that will make her famous.

Each of these girls - Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly has a quirky way of thinking, with actions that just confirm it. The journey is comical at times, full of innocence and drive. It’s their ‘I don’t care what anyone thinks’ attitude that kept me entertained.

I’ve read a number of Kate DiCamillo books, it's her writing style that I have come to love, her way with words that make me smile and characters that are hard to forget.  I recommend her books whenever I get the chance.

This book is part of my 2019 reading off my shelf challenge.

 clicking on the cover will take you to my review

Review: Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be.

When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana’s and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.)

Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.

Hardcover, 240 pages

Expected publication: October 2nd, 2018

 by Candlewick Press (MA) 

*****

~~~~~~~~~~

The beginning is that my great-grandfather was a magician, and long, long ago he set into motion a most terrible curse.

~~~~~~~~~~

I read this over the summer when I needed something light, whimsical and almost magical. I enjoyed  Flora & Ulysses and The Tale of Despereaux also by Kate DiCamillo, so I had a rough idea that I was in for a real treat with this one.

The blurb above tells you what takes place for Louisiana, she is only 10 years old as she tells her story, of being pulled out of bed in the middle of the night and the terrible curse that seems to be following them.  She is quite the character with a vivid imagination, vocabulary beyond her years and amazing reasoning skills. I loved Louisiana, she made me smile and I just wanted to give her a hug (along with some milk and cookies).

Louisiana's Way Home was a delight to read, it's a story of self-discovery, hope, and forgiveness. Told with wit and compassion, Kate DiCamillo has landed as one of my favorite children's author.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Perhaps what matters when all is said and done is not who put us down but who picks us up”

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Thank you to the publisher (via NetGalley) for an advanced e-arc. 

click on cover to see my review

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books I'd Give To Readers Who Have Never Read X (examples: New Adult novels, historical fiction, a certain author, books about a certain topic, etc)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Not into vampires (or witches).  Has Twilight or Sookie turned you off vampires or you are just afraid to read about them.  Well here is a series for you.  Forget that some say this is an adult version of Twilight, it's SO much better. 

 2. What you've never heard of Eleanor of Aquitaine!?  Seriously?? Well have I got a book for you!

3. Not sure about Stephen King, think he is all horror and no substance, this is one of my favorites.

4.  Audio books are a favorite of mine, I always have one on the go (dog walking, running, driving and even housework).  All Margaret George books have been read this way, Memoirs of Cleopatra is my favorite coming in at 5 minutes shy of 50 hours. Don't knock it till you try it.  Not all books are 50 hour long, depends on the size of the book.

 

 5.  Chick lit isn't your thing, mine either.  But give this series a try, it's good for a smile and chuckle every once in a while. Also works well as an audio too - though be careful if you are listening to this walking down the street, you might get strange looks if you start laughing out loud.

6.  How about some non fiction?  It's not a dry as you might think. Julia Fox wrote a really interesting book called Sister Queens about Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile, check it out.

7.  Children's books, think they are just for kids? There are some great coming of age and award winning books that had me captivated, this is a great one to start with.  Works good to read to your kids too.

8.  Not into paranormal stuff.  Give The Ghost Bride a try,  you will get so taken in with the story that you'll forget you don't like this genre. 

9. Books made into movies. READ THE BOOK FIRST!  Some books just don't make the cut, Harry Potter was wonderful, so was The Book Thief, The Other Boleyn Girl - well I lasted 5 minutes in that movie and never looked back (the book is a favorite of mine).

10.  Afraid to start a series, sometimes it is nice to read about familiar faces again, provided they aren't released so far apart that the author passes in the middle of the series (The Wheel of Time, much to my boys dismay).  My favorite is the Graham Saga - check out my post from a couple days ago, you could even win a set of these books.

Review: Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo.

 It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. 

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K.G. Campbell.

Hardcover, 233 pages

Published September 24th 2013 by Candlewick Press

Winner of the 2014 John Newbery Medal.

Within the first couple pages of this book, I knew I was in for a real treat.  What a wonderful book, it felt rather whimsical and a pleasure to read.  I think I was smiling the whole way through this book.

There were a number of subplots here and they came together triumphantly in the end.  What an adventure it was, you take a reborn squirrel, a girl named Flora (who is a self-professed cynic), a romance writing mother, the boy next door, a weird lamp (and much more), put them all together to create a phenomenal tale. 

The illustrations were enjoyable and added to the story, not too many but just the right amount.

This is definitely a book that I will be purchasing for the grandkids, what a wonderful time for parents and kids to cuddle and read together.

This book is part of my personal library.