Source: NetGalley and Candlewick Press
Genre: Fantasy
Intended Audience: Middle Grade
Trigger Warnings: Child kidnapping
Star Rating: 4.5

Who: Grisini: a puppeteer and generally creepy guyLizzie Rose and Parsefell: orphans, Grisini's apprenticesClara Wintermute: a young lady

Where: London and northern Wales

What: Clara Wintermute is about to have a birthday and wants nothing more than to have Mr. Grisini perform his marionette act at her party. She also wants him to bring his two apprentices, for Clara wishes to befriend them. But when the party is over and everyone has gone home, Clara vanishes without a trace. Grisini is a top suspect, but he's too clever to have left any evidence. Instead, Lizzie Rose and Parsefell begin to bring Grisini's past to light, piecing together shreds of remembered phrases and rumors of prior incidents. When the two children are called to the deathbed of Grisini's oldest friend, they accept the invitation even without Grisini's whereabouts. Will she finally be able to answer all the questions Grisini never would? Does she have the power to set things right again? 

Why: Clara is the only child in her house, but she is not an only child. Once one of five (including a twin), Clara is the sole surviving child, and as such has spent most of her young life in grieving and solitude. She really wants to make real friends her own age, to have fun, and to be merry. Grisini just wants money and power. He will do whatever it takes to obtain them. Lizzie Rose wants to be part of a family again. Parsefell wants to learn as much as he can about puppeteering so he can get out on his own and seek his own fortune. And Cassandra? Cassandra doesn't want to burn. 

My thoughts: This book was a lot of fun and just creepy enough. Many of the plot lines were predictable, but that didn't make them boring. Clara is a little girl different from many, her unique situation is what makes her feel universal. I love how fiercely loyal she is and enjoyed watching her realize that she could be loyal to herself as well. Grisini was very much like every other slimy puppeteer in stories, but with a little less empathy. I loved seeing the lengths that the children would go to get away from Grisini, to have a home, and access to as much wealth as they could carry. Lizzie Rose in particular was absolutely stubborn and determined that she, Parsefell, and (in the beginning) Grisini, living in a fantasy where they were all one big (small) family while working her hardest to make it a reality. 

Themes: Family, friendship, social classes, grief
Recommended For:  Goosebumps readers, preteens who like spooky but not scary stories.