Spell & Spindle by Michelle Schusterman - ADVISABLE

Spell & Spindle by Michelle Schusterman, 255 pages.  Random House, 2018.  $17.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY:  EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Chance and his family are moving from the heart of their city to a new, sterile housing development in the suburbs.  Chance wants nothing to do with it, especially since it means leaving The Museum of Peculiar Arts, directly below their apartment.  AS a final gesture the museum’s curator gives him Penny, a life-sized marionette that has been in the museum for decades.  When Chance touches her strings for the first time, he can her Penny’s thoughts  How is this possible?!  This contact launches them and a few others on a adventure unlike any other – especially when Chance finds himself trapped within Penny’s wooden body and Penny becomes Chance – who will believe him?

While the underlying structure of the ultimate riddle is a bit confusing, I pushed through my confusion and jumped into the adventure.  The tension ramps up nicely to a breathtaking and magical finish.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian. MLS