Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Delacorte Books for Young Readers (2017), 336 pages
Description
At the beginning of World War II, Karolina's spirit magically travels from the war-torn Land of the Dolls to the Krakow, Poland, shop of the Dollmaker, Cyryl, and together they take great risks to save their Jewish friends.
Awards
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Mass Import -- Pending Differentiation)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2019)
Florida Book Award (Silver Medal — 2017)
Young Quills Award for Historical Fiction (Shortlist — 2018)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member Arkrayder
I obtained this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!🙂
This book was a very poignant story. It described the characters of the Dollmaker, Rena, Josef and Karolina wonderfully. It is narrated by Karolina and she draws my heart into this story exquisitely, but I
This book was a very poignant story. It described the characters of the Dollmaker, Rena, Josef and Karolina wonderfully. It is narrated by Karolina and she draws my heart into this story exquisitely, but I
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could feel the draw of the inevitable conclusion and when if came, all though I hoped things could have been different, it just broke my heart, especially the Dollmaker, Cyryl Brzezick's last words to Karolina. Amazing heartfelt tale. Show Less
LibraryThing member RefPenny
The story starts in the Land of the Dolls, which has been invaded by rats. Karolina, one of the dolls, finds herself transported to the human world where she comes to life in the shop of the Dollmaker. However, things are not much better in the human world than in the Land of the Dolls because she
RM Romero writes beautifully and skilfully depicts the characters and settings. Because part of the story is set within history there can be no happy ending but the cruelty of the Nazi regime is sensitively handled - it is obvious what happens to the human characters but it is not described. The cover illustration is gorgeous and there are also borders and medallions throughout the book. The borders act to separate chapters set in the real world from those set in the Land of the Dolls while the medallions at the start of each chapter tie in with the content of the chapter. Although I enjoyed the character of Karolina and her interactions in the real world, I resented being pulled away from this very engaging, believable world by the chapters set in the Land of the Dolls. The disturbing historical elements in this book mean it is most suitable for readers aged 10 and up but I wonder if children of this age, well past playing with dolls, might be put off by this aspect of the story.
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is now in Poland in 1939. The Dollmaker is a solitary character but with Karolina's help, he makes friends with a Jewish family. When the Nazis invade, Karolina and the Dollmaker do what they can for their new friends and then for other Jewish children. Unfortunately, this has disastrous consequences for the Dollmaker.RM Romero writes beautifully and skilfully depicts the characters and settings. Because part of the story is set within history there can be no happy ending but the cruelty of the Nazi regime is sensitively handled - it is obvious what happens to the human characters but it is not described. The cover illustration is gorgeous and there are also borders and medallions throughout the book. The borders act to separate chapters set in the real world from those set in the Land of the Dolls while the medallions at the start of each chapter tie in with the content of the chapter. Although I enjoyed the character of Karolina and her interactions in the real world, I resented being pulled away from this very engaging, believable world by the chapters set in the Land of the Dolls. The disturbing historical elements in this book mean it is most suitable for readers aged 10 and up but I wonder if children of this age, well past playing with dolls, might be put off by this aspect of the story.
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LibraryThing member JennyNau10
How can such an enchanting story leave me so haunted? I didn't know anything about this book except that it occurs during World War 2 and I assumed it was merely historical fiction, which given the subject matter is heavy enough. I'd had it on my to be read list for months when I saw it at the
Throughout the book, you hear two stories that of the occupation of the Land of the Dolls and that of occupied Poland. They begin to be eerily similar, and Karolina (the magical doll) is nervous about the safety of the doll maker, (German-born, Polish citizen Cyryl Brzezick). And the other human friends that she has come to love.
As you may expect with a story set in this period some, characters get happy endings while others bravely sacrifice themselves for others. Like a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale, the end will leave you in tears.
I'd put it in the older Middle-Grade age group for that reason. As always with a quality story, adults and YA readers may want to pick this up as well. I could see middle grade and high school students having some lively discussions while reading this. I'm adding it to my list of living books in the World War 2 category.
Please note that I borrowed this book from my library without a review requirement or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that, I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
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library and checked it out.Throughout the book, you hear two stories that of the occupation of the Land of the Dolls and that of occupied Poland. They begin to be eerily similar, and Karolina (the magical doll) is nervous about the safety of the doll maker, (German-born, Polish citizen Cyryl Brzezick). And the other human friends that she has come to love.
As you may expect with a story set in this period some, characters get happy endings while others bravely sacrifice themselves for others. Like a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale, the end will leave you in tears.
I'd put it in the older Middle-Grade age group for that reason. As always with a quality story, adults and YA readers may want to pick this up as well. I could see middle grade and high school students having some lively discussions while reading this. I'm adding it to my list of living books in the World War 2 category.
Please note that I borrowed this book from my library without a review requirement or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that, I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
Show Less
ISBN
1524715395 / 9781524715397