This was a very peculiar book. There were times when I enjoyed it and times when the story couldn't keep my interest. It can be a little creepy for a kids book, but overall the storyline was good.

Thank you NetGalley for my free copy in order for my honest review!

First, I would like to add that I read this book with my son (10) and we both loved it so much! Its a magical story about family, Gripping story about a boy and a marionette doll. Who has a conciseness but can not move his body. After swapping places, the boys sister has to fight an evil puppeteer to get her brother back.
We loved this kinda spooky book so much! Definitely read out loud with your little one. 4/5 stars!

The strongest endorsement I can give of this novel is that Schusterman sets up clear rules for the magic of this world and sticks to them. Now, the details of those rules are parceled out throughout the plot, as Penny and Chance discover what is going on, but they remain consistent. She also uses her setting and it's social context to great affect. By setting her story in the 50's she can explore gender roles, race relations, the growth of the suburb, and the post war era all in the context of a mild horror plot. Personally, I'd loved to have seen the creep factor ramped up a couple of degrees but that's more a matter of personal preference than any real censure of the writing style.

Opening line:
"There was once a cabinetmaker's apprentice who built a marionette, and this marionette was not a soul-thieving demon."

Have you watched the movie "The Polar Express"? Do you remember the creepy scene with the creepy marionettes? And how they came alive? Well, this book isn't quite as creepy. There was adventure, a carnival, missing children and a puppeteer (who was creepy).
The story opens with Chance who loves to go to a museum and work. He tells all his troubles to a marionette named Penny who sits on a shelf and "listens" to Chance. One day the museum owner claims he's shutting down and lets Chance take Penny home. Quite by accident, they find a way to communicate. Then, quite by accident, they switch places: Chance is now Penny-the-Marionette and Penny is now Chance-the Human-Boy. She loves the freedom of being human and questions a little bit of staying in this form. But she likes Chance and knows she needs to switch back. But things go awry and Chance is kidnapped--or puppet-napped?
Thus, the adventure begins.
This is a story about family, siblings, trust and faith.
I personally did not connect with the characters. I thought it was interesting that the author had a girl take over a boy's body but the possible "ick" factor was glossed over so I thought that was good, especially because this is a middle-grade read.

There is a creepy factor with the marionettes and their maker as well as a threat of death by fire.

Thanks to netgalley for the read!

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for providing me a copy of “Spell and Spindle” by Michelle Schusterman in exchange for my review.

The main highlight of this story for me was the characters how the author realistically portrays them. I especially adored how the author made Penny more three dimensional, even though she is only supposed to be a marionette in theory. Though Penny is supposed to be good and heroic, she also makes mistakes, gets scared, and runs away from problems rather than facing them. I loved seeing all these facets in our protagonist, which is very rare in middle grade novels. Another reason why this book was fun was because the author did not stereotype the genders. Penny and Constance are the main brave heroes in this story. Chance is brave at times too, but we also see a vulnerable side to him and he comes across as the damsel in distress here.

The only trouble I had with this “Spell and Spindle” was the villain. Considering how wonderful it was to read about the good guys, I found the villain to be very two dimensional in the mustache-twirling way. I also had trouble understanding the reasons for doing what he did as it didn’t seem very convincing.

Apart from that though, I truly enjoyed this story. I really liked Michelle Schusterman’s style of writing, and would love to pick up some of her other novels. I also found the illustrations by Kathrin Honesta to be cute on each chapter. Also, I loved that each chapter ends in a serialized cliff-hanger and I found myself turning pages to find out what happened next! Spell and Spindle is definitely one of those books that boys and girls would enjoy reading as it has a lot of mystery, adventure and drama in it. Personally, I enjoyed it a lot too and can’t wait to re-read it once it hits the bookstores

<i>I was provided a copy of this book via NetGalley and Random House for Children in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. </i>

"I just don't think its fair that boys with magic are written as exceptionally smart, but girls with magic are written as exceptionally mean."

Chance works for Fortunato, a museum owner of all kinds of oddities. When Chance's parents decide to move away, Fortunato gifts his life sized marionette doll to Chance. Chance quickly finds out that if he touches Penny's strings he can hear her talk! Over the course of a week, Chance and Penny grow close as he tries to master being a puppeteer so they can run away together to the circus. One day Chance and Penny swap bodies! They figure out why/how it happened and have to get to the circus to put them back into their rightful bodies.

Ahh, this book needed to be so much longer, and for YA!
I really loved the description of this book, I read it and immediately had to have it. I wasn't disappointed overall either. While I did rate this book 5 stars, I still had my minor gripes with it. For one it wasn't long enough. I know, I know, its a middle grade book and they're supposed to be short, sweet, and to the point; but I needed MORE! Two, the book is marked as horror on Goodreads, not scary at all. Not even in the slightest. It has vibes of being slightly thrilling, but honestly not enough. It could have been a bit more creepy without going over the line for a childrens book. I loved the ending so much, I thought at first I was going to be disappointed and pissed at the direction it was going, but I wasn't! Yay!

Oh, almost forgot. I absolutely adored that the author made Constance have more dimension to her character than previously thought. She didn't fit your typical 1950's little girl, she liked reading books that weren't predictable. She hated that boys were always the rescuers and girls were always evil witches in books.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone :)

What would you do if you were given a marionette doll and one day you touched her strings and you heard her thoughts? How freaked out would you be? Penny has spent so many years on the shelf in the museum watching all that goes on. Chance works in the museum helping Fortunato, an elderly man who inherited the museum from the cabinetmaker who was his teacher. When Fortunato is forced to sell the museum he gives Chance the life-sized marionette doll, Penny. When Chance touches Penny's strings they are able to communicate through their minds. What they don't know is an evil man is watching them and creates an opportunity for Chance and Penny to swap places. Penny is so excited to be in a human body, but not at the expense of Chance's soul. As Penny is trying to find a way to swap them back, Chance is stolen and now Penny doesn't know what to do. Chance's sister, Constance, steps in and is determined to save her brother. What she doesn't expect is to become friends with Penny. Will Penny and Constance be able to find Chance and swap back? Will Penny decide that she wants to keep the human body and leave Chance frozen in the wooden body? What about the evil man? Will he do whatever it takes to keep his marionette, even if it means death? This is a must read that you will not be able to put down until the end.

I just didn’t like this one.I just didn’t like this one. The characters and the plot just weren’t developed enough for me to get into it.

Chance feels at home at the Museum of Peculiar Arts. He helps its owner, Fortunato, with tidying up while admiring the curiosities housed there. As he works, he shares his observations and thoughts with no one in particular, but Penny is listening. Penny, the marionette on the shelf, enjoys Chance’s conversation and watches everything within her limited gaze.

Chance becomes upset because the museum is closing its doors for good, meaning he and his family have to move. They live in the building being sold. Worse yet, they are moving to a sterile suburb. Chance doesn’t know how he’ll live without the hustle and bustle of the city. When he says his goodbyes to Fortunato, the old man halfheartedly offers him Penny. Chance accepts the gift with uncertainty, but knows he will cherish this memento of the museum. Later, when Chance accidentally touches her strings he discovers that they provide a literal connection to Penny’s very real thoughts. This revelation leads to a series of heart-wrenching, terrifying, and adventurous events as Chance, Penny, and his sister, Constance, discover the sinister truth behind the marionettes and their magic.

Spell and Spindle is enthralling and the perfect blend of suspense, danger, humor, and adventure. Middle grade readers will relate to the authentic dialog of the characters and the dire choices they must make. Spell and Spindle is a swift and satisfying read.