Mouse works in the scullery at Dunston Manor, peeling onions, stirring the pots, sweeping the floors, and doing her best not to get into trouble with the fractious cook. Alone at night in the dark corner she calls home, she wishes for something wondrous to happen and dreams of a better life. But what chance does she have, a girl born with nothing, not even a proper name?

Then Mouse sees a puppet play and knows at once what she must do. Somehow she must learn to make the puppets dance. Somehow she must become the puppeteer's apprentice. But the puppeteer is harboring some uncomfortable secrets, and Mouse doesn't know whether she has the courage it takes to fulfill her dreams.

How Mouse finds her place in the world, and a very special name, is the heart of this thoroughly absorbing and remarkable story set in medieval England.

 

This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.

There are 192 pages in this book. This book was published 2012 by Simon & Schuster .

D. Anne Love is the author of several award-winning novels for young readers, including Defying the Diva, Picture Perfect, Semiprecious, and The Puppeteer's Apprentice. Ms. Love lives in Texas hill country with her husband, Ron, and Major and Jake, their book-loving golden retrievers. You can visit her online at dannelove. com.

This book has the following chapters: Contents

CHAPTER ONE. An Ending

CHAPTER TWO. The Travelers

CHAPTER THREE. The Inn

CHAPTER FOUR. The Puppeteer

CHAPTER FIVE. Mouse Is Discovered

CHAPTER SIX. Mouse Discovers a Secret

CHAPTER SEVEN. The Puppet Play

CHAPTER EIGHT. The Goose Woman's Tale

CHAPTER NINE. A Dream Fulfilled

CHAPTER TEN. Marbury Wood

CHAPTER ELEVEN. Gimingham

CHAPTER TWELVE. The Puppeteer's Tale

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. A Beginning

AUTHOR'S NOTE

BIBLIOGRAPHY