The Puppet Wrangler by Vicki Grant

Title: The Puppet Wrangler
Author: Vicki Grant
Age Group: Tweens
# of Pages: 212
My Rating: 3/5

Telly has always been the good girl in her family, unlike her older sister who likes to cause nothing but trouble. Her life hasn't exactly been eventful until her parents send her off to stay with her aunt, Kathleen. There, Telly stays behind the set of a popular puppet show for kids.

But of course, how exciting can it be when your own aunt keeps forgetting about you as she freaks out on her job? Well, Telly has never been so shocked in her life when one of the puppets on the show, Bitsie, can move and talk!

With her short time away from home, Telly learns about what friendship really means; oh, and how tiring it can be with an obnoxious and annoying puppet.

I am a fan of Vicki Grant ever since I read my first novel by her, Quid Quo Pro. Although I wasn't keen on the idea of a live puppet, I decided to take a shot at it anyway.

Telly is a preteen with a fun, loving voice. She's the kind of kid where you know she will grow up to be the kind of teenager or adult you would want to hang out with. She knows when to be sympathetic and when to draw the line, especially with Bitsie. I say she has patience because I would have chucked the puppet into pieces if he bossed me around like there was no tomorrow.

I really am curious about why Bitsie is able to walk or talk at all. The story never covered it and you only saw his and Telly's relationship growing as they learned the rights and wrongs of things. It would have been better if there was a reason behind Bitsie's existence.

The novel has ton of footnotes because Telly always likes to add a little something to the side of whatever she is saying. I found it a bit annoying to go through pages and find all of these small footnotes. I preferred that everything the protagonist wanted to say would have been in the context. It also bothered me that the page numbers were in the middle of the side. It was very unconvenient.

The Puppet Wrangler is an entertaining read for preteens. There is a lot of silliness that the younger minds can appreciate but not so much for those of the older audience.

Bookmooched from Athena.