And They All Lived Happily Ever After!
If you’ve ever felt like an outsider looking in, this story is for you. Tiph is a girl who is obsessed with the miniature world of dollhouses, and the dolls in them. Her heart is set on a doll named Gretel, but there’s a catch: the store owner has banned Tiph from the shop, leaving her to stare longingly through the window.
Things change when Tiph meets Szilvia, an older woman who loves dolls and dollhouses, too. Szilvia hires Tiph to take care of her pets. The two become friends. Szilvia listens, and gives attention, to Tiph, something her dad and stepmother don’t have time for. Life is getting better for Tiph.
But one day, Tiph does something wrong, so bad, Tiph surprises herself. Tiph is afraid that if it is discovered, her parents, and Szilvia will never forgive her.
This is a great story. You will experience, along with Tiph, wonderful things, and hard things—and what Tiph thinks and does.
The choice Tiph makes in the end may surprise you.
A cool part about this book is the way it’s told. There are two narrators: Tiph and Gretel, the doll.
Children aged eight through thirteen-years-old will enjoy this five-star story.
Thanks to Candlewick Books, for providing Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, “The Winter of the Dollhouse,” by Laura Amy Schlitz, for the purpose of review. Opinions are my own.
