The Toymaker's Apprentice by Sherri L. Smith (English) Paperback Book

Description: The Toymaker's Apprentice by Sherri L. Smith Based on the original inspiration for the Nutcracker ballet, Sherri L. Smith brings the Nutcracker Prince to life in this fascinating journey into a world of toymaking, magical curses, clockmaking guilds, talking mice and erudite squirrels.Stefan Drosselmeyer is a reluctant apprentice to his toymaker father until the day his world is turned upside down. His father is kidnapped and Stefan is enlisted by his mysterious cousin, Christian Drosselmeyer, to find a mythical nut to save a princess who has been turned into a wooden doll. Embarking on a wild adventure through Germany, Stefan must save Boldavias princess and his own father from the fanatical Mouse Queen and her seven-headed Mouse Prince, both of whom have sworn to destroy the Drosselmeyer family.Based on the original inspiration for the Nutcracker ballet, Sherri L. Smith brings the Nutcracker Prince to life in this fascinating journey into a world of toymaking, magical curses, clockmaking guilds, talking mice and erudite squirrels. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Sherri L. Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois and spent most of her childhood reading books. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she has worked in movies, animation, comic books and construction. Sherris first book, Lucy the Giant, was an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults in 2003. Sherris novel, Sparrow, was chosen as a National Council for the Social Studies/Childrens Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Upon the release of Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet in February 2008, Sherri was featured as a spotlight author for The Brown Bookshelfs Black History Month celebration, 28 Days Later. Flygirl, an historical YA novel set during World War II, is her fourth novel. It won the California Book Award Gold Medal, was a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, and has received fourteen State Award nominations. Her latest novel, Orleans, is a cli-fi futuristic novel that garnered several starred reviews and was a 2014 CBC Best Book of the Year. Review Praise for The Toymakers Apprentice:"An absorbing tale of adventure, invention, family loyalty, and sly humor. . . . Bursting with unforgettable characters." —School Library Journal, starred review"Men and mice engage in mortal conflict in this multilayered retelling . . . . A fast-paced adventure." —Kirkus Reviews"An inventive fantasy." —Booklist"Smith manages to tease out the darker elements of her inspiration, the Nutcracker, while still maintaining a sense of whimsy, resulting in a story that blends wonder, melancholy, and adventure." —Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books"Exceedingly well done, this is a great fantasy novel and is highly recommended for middle grade readers, fans of fantasy, and lovers of The Nutcracker." —VOYA"Smiths usage of elements from Hoffmann, Dumass later adaptation, and the perennially popular Nutcracker ballet is extremely clever." —Publishers Weekly "Smith threads a wondrous tale which salutes The Nutcracker stories and ballet while carrying readers off on enchanting new adventures. " —School Library ConnectionPraise for Orleans: CCBC Choices (Cooperative Childrens Book Center) 2014 CBC Best Books of the Year for Children and Young Adults BCCB Blue Ribbon Book 2013 Westchester Fiction Award Honorable Mention 2014 (California) Junior Library Guild Selection "This version of NOLA reads like a twisted love letter to the original as Smith mines its famous landmarks and traditions for a dark revision . . . Smiths vision of the future is terrifying." —BCCB starred review "Compelling and disturbing . . . Alternating chapters of Fens strong and often lyrical voice and a third-person account from Daniels point of view move the complicated plot briskly." —Booklist, starred review "Gritty and dark, with plenty of glimmers of humanity . . . a book that will fly off the shelves and thrill readers of realistic, as well as science, fiction." —VOYA Praise for FLYGIRL: California Book Award Gold Medal winner 15 State Award nominations YALSA Best Book for Young Adults The Washington Post Best Kids Book of the Year Childrens Indie Next List ALA Amelia Bloomer Project list Capital Choices Notable Book for Children CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book CCBC Choices (Cooperative Childrens Book Center) "This breakthrough title adds a new story to the shelves of World War II books . . . an unforgettable climax." —Booklist, starred review "It was hard not to find myself cheering Ida Mae on. Hard not to get an itch to fly after reading this. Sherri Smith is a truly talented writer and Flygirl is a wonderful story." —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award- and Newbery Honor-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming "A dynamic, heartfelt novel." —The Washington Post Promotional Based on the original inspiration for the Nutcracker ballet, Sherri L. Smith brings the Nutcracker Prince to life in this fascinating journey into a world of toymaking, magical curses, clockmaking guilds, talking mice and erudite squirrels. Review Quote "An absorbing tale of adventure, invention, family loyalty, and sly humor. . . . Promotional "Headline" Based on the original inspiration for the Nutcracker ballet, Sherri L. Smith brings the Nutcracker Prince to life in this fascinating journey into a world of toymaking, magical curses, clockmaking guilds, talking mice and erudite squirrels. Excerpt from Book IT WAS A DREARY DAY for the time of year in Nuremberg. Gray clouds hung low over the peaked roofs of townhome and hall. The cobblestoned streets seeped with drizzled rain. A little gray dove leapt into the air from a great oak tree that stood in the graveyard. From his perch in the limbs of the tree, Stefan Drosselmeyer watched as the bird flew over hundred-year-old graves, and the newer crypts adorned with weeping angels and family names. A thin line of mourners followed the coffin in a sad parade through the cemetery gates and into the mossy rows of the dead. In the distance, two gentlemen on horseback, clad in the same black as mourners, regarded the scene from a nearby rise. A hitch developed in the smooth strokes of the doves wingbeats and it faltered. Stefan frowned as the wings froze and the bird glided back toward his tree, where he snatched it from the sky. One of the men on horseback looked up, revealing an eye patch and a single bright blue eye. Stefan scooched farther back into the shelter of the tree. He bit his lip, turning the dove over in his hands. Up close, the bird looked less like a dove and more like a childs approximation of a bird. A solid shape, no feathers, and only a dark spot of paint for the eye. He had just completed his apprenticeship as a toymaker and was proud of his bird. His father, who also happened to be his master toymaker, was the old-school sort who thought toys should only move when lifted. But Stefan was more interested in the modern trend toward automation. He brushed a shock of damp hair out of his eyes and frowned at the damaged wings. The paint had failed to seal the joints completely, and rain had gotten in, swelling the wood. In the graveyard beneath his tree, the procession had come to a stop before a low black crypt. He could hear the priest droning on, the sound of his father in tears. "Where is he?" a sharp-nosed woman whispered. Stefans absence had been noticed. "Hes just a child," a plump woman murmured. "The church service was more than enough." It had been more than enough, Stefan agreed. The gloomy cathedral, soot blackened, candles barely bright enough to see by. And his mother, cold and pale in the narrow coffin. His father had insisted on building the casket himself, a tribute to his beloved wife. He wished to be alone with only his tools, not his son. Left to his own devices, Stefan had decided to make the dove. Murmured condolences covered the gossip of the two women. Stefan examined the wooden bird. When wound by the pegged tail feather piece, the wings would crank to a point of tension and then, with the tail cocked just so--the bird would take flight. Light wooden wings beating a frantic blur. A favorable wind could keep the dove aloft for minutes at a time. But today the wind blew strange. He stuffed the bird into the pocket of his redingote and pulled out a sketchbook. The wool coat was too big for him, and too heavy for the weather, but it was his only black coat. Hed grow into it, his mother had said. For now, it kept out the worst of the rain. He jotted down a few thoughts in his notebook beside a sketch of the bird device. Below, he could hear the priests blessings come to an end. He risked a glance down at the gathering. The door to the crypt stood open, black as night, blacker than the lacquered coffin. Above the lintel, a name was carved deep into the stone: Drosselmeyer . With a slide of wet leaves, Stefan dropped out of the far side of the tree and hopped the fence, his coat snagging briefly on the rusty iron bars. He dragged himself free without looking back. A tear in the wool would be more easily mended than a tear in his heart, and that was what would happen if he watched them roll his mother into her grave. Dont look back, he told himself. His hair was in his eyes again, the same blue-green eyes as his mothers, the same dark blond hair. He pushed the locks brusquely out of his way. "Never look back," he said through clenched teeth, and walked out into the gray world. His boots clattered onto the cobblestones, gaining in tempo as he broke into a run. * * * ON THE HILL overlooking the graveyard, the men on their strange black horses shifted. No breath rose from the nostrils of their stone-still mounts. The men shook their reins, and with a soft click of gears, the horses followed Stefan into the street. Details ISBN0399545174 Short Title TOYMAKERS APPRENTICE Pages 400 Language English ISBN-10 0399545174 ISBN-13 9780399545177 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2016 Imprint Puffin Place of Publication New York, NY Country of Publication United States DEWEY FIC Audience Age 10 Publication Date 2016-10-04 US Release Date 2016-10-04 UK Release Date 2016-10-04 Narrator Paul McGann Illustrator Mary GrandPre Birth 1927 Affiliation Lecturer, University of Fort Hare Position Professor Qualifications J.D. Author Sherri L. Smith Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Audience Children / Juvenile NZ Release Date 2016-11-27 AU Release Date 2016-11-27 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:98333075;

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