The Dollmaker of Krakow

July 17, 2017
Romero’s debut, an odd mix of fantasy and brutal history, travels between the Land of the Dolls, which has been destroyed by wicked rats, and Kraków, Poland, during WWII. Karolina, a wooden refugee from the Land of the Dolls, mysteriously arrives in the workshop of a kind, crippled, and sad toymaker, known as the Dollmaker of Kraków. The Dollmaker turns out to have magical abilities that bring toys to life; together he and Karolina endure the growing cruelty and devastation of the German Occupation, befriending a Jewish musician and his daughter, Rena, and trying to help them as the Nazis slowly decimate the Jews. The close bonds that Karolina forms with the Dollmaker and with Rena are well developed, and Romero accurately presents aspects of Polish history and folklore. The juxtaposition of fantasy with war is jolting, though, and sensitive readers may have trouble with the darkness of the story, which is filled with hatred, loss, grief, and only a little hope. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. Illustrator’s agency: Frank Sturges Reps.

June 15, 2017
A living, speaking doll; magical and folkloric elements; and Nazi terror meld in this novel set in World War II Krakow, Poland.Karolina is blown by a magical wind from the war-torn Land of the Dolls into the shop and life of Cyryl, the white Dollmaker of Krakow, a lonely, skilled craftsman with magical abilities. Astounded to encounter the enchanting wooden creature, he repairs her and learns of her travails: her homeland, like his, has been ravaged by war and taken over by dictatorial rats who've conquered her country and savaged the population. They become steadfast comrades and soon befriend Jewish neighbors, a violinist and his daughter who are increasingly threatened by the worsening Nazi menace. With the situation in Krakow worsening, the Dollmaker and Karolina become ever more desperate. Inspired by Karolina's ingenious idea, Cyryl magically effects an astonishing transformation of Krakow's children, enabling them to be smuggled out of the ghetto. It's an odd tale. Readers expecting the fantastic and magical elements to soften the terrifying depictions of Nazi brutality will be disillusioned: horrors are described, and death pervades the narrative. While Karolina and the non-Nazi human protagonists are sympathetic, the disparate threads don't jell. Worse, combining a very realistic war story with a fairy-tale one may, unfortunately, suggest to some readers that the nonfiction component isn't real either. One could wish all war stories were genuine fantasies. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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September 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-There are two worlds depicted in this story: the magical Land of the Dolls and the very real setting of Krakow, Poland, during the German occupation at the start of World War II. Karolina is a doll whose King and Queen have been overthrown by huge, evil rats. She is a prisoner in her own home as the rats wreak havoc and devastation everywhere. When she is able to escape to the forest, a mystical wind whisks her to the Toy Shop of Cyryl, a lonely dollmaker in Krakow. He crafted Karolina to resemble a doll his mother had owned as a child, yet is astounded when Karolina speaks to him. She soon draws him out of his shell, and he begins to smile again. They befriend Josef, a Jewish violinist, and his young daughter, Rena. Because of the insidious evil of the Nazis, they fear their friends are in dire danger. When Josef and Rena are forced into a ghetto, Karolina encourages Cyryl to use his magic to help. He successfully transforms the children in the ghetto so they can be smuggled out to safety. Unfortunately, the violinist and dollmaker do not share this happy ending. Romero has thoroughly researched Polish folklore and uses a few of its characters, some superfluously, in the text. Perrin's pencil drawings are lovely and reminiscent of Eastern European folk art. VERDICT The use of a fairy tale-inspired narrative somewhat softens the real horror and cruelty of the Holocaust. Hopefully young readers will understand the difference.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH

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