The Winter of the Dollhouse
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Intermediate, Middle School    Candlewick    400 pp.
9/25    9781536236088    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781536247589    $18.99

Tiph is a child who is pulled in many directions. She loves her younger half siblings but is fed up with the chaos of a house with babies. She appreciates that her stepmother is doing her best but prefers the company of the old woman who employs her as a dog walker. Worst of all, she is paralyzed with guilt over two instances of shoplifting. In this deep and wide-ranging narrative, Schlitz takes an innovative approach to storytelling, looping back at the end of many scenes to tell them again from a different point of view. This technique creates suspense and mystery and implies a world where a pet’s or a doll’s take on a situation is given the same weight as a human’s. Doll stories frequently raise issues of power and agency, and this one explores that territory with freshness and respect for the seriousness of children’s emotions. It’s also funny, particularly for those who wonder how dogs view the world or what a cat and a doll would discuss if they got together to figure out the weird ways of adult humans. A great choice for readers who like dollhouses, English bulldogs, and the intriguing possibility of fantasy worlds that hide in plain sight.

From the September/October 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.