The Puppets of Spelhorst

Throughout the book, the girl puppet has a deeper insight into things than the other characters. What is one instance where she helps one of the other characters see something great within themselves?

Pick one of the songs to analyze for this question. How do the lyrics of this song support the themes in this book?

Each of the puppets has a defining physical trait: the king’s crown, the boy’s arrows, the wolf’s teeth, the owl’s feathers, and the girl’s violet eyes. How do these items shape their identity at the beginning, and how does that evolve over the course of the book?

Emma bases her play on the letter left in the trunk by the old man. What is the significance of this story-within-a-story structure? How does it support the work’s themes?

Consider the symbolism of the hungry shadow in the play about the old sea captain. How does giving the role of the shadow to the wolf puppet develop the significance of this character?

How is the boy puppet’s story like the story of the boy in the play? How is it different?

How does the king change throughout the book? How does his relationship to music reflect this change?

Consider the bird and flight imagery that appears in the novel. How does this motif develop key themes and characters?