The Toymaker’s Apprentice
After his father is kidnapped to build an army of toy soldiers for the ruthless mouse queen intent on mankind’s demise, Stefan Drosselmeyer and his cousin with an eye patch embark on an adventure across Germany to find the legendary krakatook, cure a princess, and save Boldavia from extinction.
In Smith’s middle-grade debut we are introduced to a world filled with sword-fighting rats, scholarly squirrels, great clocks keeping time—and souls—under the city, and a terrible yet sympathetic mouse prince who would be king. Even if you are not familiar with E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original work, you will quickly find yourself caught up with the fate of Stefan and his companions, including a brave Clara and her slipper. But this is not a fantastical ballet: mice wield paralyzing poison in their bite, mechanical horses carry Stefan on his journey, and there is only one mention of a sugarplum. Stefan is smart and likeable, and still reeling from the recent death of his mother, when his cousin—our familiar, though younger version of Drosselmeyer—offers him a place as his journeyman in the secretive clock-making guild. This ends his apprenticeship as a toymaker under his father, but Stefan will need both skills to eventually defeat the mouse king.
I enjoyed this loose and imaginative retelling immensely. The writing is well-suited to the older end of the middle-grade age group, although it may be a bit dark for anyone younger.
