The Puppet Wrangler -- Vicki Grant

12 year old Telly is sent to stay with her aunt so her parents can deal with her rebellious older sister. Telly's aunt is a producer for a children's television show with puppets. While helping out with the show, Telly discovers that one of the puppets is actually alive.

Funny. Exciting. Main character Telly is great. She narrates the story and includes footnotes that are hysterical. Some farting humor, but who doesn't love that? The puppet, Bitsie is funny too. I think we've all imagined our dolls/stuffed animals/toys coming to life and what they would be like. It's funny to think of a puppet on a kids' TV show being so gruff and ornery and having to say lines like "Bitsiest Best Friend."

The kids like it and are responding to it, so I'd say okay to it being Top Shelf. It was certainly entertaining and different and stands out from the rest of the "problem novel" crap we usually get.

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Reading: Don't know yet
On My Nightstand: Lots