By Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick, 2025
389 pages
978-1-5362-3608-8
Ages 9-12
Eleven-year-old Tiph is pushing her little brother Phillip in his stroller when she sees an old lady gripping a fence as if close to collapsing. Tiph collects the woman’s dog and helps her to a seat at the nearby dollhouse store, where Gretel, a small doll, has been put on display in hopes of a Christmas sale. Although Gretel is vintage and valuable, collectors pass her by year after year. Gretel doesn’t want a collector—she wants a child. And so, the stage is set for this unexpected trio to form a connection that will impact each of their lives in small and in significant ways. The old woman is Ms. Rózsahegyi, a sometimes prickly and often outspoken elder who solicits Tiph’s help to walk her dog and care for her cat as she recovers from surgery. Tiph welcomes the chance to get out of her house, where her father and stepmother are clashing and a new baby demands attention. She also wants to earn the money to buy Gretel from the store whose owner believes Tiph is guilty of an earlier theft—and he’s right. Complex contemporary characters and realistic interactions merge seamlessly with the magic of the dollhouse world. The satisfying conclusion heals rifts new and old while fitting together the plot’s puzzle pieces into heartfelt perfection. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center