First published 2025
Eleven-year-old Tiphany Stokes helps an elderly woman who nearly collapses on a dark November street. From a shop window, an antique doll named Gretel watches this moment of kindness and yearns for Tiph to free her from her glass prison. The old woman may be a witch, and she harbors secrets within her forgotten dollhouse. Tiph has always been the perfect child, one her parents praise for never causing trouble. But this chance encounter transforms all three lives. Gretel escapes her captivity as a shop display. The mysterious old woman uncovers what lies hidden in her neglected dollhouse. And Tiph discovers new sides of herself as she becomes a thief, walks dogs, tries acting, and most importantly, learns what it means to be a true friend. Laura Amy Schlitz weaves a story that moves between the miniature world of dolls and the vast emotional landscape of growing up.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, contemporary, magical-realism
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, transformation
Setting: November Street
Period: The Winter
400 pages · Hardcover · Candlewick