Review: Jiro, a spirited yet clumsy boy, goes to the theater to work as an apprentice to get money to help his family. An old blind man, the reciter Okada, tells him he can stay. Here he meets a cast of interesting characters. Yoshida - A harsh and short tempered man. He is the head of the puppet theater and a master at controlling and giving life to puppets. Kinshi - The leader of the boys at the theater. He is an optimistic, funny, and good-natured boy loved by the other boys. He cares about the night rovers (poor people who riot and attack places to get food) and tries to help them. Minoru - a fat boy who loves to eat. Tehji - A rather timid boy who is good at working but shy and talks with a stutter. Wada - An older boy who is rough and thinks he is the best. Okada - A blind but kind man who recites the plays in the theater. Jiro gets suspicious and sees a connection between Yoshida and Siboru, the very famous Robin Hood-like bandit. Soon the theater becomes the start of an adventure of hopes and losses, and even life and . Over all I think Paterson had unique characters. The story really shows what life was like in Japan at that time. She does an amazing and beautiful job of describing the art of puppetry. The climax is also very exciting. I recommend this book to anyone.
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