The Mennyms

This is a story of a family with a secret - a big secret. Nobody would guess that this perfectly ordinary household contains exceptionally unusual inhabitants. For the Mennyms are not human - they are rag dolls made of cloth and filled with kapok. Sylvia Waugh tells a compelling tale of the adventures of a family of dolls trying to pass themselves off as human in their everyday lives. Joshua, the father of the household, carries out his job as a nightwatchman without his employers realizing he is a doll, while Appleby has been a stroppy, fashion-obsessed teenager for 40 years. The author manages to create a complex existence for her characters by mixing up what is real and what is pretend in their lives. Rag dolls can sleep and talk but have to fake eating and drinking. The Mennyms have managed to get away with their secret by keeping themselves to themselves and dealing with the outside world in ingenious ways, but their private world is threatened when it appears that a 'flesh and blood' human wants to meet them. The family anguish over the situation and thorny problems arise such as how to disguise Tulip's crystal eyes, and what to do about Soobie, who is made of blue cloth. The characters are skilfully portrayed, from the patriarchal grandfather Sir Magnus to the baby Googles who is constantly subjected to pretend feeding and changing. Unforeseen events unfold which make the story suspenseful and gripping, and there is enough complexity, humour and surprise to keep readers interested right until the end. Ages 9+ (Kirkus UK)