Hands Up!

by Paul Magrs

Frank Lurcher and Tolstoy the Long-Eared Bat! Twenty years ago they were the biggest names in ventriloquism, stars of stage and screen. But now, Frank Lurcher's a washed-out, grumpy has-been and his scraggy puppet Tolstoy is stuffed away in the loft. When Frank suddenly declares that his teenage son Jason must follow in the family tradition and get a puppet of his own, someone's got a shrewd idea who that puppet should be. Someone with green eyes, moth-eaten velvety wings, a snarling snout and two extra-large ears... Tolstoy tha Long-Eared Bat is out for another shot at TV superstardom, and a gruesome revenge on his showbiz enemies. Can Jason fight his evil controlling power? Will the lovely Lisa Turmoil, hair-stylist to the stars, help him in his battle - or just go off and give someone a perm? And if you cook a puppet ostrich in a microwave oven, does it count as MURDER?

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Pam Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the weirdest book I have ever read.
There is a British subculture of sentient puppets and their handlers. Then a string of puppet murders. Felt and stuffing everywhere. Who could do such a thing? Weeping and accusations abound. It is absurd and I loved it.

Major spoiler ahead:
In the last chapter when the ground splits open to reveal puppet hell, I thought "This is the best book I have ever read. Nothing tops puppet hell."

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to be drawn to sad middle grade books and there are a lot of them out there, so this was a refreshing, humorous, and creepy tale of puppets. I think those who enjoy Gaiman's Caroline or Graveyard Book would really enjoy this cute little tale. BTW- The setting is mostly over Christmas, although its not really a Christmas book, so it might make a nice holiday read. Recommended!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slightly scary, slightly silly story of one boy who has a puppet who wants to be #1 on tv. Can his dad pull the right strings to stop the puppet?