Otto Tattercoat and the Forest of Lost Things

by Matilda Woods

From a masterful storyteller comes an adventure filled with magic and mischief, courage and family. Perfect for fans of The Penderwicks and the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

In the city of Hodorf, the Tattercoats live by a strict code. Only steal what you need, don't leave a trace of yourself behind, and if another Tattercoat is in trouble, you must always help them out. These are the rules that guide Nim's life as she and her rat, Nibbles, live on the streets and the rooftops of the only place she's ever called home. So when a new boy named Otto comes to town and gets caught up in the devious plottings of a former Tattercoat who's fallen from grace, Nim takes it upon herself to come to Otto's rescue.

But Otto isn't the only one who needs help: The days in Hodorf have been growing progressively shorter and darker since the legendary sundragons went extinct. The air is getting colder, hope is waning, and it won't be long until the freeze grows so bone-deep that the chimneys the Tattercoats use for warmth at night will no longer suffice. With things growing more dire, Nim sets off into the murky woods surrounding the city, searching for Otto--and for answers.

With this story of magic, wonder, adventure, and smarts, Matilda firmly establishes herself as a powerful voice in the middle-grade space.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure, Childrens, Magic, Fiction, Chapter Books

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Hristina Todorova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ето такива детски романи трябва да предлагаме на децата, за да ги запалим по четенето :)

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up a Matilda Woods novel is like curling up in a cosy chair with an open fire and a steaming pot of tea ... utterly indulgent and soothing for the soul. Her latest novel is a total delight; beautiful characters, a magical setting and a delightful storyline. One to read over and over for sure.

[Nefeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was ✨️delightful✨️ and also exactly what anyone going through a depressive episode (me) needs

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book

[Gabriela Karadzhova · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤

[Maya Yankulova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ото и Дрипльовците са страхотни герои, които изживяват много и различни приключения.

[Iskren Zayryanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

В последните години преоткривам очарованието на хубаво написаните детски книги. Но не на насочените към най-малките деца, нито пък към тинейджърите, а към оная възраст в която светът все още може да се събере в една шепа, пълен е с вълшебства, но вече не е чак толкова наивен, а по-скоро е реалният свят погледнат през очите на чистото любопитство, за откриване на нови хоризонти и на желанието да обрисуваш окалъпения свят на възрастните с четката на безграничното въображение.
„Ото и дрипльовците. Гората на изгубените неща“ на Матилда Удс е точно такава книга. На моменти наивна, на моменти тъжна, в някои детайли зловеща по онзи детски начин, от който може да настръхнеш и които е достоен дори за Кинг, но безкрайно чаровна, пълна с надежда и любов, с приятелства и предателства, с фантастични животни, и естествено с дракони.
Заповядайте на едно страховито приключение в град Ходелдорф, където цари вечна зима. Тук бездомните деца, които наричат себе си дрипльовците, спят сгушени до комините, за да не замръзнат, има зловеща фабрика за вакса, в която работят само деца, които никога не я напускат, а гората до града е омагьосана и който влезе в нея никога не се завръща. Тук започва живота на едно момиченце, което оцелява в зловеща виелица, заслонено от родителите си, които измръзват за да я спасят, а след години се появява и Ото, който ще трябва да се раздели с уюта на камината и да стане дрипльо, за да открие майка си, и да разбере защо зимата е вечна.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

Представете си съвременен детски роман, съчетал в себе си по нещичко от любимите ни Чарлс Дикенс и Лиман Франк Баум. Представете си история, в която се преплитат мрачните тропи за сирачета, обитаващи покривите и оцеляващи отвъд границите на закона с приказни мотиви, достойни за причудливата страна на Оз. Представете си свят на високи, димящи комини, парни локомотиви и улични фенери, но и свят на магия и вълшебни същества. Представихте ли си? Е, значи може би вече сте добили известна представа за приключението, което ви очаква в новия детско-юношески роман на изд. „Мармот” - „Ото и Дрипльовците. Гората на изчезналите неща” от Матилда Удс, с илюстрации от Катрин Онеста. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally picked it because it had a good review on Publisher's Weekly or one of the other book review sites to which I subscribe. To be honest, it was a bit grim in the beginning and I was starting to wonder if I picked an age-appropriate book for my nine-year old (as I was reading it as a bedtime story). But once they got into the forest, it started to lighten up a bit. The friendship between Nim and Otto was great, and I loved Nibbles as well. Overall, a really great read. Recommended for ages 9-13, 4 stars.

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It took me about 2 chapters to get into it & used to the author(which is pretty normal as I switch authors so often lol). But after that I was hooked, and finished it in less than a day. This is just such a heartwarming story. Teaches not to judge so quickly, always help one another, never take more than you need(a lesson a lot of people need right now🤦🏻‍♀️), the importance of family, & of course some magic thrown in.

[Andrea Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me a bit to get into because it was really rather depressing at the beginning, but boy did it get good and end on a happy note. Through the first three quarters of the book I just kept thinking of The Little Matchstick Girl and Oliver Twist, but then the magic happened. The cover art on this book is just so beautiful I want more! Excited to read other books by this author to see what magic they hold too.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. Meh. I have a couple problems with this story, which never really came alive for me. There is a lot more telling than showing and the fantasy isn’t very carefully wrought. The book jacket blurbs comparing this to the Penderwicks seem based simply on the easy camaraderie among the children - in this case not siblings and their friends in a realistic world (as in the Penderwicks) but orphans and abandoned children in a heartless fantasy world of eternal winter. The children, known as tattercoats, have a Robinhood-esque thieves code of honor. One boy, Blink-the best thief of all, has been cast out because he villainously violated the code. When in an act of mercy the group shows him kindness their previous rejection is explained to the reader “They were just angry with him, and that made them say and do things they didn’t really mean.” This simplistic and dull moralizing runs through the story. Children are always good in this story just as those with means, or engaged in commerce, are always bad. The evil factory owner enslaves kids to make shoe polish and requires them to have small hands to better fit into the jars. Why shoe polish and do they not have the technology of spoons? Neither of these things are explained. When a magical creature trapped in a deep basement is discovered, it has been sheltering and feeding lost children by sharing its food, but we never learn what its food is or how it got food. At a critical moment when evil may threaten our heroes the witch falls down a well and that is the end of that. The Bothers Grimm - the other book the blurb compares this one to - is far creepier and more potent. Their are lots of better books.

[Phoebe Risner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book, but the title inaccurate. Because they where only in the forest the last few chapters

[Alesha Hartnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a whimsical magic to this book, something that makes you feel cozy and warm. A lovely heartwarming story (ironically) 😅.

[Tedy Rafailova Blogger · Rating 5 out of 5]

С приключенски дух и грижа Матилда Удс разказва история за приятелството между забравените от обществото деца и онези, които са готови да се възползват от тях. Чудесна книга!!

[Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Dahl-ish charmer from the author of The Boy, the Bird & The Coffin Maker, a nice respite from our dystopian present.

[Gae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otto and his mother moved to the city of Hodeldorf where it grew colder day after day. When his mother had gone missing, he met a young thief who introduced herself as Nim, a tattercoat which a group of young thieves called themselves. One of the Tattercoat's code was to steal only what they needed, hence, she had stolen a coin from Otto which led him to sleep in the streets. Another girl lured him to stay in a factory with children as its manpower in place of her freedom from the oppressive workplace. Now Otto had a slim chance to find his mother. But when Nim found out where Otto was, guilt struck her and had to find a way to rescue him and to find his mother in the bitter cold.

Reading this story reminded me of the cruelties found in the stories of the Grim brothers: exploited children under the care of a harsh wicked woman; abandoned children fending off hunger and cold. And then came the fantastical elements that brought color and hope to the story. My heart went out to these children who would make you believe that there's still kindness despite their rough and inescapable conditions. That they're the ones who helped one another knowing that no one else would help them. Matilda Woods created a beautiful story filled with adventure, magic, and hope. The end of each chapter would make you gasp and squeal and turn to the next chapter at once.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Possibly 2.5 stars, but just not enough detail or magic to get me to bump my rating to 3 stars.
I thought the story was going to be a lot cuter and more fun, but it basically stayed rather neutral throughout. The Tattercoats was a neat idea for a band of orphans, but it just didn't have any depth. I never felt a sense of hardship, as the Tattercoats seemed to do reasonably well, considering, and the townspeople never really did anything good or bad about their existence. Frau Ferber and the Boot Polish Factory seemed to exist outside of reality, her method of doing business didn't garner any odd attention at all. The magical forest angle was shoehorned in pretty late in the tale, and I never got intrigued about any of it (giants, witch, talking wolves, orbs-for-shrinking, sundragons...). Otto was hardly the lead, even if his name was in the book's title. Nim, Blink, and Nibbles had more of the story and interest, what little there was to be had. A rather trite ending that was anticlimactic and too simplistic, like much of the rest of the narrative.
All in all an extremely superficial and unemotional tale that had the potential to be significantly more fascinating.

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I found out Matilda Woods had a new book coming out this year, I was thrilled. This, unfortunately, did not live up to my expectations.

The pacing of this book was so odd. It took over half the book to get to the magic forest from the title. It actually felt like 2 different books mashed together. There’s the first half where we spend so much time on these children and their horrible lives, and the second half full of magic and creatures. It takes a sharp departure from the first half, and leads to a very jarring and rushed ending.

Matilda Woods’ books always have a touch of sadness to them, but this book was all sad, all the time. I felt so heartbroken following Otto and the Tattercoats’ stories. Watching all of this cruelty happening to children was unbearable at times. It made me want to put the book multiple times because I just didn’t want to keep reading such a sad story.

The characters are where this book really shines. I loved the characters in this book. I was rooting for Nim, Nibbles, and Otto the entire time. Most of the side characters like the rest of the Tattercoats and the kids at the factory are written well, and I enjoyed reading about them.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This middle grade story swings wildly between whimsical and dark as heck, with child slavery being a big part of the plot and on the page children freezing to death! I was not expecting this! But generally this is thoroughly charming despite its more starkly depressing elements, I mean there’s also a rat who wears a coat and is an expert thief, and a shrunken giant who lives in his own shoe.

I do wish the more fantastical elements had come in a little earlier, especially the dragon, though. It’s mostly lacking in actual magic until barely 100 pages from the end which makes its sudden appearance a little odd, though the fairytale nature of the story as a whole, with the coldest town and the gang of Tattercoat children who populate it, did stop it being overly jarring.

And remember children, coats are important.

[Steve D'Arcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. After adoring the authors first novel (‘The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker’), I have been intrigued to read more from Matilda Woods, and I’m glad I did.

This reminded me of Katherine Rundell’s ‘Rooftoppers’ (another one of my favourites), but woven with a perfect touch of folklore and magic.

I’ve been finding middle-grade books very predictable and rather repetitive recently. I thought I might be done with them, but this pulled me back in.

I loved the authors writing style (again) and the way she doesn’t shy away from darker topics; but instead touches on them delicately, thoughtfully and with grace, for her typical target audience - children.

The subtle life lessons are wonderfully portrayed; family, friendship, hope and humanity.

A cosy, whimsical, fast paced adventure.
I flew through it. 4.5⭐️

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of orphan street urchins struggling to survive in a frozen village surrounded by a foreboding forest. A despicable villain. Just a bit of magic. Community and hope. It transports readers into a timeless realm, charmingly gritty and dark, a makes them a part of its quest to find a thaw.

The Tattercode

Rule 1 - You must choose your own name.

Rule 2 - You must always help a tattercoat in need.

Rule 3 - You must steal only what you need, not what you want.

Rule 4 - You must not leave a trail, or else you will get caught.

Rule 5 - You must own only one coat at a time. You can get a new coat only when your old one has turned to tatters.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otto Tattercoat and the Forst of Lost Things is an engaging fantasy about a boy whose mother goes missing right as they’ve moved to a new and darkly mysterious town. A creative mix for younger readers of Dickens’ life and craft as well as many fairy tales, with a good dash of Roald Dahl or Eva Ibbotson, I really enjoyed it. The author is Australian; this is her 3rd fantasy story that uses fairy tale and fable to celebrate the strength of kindness. Ideal for 3nd - 6th grade but it captured my heart.

We received the galley (The novel will be published in June in the US.) because the library where I work creates a list of Best Books of each year. Working on 2020 now.

[Jolynne Dougherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravery - adventure - child power. This is a fairytale in the classic sense. You have a real baddy for the bad guy who is supported by henchmen who don't think for themselves. There's a giant, a witch, talking wolves, magic flutes, and an enchanted forest. You have an indomitable hero and a ragtag group of friends who go on an adventure to right some wrongs and find missing people, some who they didn't even know were missing. You even have a bit of redemption thrown in. It's Oliver Twist told by an empowered Oliver. It's not a retelling of an old fairytale, but a new one. It's the first book I've ready by Matilda Woods, and I will be reading her others.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Още не е минал месец януари, а аз вече знам, че това ще е една от любимите ми книги за 2021!

"Ото и Дрипльовците" е книга, която носи онова мрачно, студено и мистериозно настроение на романите на Дикенс. Обогатена с щедра доза магия и подплътена с невероятни и необичайни приятелства.

Докато четях, аз бях там с Дрипльовците - в малкото неугледно градче Ходелдорф, което крие любопитни тайни за една зла жена и нейната фабрика, за един слънчев дракон и неговата вълшебна гора и една банда от аутсайдери, които ги чака щуро приключение!

Горещо препоръчвам!

Криси

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute story for younger readers. At points I was tempted to think that the fairy tale aspects weren't very original, but then as I got through the book more I was able to see that overall the story was very unique and had some interesting plot points that made it different from the stories I was originally connecting it to. While it was a kid's book, it had some dark aspects (I mean, there were more than a few deaths of both adults and kids) but nothing that would frighten younger readers. All together, a wonderful modern-day fairy tale.

[Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services]

This is a lovely, adventurous fantasy tale and perfect for wintertime. Kids who enjoy fantasy but don't want anything violent or too scary could appreciate this one. I fell in love with the characters, a group of kids on their own surviving in an icy cold city where a villain who snatches them off the street. A magical woods exists just outside the city. The kids band together and save the day! I like this description from Kirkus reviews, "The light tone assures young readers that good will prevail over bad and that sometimes people just have to venture into the woods.". Amen.

[Jasmine Swanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day I saw one of my students reading in the car and I asked them what book it was, the next day the student brought me the book and asked me to read it. The story is a little bit dark at times, especially in the beginning but it lightens up eventually. I think there’s a lot of very valuable lessons in this story that children can learn from. It also gives children different perspectives of life, some children in the story’s parents died, other children are poor, some are outcasts, and so on. Well worth the read for children and adults. :)

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is obviously not meant for my demographic, I found it a most enjoyable read; had a hard time putting it down.

In a world where cold has taken over almost everything, young Otto is taken from a small town to a larger one. Then his mother disappears and he finds the world a cruel place for parentless children. Then Nim, an orphan girl, decides to help him.

One of the fun things about this fairy tale, I contend for all ages, it that although Otto is the eponymous character, Nim, the girl is the hero.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had an ending that you want when you read a book that is a fairy tale. Spoiler: I was holding my breath hoping certain people wouldn't wake up and couldn't believe how it all worked out in the end. I don't like when children are treated badly but the adventure was great and I didn't see how it would all work out. I can't say I was happy with what happened to the children. I was hoping for a different end for them.