Content levels
Trigger warnings
Protagonist archetypes
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Synopsis
A NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND INDIE BESTSELLER! New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts. Most Anticipated from BookPage • Goodreads • The Nerd Daily • Paste Magazine • LitReactor • OverDrive • LGBTQ Reads • Tor.com • LibraryReads • m ore “An enchanting tale of Pinocchio in the end times.” —P. Djèlí Clark In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labeled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached? Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio , and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E , In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. ★ “An epic quest of rescue and discovery [with] the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweetness.” — Library Journal , starred review Praise for TJ Klune’s previous work: "Like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket." — V.E. SCHWAB • “Very close to perfect.” — SEANAN McGUIRE • “Utterly absorbing.” — GAIL CARRIGER • "It will renew your faith in humanity.” — TERRY BROOKS • “It healed me.” — CASSANDRA KHAW • “Compassionate.” — RYKA AOKI Other TPG Books by TJ Klune The Cerulean Chronicles The House in the Cerulean Sea Somewhere Beyond the Sea The Green Creek Series Wolfsong Ravensong Heartsong Brothersong Standalones The Bones Beneath My Skin Under the Whispering Door In the Lives of Puppets We Burned So Bright Murmuration Into This River I Drown How to Be a Normal Person BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS The Extraordinaries Series The Extraordinaries Flash Fire Heat Wave At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Is In the Lives of Puppets appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
A heartwarming Pinocchio-inspired tale about a human and robot found family on a rescue quest. Contains moderate action/violence during rescue sequences, a developing queer romance with mild physical affection, and themes of questioning identity and past trauma.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include emotional abuse, captivity, and violence (see the full list above).
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
A unique adventure about a human boy and his robot family who must journey across a strange world to rescue their captured father.