The Master Puppeteer
Katherine Paterson
 The Master Puppeteer is set in Osaka, Japan, during a period of famine in the 18th century. A young boy named Jiro takes a job at a theater run by the puppeteer Yoshida, who proves to be a demanding employer. However, Jiro discovers there is a connection between the theater and a local thief who has been stealing rice from the municipal authorities and merchants and giving it away to the starving poor.