Kathrin Honesta

The Museum of Peculiar Arts holds many oddities--a mechanical heart, a diary bound in its owner's skin . . . and Penny, a child-size marionette who almost looks alive. Fog clouds Penny's memories from before the museum, but she catches glimpses here and there: a stage, deep red curtains, long-fingered hands gripping her strings. One day, a boy named Chance touches Penny's strings and hears her voice in his head. Penny can listen, and watch, and think?...

"Anais, who has recently emigrated from Africa to Maine with her mother and young brother, copes with acclimating herself to a new country, understanding American culture, learning English, figuring out how to fit in at school, and moving from motel to shelter and finally to a permanent apartment"--