Candlewick

Every fairy tale has a boy who doesn't get saved.

Candlewick: The Donkey Who Remembered is a dark, thrilling companion novel to Carlo Collodi's classic The Adventures of Pinocchio, told from the point of view of the boy history forgot: Lampwick, the laziest, boldest, most magnetic troublemaker in school, who convinces Pinocchio to run away to Toyland, gets turned into a donkey for it, and is never heard from again.

This is his story: abandonment and transformation, slavery and the circus ring, shipwreck and the belly of a sea monster, rebellion, forbidden magic, and one impossible shot at becoming human again. It's an adventure novel about identity, addiction, friendship, and redemption, wrapped in the fairy-tale world of talking crickets, blue-haired fairies, fox-and-cat con artists, and the terrifying Coachman who harvests lazy boys for profit.

Pinocchio spin-off, dark fairy tale retelling, coming-of-age fantasy adventure, transformation curse, boy-into-donkey, Toyland, the Land of Busy Bees, talking animals, Blue Fairy, magical realism, Italian folklore, found family, redemption arc, shipwreck, sea monster, circus slavery, classic literature reimagined, middle-grade to YA crossover, adventure fantasy, curse-breaking quest, second chances.