They Stole Our Hearts - (The Teddies Saga) by Daniel Kraus (Paperback)

About the Book

"The teddies--clever Buddy, brave Sunny, sweet Sugar, and wise Reginald--have managed to find a child. Life with Darling is far better than any they've known. But something's not right--the promised bliss of Forever Sleep hasn't come. And they are keeping a secret from Darling's mother, hidden underneath the child's bed in the dusty darkness. Then the inevitable happens: Mama discovers the teddies. And like all adults they've met thus far, she responds with fear and agner. The teddies must watch as one of their friends is destroyed. The remaining trio barely escapes, thrust back into a world that does not want them. Disillusioned and lost, the teddies embark on a journey to the factory where they were created. En route, they discover a civilization of discarded teddy bears. The comfort of a town of teddies has its allure...but the need for answers weighs heavy. And there's something definitely off about these new teddies. Will our heroes accept their strange rules? Or must they dig deep for one more grand adventure to finally learn why they were thrown away?"--Publisher description.

Book Synopsis

The heart-pounding sequel to They Threw Us Away, about a group of teddy bears looking for a place to call home...and answers to life's biggest questions.

The teddies--clever Buddy, brave Sunny, sweet Sugar, and wise Reginald--have managed to find a child. Life with Darling is far better than any they've known. But something's not right--the promised bliss of Forever Sleep hasn't come. And they are kept a secret from Darling's mother, hidden underneath the child's bed in the dusty darkness.

Then the inevitable happens: Mama discovers the teddies. And like all adults they've met thus far, she responds with fear and anger. The teddies must watch as one of their friends is destroyed. The remaining trio barely escape, thrust back into a world that does not want them.

Disillusioned and lost, the teddies embark on a journey back to the factory where they were created. En route, they find a civilization of discarded teddy bears. The comfort of a town of teddies has its allure...but the need for answers weighs heavy. And there's something definitely off about these new teddies. Will our heroes accept their strange rules? Or must they dig deep for one more grand adventure to finally learn why they were thrown away?

Review Quotes

2022 Bram Stoker Award for Best Middle Grade Novel

* "This series continues to be disturbing and brilliant in equal measure." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Praise for They Threw Us Away:

"Truly captivating." --The New York Times

"A deliciously macabre fairy tale, full of snuggles." --Holly Black, award-winning author of Doll Bones and co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles

"Reminiscent of Watership Down...reflective children will revel in this thought-provoking world." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"By turns swashbuckling and reflective, touching and disturbing, this existential work of fantasy and horror considers what one is willing to sacrifice when utterly lost." --Publishers Weekly

"With a nod to Watership Down...[r]eaders with a taste for disturbing adventures and disquieting revelations will be well served." --Booklist

"Fans of Toy Story or The Velveteen Rabbit might be aghast, but readers who knew there was always something a little off about their playthings will appreciate this uniquely horrific take." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Daniel Kraus has landed on Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Books of the Year (with The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch) and has won two Odyssey Awards (for Rotters and Scowler). With Guillermo del Toro, he wrote the bestselling The Shape of Water and Trollhunters (the inspiration for the Netflix series). And with George A. Romero, he coauthored The Living Dead. His novels have been Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks, Parent's Choice Gold Award winners, Bram Stoker finalists, and more. He lives in Chicago.

Rovina Cai us a freelance illustrator from Melbourne, Australia. She is the illustrator of The Teddies Saga.