
The Dollmaker of Krakow
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.70
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Abby Craden
-
Robert Fass
-
By:
-
R. M. Romero
About this listen
In the vein of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Number the Stars, this fusion of fairy tales, folklore, and World War II history eloquently illustrates the power of love and the inherent will to survive even in the darkest of times.
In the land of dolls, there is magic.
In the land of humans, there is war.
Everywhere there is pain.
But together there is hope.
Karolina is a living doll whose king and queen have been overthrown. But when a strange wind spirits her away from the Land of the Dolls, she finds herself in Kraków, Poland, in the company of the Dollmaker, a man with an unusual power and a marked past.
The Dollmaker has learned to keep to himself, but Karolina's courageous and compassionate manner leads him to smile and to even befriend a violin-playing father and his daughter - that is, once the Dollmaker gets over the shock of realizing a doll is speaking to him.
But their newfound happiness is dashed when Nazi soldiers descend upon Poland. Karolina and the Dollmaker quickly realize that their Jewish friends are in grave danger, and they are determined to help save them, no matter what the risks.
©2017 R. M. Romero (P)2017 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Ghosts of Rose Hill
- By: R. M. Romero
- Narrated by: Carla Corvo
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career. When she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage, she meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin, who died more than a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of Prague, where ghosts walk the streets and their kisses have warmth.
-
-
A sweet paranormal read
- By JP on 05-10-25
By: R. M. Romero
-
Furyborn
- By: Claire Legrand
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first. One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable - until her mother vanishes.
-
-
Fun Action Thrill Ride
- By Caffaenated on 06-01-18
By: Claire Legrand
-
Howl's Moving Castle
- By: Diana Wynne Jones
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and ALA Notable and Best of the Year in Young Adult Fiction, Howl's Moving Castle is by acclaimed fantasy writer Diane Wynne Jones and was transformed into an Academy Award nominated animated motion picture by Hayao Miyazaki. On a rare venture out from her step-mother's hat shop, Sophie attracts the attention of a witch, who casts a terrible spell transforming the young girl into an old crone.
-
-
Howl's Moving Castle is Amazing!
- By Elisa on 10-23-09
-
When the Angels Left the Old Country
- By: Sacha Lamb
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In publishing-speak, here's what we at the LQ office sometimes describe as the Queer lovechild of Sholem Aleichem and Philip Roth: Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.
-
-
loved this
- By Igeratabee on 10-13-23
By: Sacha Lamb
-
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
- By: Mackenzi Lee
- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Henry "Monty" Montague doesn't care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family's estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
-
-
My absolute FAVORITE audio book ever
- By SarahBelle on 07-27-17
By: Mackenzi Lee
-
Where Oceans Burn
- By: Casey Bond
- Narrated by: Krystal Hammond
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To my people, the sky-reigning Empyreans, Intention Day is sacred.... To me, it’s the day my carefully crafted lie crumbles and my truth gives way to my ruin. The intense power surging through my veins is revealed, immediately coveted by those eager to exploit me for what they deem a greater good. If they have their way, the future I long for will be ripped away. But I am a warrior born to fly. To fight. Not to be caged and controlled.
-
-
Amazing.
- By Ashley on 01-26-23
By: Casey Bond
-
The Ghosts of Rose Hill
- By: R. M. Romero
- Narrated by: Carla Corvo
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career. When she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage, she meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin, who died more than a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of Prague, where ghosts walk the streets and their kisses have warmth.
-
-
A sweet paranormal read
- By JP on 05-10-25
By: R. M. Romero
-
Furyborn
- By: Claire Legrand
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first. One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable - until her mother vanishes.
-
-
Fun Action Thrill Ride
- By Caffaenated on 06-01-18
By: Claire Legrand
-
Howl's Moving Castle
- By: Diana Wynne Jones
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and ALA Notable and Best of the Year in Young Adult Fiction, Howl's Moving Castle is by acclaimed fantasy writer Diane Wynne Jones and was transformed into an Academy Award nominated animated motion picture by Hayao Miyazaki. On a rare venture out from her step-mother's hat shop, Sophie attracts the attention of a witch, who casts a terrible spell transforming the young girl into an old crone.
-
-
Howl's Moving Castle is Amazing!
- By Elisa on 10-23-09
-
When the Angels Left the Old Country
- By: Sacha Lamb
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In publishing-speak, here's what we at the LQ office sometimes describe as the Queer lovechild of Sholem Aleichem and Philip Roth: Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.
-
-
loved this
- By Igeratabee on 10-13-23
By: Sacha Lamb
-
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
- By: Mackenzi Lee
- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Henry "Monty" Montague doesn't care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family's estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
-
-
My absolute FAVORITE audio book ever
- By SarahBelle on 07-27-17
By: Mackenzi Lee
-
Where Oceans Burn
- By: Casey Bond
- Narrated by: Krystal Hammond
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To my people, the sky-reigning Empyreans, Intention Day is sacred.... To me, it’s the day my carefully crafted lie crumbles and my truth gives way to my ruin. The intense power surging through my veins is revealed, immediately coveted by those eager to exploit me for what they deem a greater good. If they have their way, the future I long for will be ripped away. But I am a warrior born to fly. To fight. Not to be caged and controlled.
-
-
Amazing.
- By Ashley on 01-26-23
By: Casey Bond
-
The Book of Gothel
- By: Mary McMyne
- Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda—a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it. Then, Hedda dies, and Haelewise is left unmoored.
-
-
A well-told tale, beautifully narrated
- By Carolyn Davis on 07-27-22
By: Mary McMyne
-
Daughter of the Forest
- Sevenwaters, Book 1
- By: Juliet Marillier
- Narrated by: Terry Donnelly
- Length: 26 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives and they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift - by staying silent.
-
-
Compelling story--but only at 1.5x
- By barefoot rabbit on 09-09-13
By: Juliet Marillier
-
Once There Was a War
- By: John Steinbeck, Mark Bowden - editor
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1943 John Steinbeck was on assignment for The New York Herald Tribune, writing from Italy and North Africa, and from England in the midst of the London blitz. In his dispatches he focuses on the human-scale effect of the war, portraying everyone from the guys in a bomber crew to Bob Hope on his USO tour and even fighting alongside soldiers behind enemy lines. Taken together, these writings create an indelible portrait of life in wartime.
-
-
The greatest war story(ies) ever told
- By Robert Achenbach on 07-16-15
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
Ace of Shades
- By: Amanda Foody
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school - and her reputation - behind to follow her mother's trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.
-
-
A Very Creative Read
- By Kaleigh on 04-22-18
By: Amanda Foody
-
What the Wind Knows
- By: Amy Harmon
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Will Damron
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time. The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar.
-
-
A Captivating Historical Romance!
- By Melanie on 03-04-19
By: Amy Harmon
-
Her Little Flowers
- By: Shannon Morgan
- Narrated by: Siobhan Waring
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Francine Thwaite has lived all her fifty-five years in her family's ancestral home, a rambling Elizabethan manor in England's Lake District. No other living soul resides there, but Francine isn't alone. There are ghosts in Thwaite Manor, harmless and familiar. Most beloved is Bree, the mischievous ghost girl who has been Francine's companion since childhood. When Francine's estranged sister, Madeleine, returns to the manor after years away, she brings with her a story that threatens everything Francine has always believed.
-
-
Loved it!
- By jessica Phillips on 08-14-23
By: Shannon Morgan
-
Wicked
- The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
- By: Gregory Maguire
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heralded as an instant classic of fantasy literature, Maguire has written a wonderfully imaginative retelling of The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. More than just a fairy tale for adults, Wicked is a meditation on the nature of good and evil.
-
-
It's not easy being green
- By PangaeaReads on 07-30-08
By: Gregory Maguire
-
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
- By: Maggie Tokuda-Hall
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don't trust, don't stick out, and don't feel. But on this voyage, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is headed to an arranged marriage she dreads. Flora doesn't expect to be taken under Evelyn's wing, and Evelyn doesn't expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian. Neither expects to fall in love.
-
-
Queer Joy is the Subversion
- By A Voice Like That on 10-31-22
-
A Discovery of Witches
- A Novel
- By: Deborah Harkness
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 23 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.
-
-
A feast for the mind and imagination
- By Barbara on 02-21-11
By: Deborah Harkness
-
Oz Reimagined
- New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond
- By: Douglas Cohen - editor, John Joseph Adams - editor
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl, Tanya Eby
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When L. Frank Baum introduced Dorothy and friends to the American public in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became an instant, best-selling hit. Today the whimsical tale remains a cultural phenomenon that continues to spawn wildly popular books, movies, and musicals. Now, editors John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen have brought together leading fantasy writers such as Orson Scott Card and Jane Yolen to create the ultimate anthology for Oz fans.
-
-
The Many Faces of Dorothy or Dot
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-19-14
By: Douglas Cohen - editor, and others
-
Half a Soul
- By: Olivia Atwater
- Narrated by: Madeleine Leslay
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment—an unfortunate condition that leaves her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season—but when Elias Wilder, the strange, handsome, and utterly ill-mannered Lord Sorcier, discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into peculiar and dangerous faerie affairs.
-
-
checks a lot of boxes
- By jeannie on 09-10-23
By: Olivia Atwater
-
The Grace of Wild Things
- By: Heather Fawcett
- Narrated by: Aven Shore
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.
-
-
Rip-off of a classic
- By Sun on 04-02-24
By: Heather Fawcett
Critic reviews
A CLIP Carnegie Medal Children's Book Award Nominee
it was a good story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Would recommend this book for any young reader who is interested in History.
The book ends beautifully (maybe not a happy ending) but still very nicely put together.
Grab your tissues....
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
OMG
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As for the story itself, it was the most unusual story I have ever read about the Holocaust and about the war generally. I really thought I was reading a Hoffmann’s story, so magic it was. I’m 23, It’s hardly right saying that I’m a child, but still I’m thankful to the author for the opportunity to read this book. I’m thankful to her for the impressive character of the dollmaker, for the cute Karolina, for such beautiful reminder of the Holocaust, and for I felt like I’m a child again. Thanks to all of the people who made the book.
ETA HOFFMANN ATMOSPHERE
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Magic, sorrow, and healing
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.