Jepp, Who Defied the Stars (review)

Born a dwarf in the late sixteenth-century Spanish Netherlands, fifteen-year-old Jepp believes that the stars have destined him for a quiet, isolated existence. Sheltered from mistreatment by a caring woman he thinks is his mother, he is lured away to the court of the Infanta (the ruler of the territory) with the promise of an education, a chance to be with others like himself, and a place of honor in the world. Instead he finds himself living a puzzling new kind of life that is equal parts coddling and abuse, as both favorite pet and humiliated court stooge. When his attempt to rescue a horribly abused friend ends in her tragic death, Jepp is secreted away from the court and into the household of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. At first he continues to endure miserable treatment, but he eventually earns a place of respect through his own cleverness. Struggling to become a self-made man and earn the love of a girl in a world that believes your birth defines your fate, Jepp eventually returns to the Infanta’s court to uncover the secret of his parentage in hopes of defying the stars. Drawn from stories of real dwarves who worked as entertainers in the households of Spanish royalty and Danish nobility, this outstanding work of historical fiction provides readers with more than just an imagined biography. Incorporating elements of adventure, romance, tragedy, intrigue, and science, the novel conjures a place and time not commonly explored in young adult fiction and offers plenty of period detail. Jepp is an engaging hero, who both longs to explore the larger world and yet feels trapped by a fate he understands to be written in the stars. Other characters, both historically based and invented, are memorable and skillfully drawn. This novel is a perfect fit for fans of historical adventure (such as Heuston’s Dante’s Daughter, BCCB 3/04) looking for a new world to explore and a new kind of hero to take them there.