Like intricate embroidery, [The Master Puppeteer] has deftly woven threads of several patterns that combine to make a cohesive and dramatic whole. The setting, as in other of [Paterson's] books, is feudal Japan; the milieu is the closed and intricate world of the puppet theater; the contrapuntal plot thread is the mysterious bandit who operates as an Osakan Robin Hood…. The plot is skilfully constructed, the characters are strong, and the historical background is as interesting as the details of the puppet theater. Good style, good story. (p. 181)

Zena Sutherland, in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (© 1976 by the University of Chicago; all rights reserved), July-August, 1976.