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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
The Doll Bones by Holly Black
This book is about three kids who acquire a haunted doll. Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends for a long time and they decide to go on a quest to discover who the ghost girl who is visiting and communicating with Poppy is and hat happened to her. This is a great coming of age story. The kids are in the painful stage of changing and growing up. When it is time to focus on becoming who you are and to start putting away childish things. They all struggle with what they want to do and what they feel they should be doing. You watch the characters grow and discover more about themselves and each other. They are trying to navigate through their changing relationships and trying to help and understand the ghost.
This was a good middle grades book. It was a bit creepy and if you have someone who isn't a big fan of dolls this book is not for them. I loved that the book had some illustrations to go with it. They were very well done and they were so beautifully done. I took the book out of my school's library and plan on buying my own copy of the book. I enjoyed everything about this book.
This book is about three kids who acquire a haunted doll. Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends for a long time and they decide to go on a quest to discover who the ghost girl who is visiting and communicating with Poppy is and hat happened to her. This is a great coming of age story. The kids are in the painful stage of changing and growing up. When it is time to focus on becoming who you are and to start putting away childish things. They all struggle with what they want to do and what they feel they should be doing. You watch the characters grow and discover more about themselves and each other. They are trying to navigate through their changing relationships and trying to help and understand the ghost.
This was a good middle grades book. It was a bit creepy and if you have someone who isn't a big fan of dolls this book is not for them. I loved that the book had some illustrations to go with it. They were very well done and they were so beautifully done. I took the book out of my school's library and plan on buying my own copy of the book. I enjoyed everything about this book.
I had meant to read this book for so long, I loved the cover, imagined the story-that I was let down by actuality.
Somehow it didn’t feel supernatural enough, and not realistic enough to make it a psychological thriller of “is there really a ghost” motivation. I thought it would be more supernatural like Small Spaces and Thirteens.
Bus scene creeped me out with the adult man with mental health issues hitting on/harassing 12 year old girls.
The small romance didn’t make sense, didn’t feel necessary.
Would’ve loved more from both girls’ perspective.
Somehow it didn’t feel supernatural enough, and not realistic enough to make it a psychological thriller of “is there really a ghost” motivation. I thought it would be more supernatural like Small Spaces and Thirteens.
Bus scene creeped me out with the adult man with mental health issues hitting on/harassing 12 year old girls.
The small romance didn’t make sense, didn’t feel necessary.
Would’ve loved more from both girls’ perspective.
Doll Bones by Holly Black showed up in my mailbox as a lovely surprise gift from Heidi at YA Bibliophile. Friends, the woman totally knows her audiobooks so I knew that I would immensely enjoy this one just because Heidi sent it and she’s legit. To my delight, it turns out that Doll Bones is narrated by favorite reader EVER, Nick Podehl. ALSO! It’s very short, only 5 discs, so you guys I like immediately popped this book in my computer and in my car and was beyond ready to listen to Holly Black’s fantastical middle grade book that’s ultimately about growing up… and dolls.
Read the rest of my review here
Review will be posted November 19, 2013.
Read the rest of my review here
Review will be posted November 19, 2013.
The kids bailed on this one, but it was good. Just a tad too deep for the toddler.
Panenku z kostí jsem si koupila, aniž bych si přečetla anotaci. Líbila se mi obálka a tak nějak jsem měla v podvědomí, že Holly Black je dobrá autorka.
Čekala jsem, že to bude příběh z pohledu panenky - panenka jako hlavní hrdinka. Bohužel nebyla. Každopádně i tak se mi to líbilo.
Hlavně tu jde i o nějakou myšlenku, ne jen o příběh.
Kdybych byla desetiletá holka, asi bych se při čtení bála - teda i teď mi chvilkami běhal mráz po zádech, protože nevíte, jestli to je jen obyčejná výprava bez nadpřirozena, nebo s nadpřirozenem. Nevědomost je dost děsivá.
Čekala jsem, že to bude příběh z pohledu panenky - panenka jako hlavní hrdinka. Bohužel nebyla. Každopádně i tak se mi to líbilo.
Hlavně tu jde i o nějakou myšlenku, ne jen o příběh.
Kdybych byla desetiletá holka, asi bych se při čtení bála - teda i teď mi chvilkami běhal mráz po zádech, protože nevíte, jestli to je jen obyčejná výprava bez nadpřirozena, nebo s nadpřirozenem. Nevědomost je dost děsivá.
I read this book to the kids. They loved it and I thought it was really cute. Holly Black does a good job with this story. It left the reader slightly mystified and asking questions.
My first exposure to Holly Black was several years ago with [b:Tithe|46777|Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales, #1)|Holly Black|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1342120818s/46777.jpg|1460966], which I loved. Aside from it being one of my first exposures to modern tales of faerie, of which there now appears to be a bit of a glut, I thought some of the lines and descriptions were just awesome.
It wasn't until later that someone pointed out that those poetic turns of phrase sort of faded as the story progressed but, by that time, I was so wrapped up into the characters and the story I neither noticed nor cared.
But it's something which I have, perhaps erroneously, come to look for in Black's books. Something which I've never really found since.
In other words - there's nothing really special about the writing of this book. Now, I guess part of it could be because it's geared for a younger audience - more the late MG/early YA crowd - but, based on all her other books, I'm beginning to think Tithe was something of a fluke.
Ah well -
That aside, there are other ways this book didn't meet my expectations, and that's in the story itself. See, the blurb makes it sound more like a horror-esque kind of story, and I was expecting something a bit darker.
There are moments of creepiness, some of which even revolving around the doll-girl, but, mostly, this is a story about friendship and growing up and riding that strange tide between childhood and adolescence, and what happens to groups of friends when that tide comes at different times.
And, for what it was, it was an ok story. None of the characters really connected with me. Zach, who was the most well developed, was also the most problematic in that it didn't really make any sense for him to keep the secret from the girls. It was necessary for the story but, on a character level, it didn't feel genuine. It felt more like a plot-device, and I hate that.
At least his story was resolved, moreso than the girls, anyway.
The main plot - the quest for the doll - is resolved but, as I said, it was more a story about the kids, so it seemed like it wasn't quite finished in that regard.
Anyway -
If you go into this expecting more a coming-of-age kind of story of friendship and change and whatnot, then you will probably end up enjoying it more than if you go in expecting it to be mostly a creepy story about a scary doll.
Not to say that a book would have to be one or the other but this book doesn't quite pull off being both...
***
ETA - Oh, and I wouldn't really liked an explanation as to why the
It wasn't until later that someone pointed out that those poetic turns of phrase sort of faded as the story progressed but, by that time, I was so wrapped up into the characters and the story I neither noticed nor cared.
But it's something which I have, perhaps erroneously, come to look for in Black's books. Something which I've never really found since.
In other words - there's nothing really special about the writing of this book. Now, I guess part of it could be because it's geared for a younger audience - more the late MG/early YA crowd - but, based on all her other books, I'm beginning to think Tithe was something of a fluke.
Ah well -
That aside, there are other ways this book didn't meet my expectations, and that's in the story itself. See, the blurb makes it sound more like a horror-esque kind of story, and I was expecting something a bit darker.
There are moments of creepiness, some of which even revolving around the doll-girl, but, mostly, this is a story about friendship and growing up and riding that strange tide between childhood and adolescence, and what happens to groups of friends when that tide comes at different times.
And, for what it was, it was an ok story. None of the characters really connected with me. Zach, who was the most well developed, was also the most problematic in that it didn't really make any sense for him to keep the secret from the girls. It was necessary for the story but, on a character level, it didn't feel genuine. It felt more like a plot-device, and I hate that.
At least his story was resolved, moreso than the girls, anyway.
The main plot - the quest for the doll - is resolved but, as I said, it was more a story about the kids, so it seemed like it wasn't quite finished in that regard.
Anyway -
If you go into this expecting more a coming-of-age kind of story of friendship and change and whatnot, then you will probably end up enjoying it more than if you go in expecting it to be mostly a creepy story about a scary doll.
Not to say that a book would have to be one or the other but this book doesn't quite pull off being both...
***
ETA - Oh, and I wouldn't really liked an explanation as to why the
Spoiler
kids saw the doll as a doll and adults saw her as a little girl. It kind've would've made more sense the other way, I think, except the doll had to be a doll for the kids for the story...
This reminds me a little of John Bellairs stories. It is about kids with the unknown and supernatural stuff happening to them. I enjoyed this read. It was pure fun.
Zac, Poppy and Alice use toys and action figures to make up stories. It's really about the joy of imagination. Well, Zac's dad doesn't get it an he throws all his toys away saying it's time to grow up. So they think the game is over.
Poppy is having dreams about a very creepy doll that is supposedly made out of bones. They then go on a quest of their childhood to break a curse. It was fast paced and well written. This is entertaining and there are plenty of chills to go around. I'm a fan.
Zac, Poppy and Alice use toys and action figures to make up stories. It's really about the joy of imagination. Well, Zac's dad doesn't get it an he throws all his toys away saying it's time to grow up. So they think the game is over.
Poppy is having dreams about a very creepy doll that is supposedly made out of bones. They then go on a quest of their childhood to break a curse. It was fast paced and well written. This is entertaining and there are plenty of chills to go around. I'm a fan.
Half listened to, half read. The pictures are wonderful.