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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
It was cute and short but not all that thrilling. I’m already forgetting things that happened and I only finished it today. I love the writing style though.
I rather liked this. Early teens friend group dealing with puberty and growing up while holding onto the love of the fantastical which drew them together. Also an adventure journey and ghost story, and the librarian had pink hair + fancy yellow shoes.
Ah that soul-crushing question every creative child must face: How old is too old to keep playing pretend? I remember that dilemma from my own life. Zach and his friends Poppy and Alice struggle with the conflict between growing up and maintaining their childhood creativity and love of acting out stories with their toys. And then on top of all that, one of their toys seems to be haunted by a mischievous ghost girl who requires them to bury her in her family grave, a whole state away. The crew decides to go on a quest to fulfill her desire, but it's not so easy for three twelve year olds to travel on their own with a creepy doll and little money. Will they complete their quest in time before their parents notice their absence? Is the doll really haunted or is this just one last game for them all to play before they put such childish things behind them?
As always, Holly Black's story-telling abilities are on point and her characters are deep, flawed, and relateable. This is a great mid-grade introduction to Holly Black's paranormal work.
As always, Holly Black's story-telling abilities are on point and her characters are deep, flawed, and relateable. This is a great mid-grade introduction to Holly Black's paranormal work.
A cute story about middle school age kids who still play with dolls....but one of those dolls is made out of human remains and haunted by a little girl's ghost.
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends for many years, bonding over the elaborate adventures they construct with their favorite action figures and dolls. Even the creepy antique porcelain doll in the china cabinet in Poppy's house has been incorporated into their stories as the magnificent queen trapped in her glass tower. But though Zach truly enjoys playing as William the Blade, a noble pirate attempting to save the kingdom, he is troubled by the knowledge that boys his age aren't supposed to play with dolls. (Although, honestly, all these kids play in a very DnD-like way, and if someone had just introduced them to the slightly more socially acceptable concept of RPGs, half the drama in this story could have been avoided.) When Zach's father misguidedly throws away his dolls and the two girls begin acting strange and giggly, Zach worries that it may be time to leave his childhood behind and give up on his beloved games. But when Poppy comes to his window in the middle of the night, she has one last adventure for the three of them--only this one isn't pretend.
Poppy has been haunted by dreams of a little girl named Eleanor, whose ashes are hidden inside the Queen and whose bones were made into her porcelain. The girl died under mysterious circumstances and now she wants her remains to be buried with the rest of her family in a cemetery several towns away. As the three friends embark on this real life quest, their bonds of friendship and trust are tested like never before.
Though ostensibly a ghost story, Doll Bones focuses more on the trials and tribulations of friendship and growing up than it does on hauntings, mysterious deaths, and angry spirits--though there's still a bit of each. It is not entirely clear by the end of the book whether the ghost is real, or the product of the children's especially active imaginations. But that ambiguity only adds to the story.
For more of my thoughts, see my review for The Gothic Library: http://www.thegothiclibrary.com/doll-bones-review-a-middle-grade-ghost-story/
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends for many years, bonding over the elaborate adventures they construct with their favorite action figures and dolls. Even the creepy antique porcelain doll in the china cabinet in Poppy's house has been incorporated into their stories as the magnificent queen trapped in her glass tower. But though Zach truly enjoys playing as William the Blade, a noble pirate attempting to save the kingdom, he is troubled by the knowledge that boys his age aren't supposed to play with dolls. (Although, honestly, all these kids play in a very DnD-like way, and if someone had just introduced them to the slightly more socially acceptable concept of RPGs, half the drama in this story could have been avoided.) When Zach's father misguidedly throws away his dolls and the two girls begin acting strange and giggly, Zach worries that it may be time to leave his childhood behind and give up on his beloved games. But when Poppy comes to his window in the middle of the night, she has one last adventure for the three of them--only this one isn't pretend.
Poppy has been haunted by dreams of a little girl named Eleanor, whose ashes are hidden inside the Queen and whose bones were made into her porcelain. The girl died under mysterious circumstances and now she wants her remains to be buried with the rest of her family in a cemetery several towns away. As the three friends embark on this real life quest, their bonds of friendship and trust are tested like never before.
Though ostensibly a ghost story, Doll Bones focuses more on the trials and tribulations of friendship and growing up than it does on hauntings, mysterious deaths, and angry spirits--though there's still a bit of each. It is not entirely clear by the end of the book whether the ghost is real, or the product of the children's especially active imaginations. But that ambiguity only adds to the story.
For more of my thoughts, see my review for The Gothic Library: http://www.thegothiclibrary.com/doll-bones-review-a-middle-grade-ghost-story/
Highly enjoyable story for children by YA author Holly Black. In a few places the characters voices seemed out of place--slightly too mature. All in all, though, this was a great, quick read.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Holly Black's books are always "hit or miss" with me, and this one was a total miss. The story felt like it was actually two stories that she was trying to squish together, and it just wasn't working. Many of the decisions and feelings that the characters made or felt i just couldn't understand or rally behind. I felt like everything in this book was being pulled in a million different directions and none of them lead to home. I think i let the hype over this book get to me a bit as well. This was, unfortunately, just another one of the Holly Black books that let me down.
I received a copy of this via NetGalley, for an honest review
The basic plot of this book, the idea of a creepy-looking doll being possessed, and the main problem the protagonists face, growing up, really interested me.
Holly Black does a great job with creeping the reader out with the doll and how the events unfold. I quite enjoyed reading about the doll's story and impact on the children.
That being said, I found the general pacing of the book to be a bit off. Even though it's a short book, I had to put it down several times because I just wasn't engaged with it at all. The characters helped to that situation. I found them to be likeable and relatable but I sometimes couldn't tell the girls apart so I had to re-read some sections again to see who was talking.
I'm surprised that I didn't enjoy it as the other middle grade books I read by her. However, the main idea and the ending (I REALLY liked the ending) was enough for me to like it
The basic plot of this book, the idea of a creepy-looking doll being possessed, and the main problem the protagonists face, growing up, really interested me.
Holly Black does a great job with creeping the reader out with the doll and how the events unfold. I quite enjoyed reading about the doll's story and impact on the children.
That being said, I found the general pacing of the book to be a bit off. Even though it's a short book, I had to put it down several times because I just wasn't engaged with it at all. The characters helped to that situation. I found them to be likeable and relatable but I sometimes couldn't tell the girls apart so I had to re-read some sections again to see who was talking.
I'm surprised that I didn't enjoy it as the other middle grade books I read by her. However, the main idea and the ending (I REALLY liked the ending) was enough for me to like it
I actually started this book and was halfway through it before the Newbery results were announced. I'm glad I did even if it took me a while to finish it. This is a lively mix of fantasy and real world stresses. Between the pangs of growing up dnr wanting to keep the magic of childhood alive are our three heroes. I appreciated the interplay therein, even the sweet but not too cliche way the crush was handled. I think the only thing that I would have liked to see further expanded is how the difficult home situation affected Poppy. I feel like she got far less development time than did the other two characters. Great book and I'm happy to recommend it to lots of kids. As always Bkack has a great narrative prose style that engages the reader.