Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
"Protecting somebody by hurting them before someone else gets the chance isn't the kind of protecting that anybody wants."
3.5 stars. I had a lot of fun with this one.
I don't know what to call this book. It's middlegrade, but what genre does it fit? Fantasy? Horror? Mystery? Suspense? There doesn't seem to be a good label to put with this.
This story captured my attention with it's eerie synopsis and it kept my attention as I listened to the tale of Zach, Alice, and Poppy. It's well written and has a fun, sometimes creepy story. All three children are also extremely imaginative, which I love. It was great how there was kind of a story inside of a story feel to this, since their game involved queens, pirates, and thieves who were adventuring aboard a ship searching for answers.
The three kids seemed like real twelve-year-olds. They fought about silly things, but they also worried about important ones. They were scared of growing up and leaving behind the worlds their imaginations created, of growing apart and never being able to have that back. Because you never know what growing up might do.
All of the descriptions of the queen were creepy and I loved it. The ending was satisfactory. I will definitely be recommending this to my nieces and nephews and hope to turn them into fans alongside me.
Nick Podehl narrated the audiobook and I thought it was done really well. Sometimes men doing voices for girls can sound odd, but overall his weren't that annoying. It also wasn't made to sound too childlike, which can sometimes be a drawback in middlegrade audiobooks. Definitely recommend the story and the audio for this one.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I don’t really feel like it’s a ghost story or at the very least the ghost part of the story plays a very minor role compared to the issue of growing up. For the most part I was enjoying myself reading this story, I liked the concept of not wanting to grow up – in some ways it reminded me of Peter Pan syndrome, but in a good way. I liked how Zach was unwilling, or partly just too naïve, to realize that he was growing up and that things were changing around him.
It’s a story set in that difficult time in your life when you’re too old to be a child any longer but still not old enough to be considered a real grown-up and this causes some problems in your life. I think this transition is captured perfectly in the quest Holly Black has created for this little trio of friends, all of whom have different reasons for wanting to go on this quest.
The only thing missing from this story is some more ghost-ness. The creepy China-porcelain doll makes for a good diversion for the three friends, and the original cause for their quest, but as the quest continues, although they want to do it because of the doll, it slowly gets pushed to the background for other reasons driving these not-so-children any longer to actually want to carry on and finish the quest. Due to the fact that it looked and sounded much spookier when I first decided to put this on my to-read list this was the only thing I felt lacking when I read it.
The language is easy and there are no kinks along the way to make you stop and wonder what the author had in mind with a particular sentence. At least there seems to be few things hidden in the language, and I would say that is quite suitable for a book with the target age this one would have, which I would assume to be something around 10-13/14 maybe.
Overall it was a nice read and I would recommend it to others who are interested in stories that could make them think of Peter Pan and then face reality and the time it will take to grow up.
It’s a story set in that difficult time in your life when you’re too old to be a child any longer but still not old enough to be considered a real grown-up and this causes some problems in your life. I think this transition is captured perfectly in the quest Holly Black has created for this little trio of friends, all of whom have different reasons for wanting to go on this quest.
The only thing missing from this story is some more ghost-ness. The creepy China-porcelain doll makes for a good diversion for the three friends, and the original cause for their quest, but as the quest continues, although they want to do it because of the doll, it slowly gets pushed to the background for other reasons driving these not-so-children any longer to actually want to carry on and finish the quest. Due to the fact that it looked and sounded much spookier when I first decided to put this on my to-read list this was the only thing I felt lacking when I read it.
The language is easy and there are no kinks along the way to make you stop and wonder what the author had in mind with a particular sentence. At least there seems to be few things hidden in the language, and I would say that is quite suitable for a book with the target age this one would have, which I would assume to be something around 10-13/14 maybe.
Overall it was a nice read and I would recommend it to others who are interested in stories that could make them think of Peter Pan and then face reality and the time it will take to grow up.
I was so excited to pick up this middle-grade by Holly Black! The aesthetic of a creepy doll is right up my alley.
It was a fast read but will I remember the story later on? Probably not.
This is exactly the type of book I LOVED when I was younger. I would have loved to get my hands on it as a kid.
As an adult I can see some small faults in it, but overall it was fun and just the right amount of spooky for its intended age. I really enjoyed this story.
As an adult I can see some small faults in it, but overall it was fun and just the right amount of spooky for its intended age. I really enjoyed this story.
Not great but not rubbish. Didn't grab me and not what I thought it was , it had creepy aspects but some bits went on unexplained and the ending was a bit disappointing for me.
Not sure what I was expecting, but this was much better than I was thinking it would be. A great book about growing up, with just the right amount of creepy. Fun.
Read the rest of my full review at my blog, The Shady Glade
Read the rest of my full review at my blog, The Shady Glade
I'd probably give this between 3 and 3.5 stars.
I liked a lot of it but some parts where just dumb. Some other people mentioned that the love triangle was thrown in just to be thrown in and I agree. It didn't need to be in a story about pre-teens. Overall this book was pretty good and I might have liked it more if I read the physical book but it was a great way to start this month off.
I liked a lot of it but some parts where just dumb. Some other people mentioned that the love triangle was thrown in just to be thrown in and I agree. It didn't need to be in a story about pre-teens. Overall this book was pretty good and I might have liked it more if I read the physical book but it was a great way to start this month off.
This was an interesting story idea, but not as creepy as everyone said it would be. Maybe I’ve seen too many episodes of Supernatural, including one that was almost exactly the same plot… Still, I enjoyed this book.
In it, a group of twelve year olds that enjoys playing roleplaying games with their dolls and action figures is suddenly thrust into a real-life adventure when Poppy claims that the creepy bone china doll they have dubbed the Queen has a ghost who is demanding to be taken to her grave. Reluctantly, Alice and Zach join Poppy in a cross-state trip to place the doll in the grave. Zach and Alice believe that this is Poppy’s way of rejoining the group, which has become fragmented lately, but as mysterious things keep happening, they start to wonder if there is a ghost after all, and they find out that adventure might not be as glamorous as their roleplaying characters thought.
Surprisingly, I wanted this book to be creepier than it was.
*Read more on my blog: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-review-doll-bones/
In it, a group of twelve year olds that enjoys playing roleplaying games with their dolls and action figures is suddenly thrust into a real-life adventure when Poppy claims that the creepy bone china doll they have dubbed the Queen has a ghost who is demanding to be taken to her grave. Reluctantly, Alice and Zach join Poppy in a cross-state trip to place the doll in the grave. Zach and Alice believe that this is Poppy’s way of rejoining the group, which has become fragmented lately, but as mysterious things keep happening, they start to wonder if there is a ghost after all, and they find out that adventure might not be as glamorous as their roleplaying characters thought.
Surprisingly, I wanted this book to be creepier than it was.
*Read more on my blog: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-review-doll-bones/
3,5*
Sweet little slightly spooky read. Been on my tbr since 2015, so I am glad I finally picked it up and finished. It was really lovely, it´s Holly Black after all! And I love children´s books so much.
It was atmospheric, beautifully written, and the characters were sweet. The plot was really nicely done, too. Not too spooky, but had some interesting and really cool background. I enjoyed this little adventure very much.
I basically recommend reading anything written by Holly Black. She is a magician and knows her way with words & imagination.
Sweet little slightly spooky read. Been on my tbr since 2015, so I am glad I finally picked it up and finished. It was really lovely, it´s Holly Black after all! And I love children´s books so much.
It was atmospheric, beautifully written, and the characters were sweet. The plot was really nicely done, too. Not too spooky, but had some interesting and really cool background. I enjoyed this little adventure very much.
I basically recommend reading anything written by Holly Black. She is a magician and knows her way with words & imagination.