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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Simply put, a cool, creepy read. Love the hit-the-road adventure and the aspect of the doll gave it a decidedly Victorian gothic vibe that I haven't seen in a while.
This is very squarely a middle grades book. It is creepy without being too creepy, grisly without being too grisly and it had heart and hope and friendship too. Hurrah!
Never does Black confirm anything. Nothing is ever overtly 'magic' or proven. It could be overactive imaginations of three 11 year old kids or it could be that the doll harbored a honest to goodness ghost. But what the story does do is offer that little slice of hope. Imagination is the greatest gift we have to give and the richest we are with this gift is when we are children. Then as we begin to grow older having an imagination and using it becomes something we outgrow. But here while they may be growing up and outgrowing toys, they are not giving up their imaginations.
I think this is just on the borderline of too-scary-for-my-7-year-old. She's read the first 5 Harry Potter books and done great, but this book has just enough creepy in it to possibly get her freaked out. Maybe a couple more years and we'll be ready for some Holly Black.
Never does Black confirm anything. Nothing is ever overtly 'magic' or proven. It could be overactive imaginations of three 11 year old kids or it could be that the doll harbored a honest to goodness ghost. But what the story does do is offer that little slice of hope. Imagination is the greatest gift we have to give and the richest we are with this gift is when we are children. Then as we begin to grow older having an imagination and using it becomes something we outgrow. But here while they may be growing up and outgrowing toys, they are not giving up their imaginations.
I think this is just on the borderline of too-scary-for-my-7-year-old. She's read the first 5 Harry Potter books and done great, but this book has just enough creepy in it to possibly get her freaked out. Maybe a couple more years and we'll be ready for some Holly Black.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this book. It was just creepy enough without being too scary for more sensitive kids.
A definite case of being lured in by the cover, this book was not what I expected. I expected a creepy story, but instead it was a sweet tale about growing up and friendship. I recommend to kids maybe grades 5-7. It's easy enough for younger, but I don't know if they'd be able to relate to the themes much younger than grade 5. I liked it.
This was a cute, clever book. If I was a kid, it definitely would've spooked me. The one thing I kept thinking while reading this story is that this book could give kids some bad ideas. The kids in this story sneak off at night without telling their parents, get on a bus, break into places, steal things, and more. Not a very good book to set an example, especially when the kids don't face any consequences for the things they do, but I still enjoyed it.
Niente di che nella prima metà poi pian piano si entra nell'azione e diventa più carino, in alcuni punti anche leggermente inquietante; tutto ciò in un romanzo per ragazzi o bambini. Gli adulti sono ormai desensibilizzati tra film horror e scene di fantasmi quindi credo che un bambino di 10 o 12 anni lo possa apprezzare molto di più vivendo appieno lo spirito di avventura e di tensione. E' comunque una storia carina che si legge volentieri e velocemente.
I love the dark and mysterious stories and movies, like the stuff that comes out of Tim Burton’s mind. The cover of Doll Bones totally intrigued me and I was so glad I listened to it. The audiobook was read by Nick Podehl and was 5 hours, 13 minutes long.
Likes:
The story was so full of imagination! It was like larping with action figures, the kids were old enough to know they were playing but still had huge imaginations and really took on their character’s roles.
I love that they would pass around notes and continue with the story even when they weren’t together. Sometimes it seems like imagination is gone with technology.
The characters were each unique and well done. I really enjoyed every one of them and felt their pain and happiness.
The quest was awesome, it was realistic yet imaginative. I would love to go on a quest in the “real world.”
Dislikes:
I didn’t really have any other than I wanted more. It was sad when the story ended!
For more reviews visit
A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
The story was so full of imagination! It was like larping with action figures, the kids were old enough to know they were playing but still had huge imaginations and really took on their character’s roles.
I love that they would pass around notes and continue with the story even when they weren’t together. Sometimes it seems like imagination is gone with technology.
The characters were each unique and well done. I really enjoyed every one of them and felt their pain and happiness.
The quest was awesome, it was realistic yet imaginative. I would love to go on a quest in the “real world.”
Dislikes:
I didn’t really have any other than I wanted more. It was sad when the story ended!
For more reviews visit
A Flurry of Ponderings
I excessively loved this book for young readers. It's a wonderful mixture of cute and creepy, while still touching on some major issues. It's not skewed toward one stereotypical gender perspective like many young reader books are, and the ending is not wrapped up with a perfect little bow. Easily something I would recommend to readers in that age bracket.