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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
3.5*
I was never a big than of thrillers(if you can even call this book a thriller), but it was on my shelf so I decided to read it. The idea of a girl being turned into a doll seemed both original and unoriginal at the same time. The whole book is based on one lie that the main character Zach didn't even need to tell. The tone of the book also bounced between serious,spooky, and childish. I feel like if she had just kept it either really mysterious, or false happy the book would have gone over better. All in all, I wouldn't recommend reading this book.
I was never a big than of thrillers(if you can even call this book a thriller), but it was on my shelf so I decided to read it. The idea of a girl being turned into a doll seemed both original and unoriginal at the same time. The whole book is based on one lie that the main character Zach didn't even need to tell. The tone of the book also bounced between serious,spooky, and childish. I feel like if she had just kept it either really mysterious, or false happy the book would have gone over better. All in all, I wouldn't recommend reading this book.
3.5*
Unfortunately not as creepy as I'd hoped it to be, but still solid and quite fun.
Unfortunately not as creepy as I'd hoped it to be, but still solid and quite fun.
I really did not care for this book. I was really excited to read it but was incredibly let down. I should've guessed really, because I didn't care for Holly Black's other book as well. Oh well! If you want to read a creepy kid's book, there are better ones out there.
3.5 stars. I surprisingly enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It's not a modern classic or anything and it definitely is aimed at teens, young teens probably, but I still liked the story with the creepy vibe, I enjoyed the relationships and the way it handled the fear of growth and change. It was a little spooky, especially at the end, but a kinda lighter 'coraline' level, not scary. I didnt love the romance that had a tiny part, but since it was so small I can hardly complain, and not an awful lot of action happens but the story is more focused on the characters and the main, Zack, was a likable narrator too.
I cannot stop gushing about this book! I don't normally read a lot of ghost stories, but this was so well written and fun that I just want to tell the whole world about it!
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been best friends for a very long time and the big thing that bonds them together is "the game", which they play with their action figures. But when Zach's dad says it’s time to grow and throws away his toys, everything changes between the three friends. Desperate to get Zach’s friendship back, Poppy and Alice unknowingly release the spirit of a girl that is connected to an old doll. Now they have to take the doll to the girl’s grave or she will haunt them forever.
I think my favorite part of this book is the history behind the haunted doll. It is extremely creepy and even maybe a little gruesome when you really think about it. But Holly Black went into such detail about it and it’s fun to finally put all the bits and pieces of the story together at the end. And although the characters don’t exactly interact with the ghost (she usually sends them messages while they are asleep), there is clearly a lot of evidence that she is real and wants to be laid to rest.
It’s also an underlying theme about growing up. The characters are 12 years old, so I’m guessing they are in 6th or 7th grade. This is such a hard time for kids, and that is displayed in the way the characters develop through the story, and voiced by Poppy, who fears her friends changing while she stays the same. I feel like several students would be able to relate this change and may even have the same fears as Poppy.
As an elementary school librarian, my students are always asking me for “scary stories.” In the past week I have book talked this story to many of my 4th and 5th graders and have been desperate to find a quick way to get multiple copies for my kiddos. This book has been my favorite ghost story since “The Seer of Shadows” by Avi. Read this book! It won a Newbery Honor for a reason!
(this review also appears on my blog http://therealmrspotter.blogspot.com)
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been best friends for a very long time and the big thing that bonds them together is "the game", which they play with their action figures. But when Zach's dad says it’s time to grow and throws away his toys, everything changes between the three friends. Desperate to get Zach’s friendship back, Poppy and Alice unknowingly release the spirit of a girl that is connected to an old doll. Now they have to take the doll to the girl’s grave or she will haunt them forever.
I think my favorite part of this book is the history behind the haunted doll. It is extremely creepy and even maybe a little gruesome when you really think about it. But Holly Black went into such detail about it and it’s fun to finally put all the bits and pieces of the story together at the end. And although the characters don’t exactly interact with the ghost (she usually sends them messages while they are asleep), there is clearly a lot of evidence that she is real and wants to be laid to rest.
It’s also an underlying theme about growing up. The characters are 12 years old, so I’m guessing they are in 6th or 7th grade. This is such a hard time for kids, and that is displayed in the way the characters develop through the story, and voiced by Poppy, who fears her friends changing while she stays the same. I feel like several students would be able to relate this change and may even have the same fears as Poppy.
As an elementary school librarian, my students are always asking me for “scary stories.” In the past week I have book talked this story to many of my 4th and 5th graders and have been desperate to find a quick way to get multiple copies for my kiddos. This book has been my favorite ghost story since “The Seer of Shadows” by Avi. Read this book! It won a Newbery Honor for a reason!
(this review also appears on my blog http://therealmrspotter.blogspot.com)
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-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:
No
Here’s what this book is about:”A doll that may be haunted leads three friends on a thrilling adventure.”
I listened to this book on the Libby app. This is the first book I’ve read by Holly Black. I liked what the synopsis said about this book. I liked the friendship between the kids and I liked that this story talked about growing up. I also liked that there was a creepy doll. I thought this story was interesting and fun. I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t as creepy as I thought it was going to be. I thought there was going to be more moments in the book where the doll was acting creepy but there wasn’t. This book was not scary at all.
I listened to this book on the Libby app. This is the first book I’ve read by Holly Black. I liked what the synopsis said about this book. I liked the friendship between the kids and I liked that this story talked about growing up. I also liked that there was a creepy doll. I thought this story was interesting and fun. I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t as creepy as I thought it was going to be. I thought there was going to be more moments in the book where the doll was acting creepy but there wasn’t. This book was not scary at all.
So much like the frustration of childhood-to-adolescence (minus creepy maybe-ghosts…MAYBE), successfully bone-chilling. Poppy: most irritating little creature, but I think a large part of that was due to the intonations the narrator chose for her—a bit too plaintive and moody, even for how she was written.
Good, pass-on-able.
Good, pass-on-able.
“There’s people who do things and people who never do—who say they will someday, but they just don’t. I want to go on a quest. I’ve always wanted to go on a quest. And now that I have one, I’m not backing down from it. I’m not going home until it’s complete.”
From all the books I wanted to read for Halloween, Doll Bones was one that I was the most excited about. First of all, Holly Black wrote it, plus that blurb sounds freaking awesome. So here I was, desperately wanting to love this novel, but finished it with an unsatisfied and underwhelmed feeling. Why is that?
My first and foremost problem with Doll Bones is that it didn't feel like a ghost story, much less a horror or mystery. There were approx. two scenes that could be called creepy and even those weren't original. At all. I get that we're talking middle grade here, but other MG horrors proved it to me that books in this genre can give the reader the chills if they're done right. This novel, however, felt more like a contemporary, and not even a good one. Even the illustrations were ridiculously NOT scary. I was so bored and neutral toward the book that I wanted to DNF it, which is CRAZY because I adore Holly Black's writing style.
Everything that usually makes her books the best was missing from Doll Bones, including realistic characters. I wasn't able to relate to them and frankly, I didn't even like them most of the time. Because of this, I couldn't care less about what happened to them, so the 'contemporary part' of the novel didn't work out for me either. I didn't understand why the main characters were such great friends - they played together, alright, but at school they all hang out with other people and were vastly different.
While not a totally unpleasant experience, overall Doll Bones was a huge disappointment for me. It simply lacked the magic every single Holly Black book had I've read so far. The characters were plain and hard to relate to, and I doubt the story would frighten anyone.
The story idea: 3/5
The realization of the story: 2/5
The characters: 2/5
The cover: 3/5 - because it misleads me into thinking that this novel is actually scary.
Enjoy factor: 2/5
Final rating: 2/5
From all the books I wanted to read for Halloween, Doll Bones was one that I was the most excited about. First of all, Holly Black wrote it, plus that blurb sounds freaking awesome. So here I was, desperately wanting to love this novel, but finished it with an unsatisfied and underwhelmed feeling. Why is that?
My first and foremost problem with Doll Bones is that it didn't feel like a ghost story, much less a horror or mystery. There were approx. two scenes that could be called creepy and even those weren't original. At all. I get that we're talking middle grade here, but other MG horrors proved it to me that books in this genre can give the reader the chills if they're done right. This novel, however, felt more like a contemporary, and not even a good one. Even the illustrations were ridiculously NOT scary. I was so bored and neutral toward the book that I wanted to DNF it, which is CRAZY because I adore Holly Black's writing style.
Everything that usually makes her books the best was missing from Doll Bones, including realistic characters. I wasn't able to relate to them and frankly, I didn't even like them most of the time. Because of this, I couldn't care less about what happened to them, so the 'contemporary part' of the novel didn't work out for me either. I didn't understand why the main characters were such great friends - they played together, alright, but at school they all hang out with other people and were vastly different.
While not a totally unpleasant experience, overall Doll Bones was a huge disappointment for me. It simply lacked the magic every single Holly Black book had I've read so far. The characters were plain and hard to relate to, and I doubt the story would frighten anyone.
The story idea: 3/5
The realization of the story: 2/5
The characters: 2/5
The cover: 3/5 - because it misleads me into thinking that this novel is actually scary.
Enjoy factor: 2/5
Final rating: 2/5
This was a really good book. Super creepy because... antique doll. But still really sweet. I was not anticipating that story if I was judging by the cover. This is actually a really young boy friendly book.
