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A review by referencegrrrl
Doll Bones by Holly Black
4.0
More magic. But this is magic invented by three 12-year-old friends who are determined to keep their childhood game going because they’re not keen on growing up. As Poppy said, “…I hate that everyone calls it growing up, but it seems like dying.”
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been playing one long, continuous role playing game since they were little. Their story world is filled with pirates and thieves, mermaids, warriors, and a delightfully frightening china doll they call the Great Queen. The doll itself really is real, and resides in a display cabinet at Poppy’s house. But it seems that this doll has a story of its own to tell.
Now Zach’s dad thinks Zach is too old for such imagination and play, and in an effort to force him to “grow up,” he throws away all of Zach’s toys. And Zach is embarrassed to tell his friends, so he goes along with what his dad is telling him, and quits their game. Until Poppy announces she’s been having dreams about the Queen – and the ghost of a girl named Eleanor who will not rest until the doll they’ve been calling the Queen is buried in an empty grave.
Is Poppy telling the truth about her dreams and this doll? Or is she just determined to keep their game going? The others decide not to take any chances and the three set off on a journey to calm the ghost girl in Poppy’s dreams and be rid of this doll that haunts them. They pirate a real boat and almost lose the Queen at sea. Along the way, their friendship is tested, their trust in each other is tested, and maybe grow up a little along the way after all.
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been playing one long, continuous role playing game since they were little. Their story world is filled with pirates and thieves, mermaids, warriors, and a delightfully frightening china doll they call the Great Queen. The doll itself really is real, and resides in a display cabinet at Poppy’s house. But it seems that this doll has a story of its own to tell.
Now Zach’s dad thinks Zach is too old for such imagination and play, and in an effort to force him to “grow up,” he throws away all of Zach’s toys. And Zach is embarrassed to tell his friends, so he goes along with what his dad is telling him, and quits their game. Until Poppy announces she’s been having dreams about the Queen – and the ghost of a girl named Eleanor who will not rest until the doll they’ve been calling the Queen is buried in an empty grave.
Is Poppy telling the truth about her dreams and this doll? Or is she just determined to keep their game going? The others decide not to take any chances and the three set off on a journey to calm the ghost girl in Poppy’s dreams and be rid of this doll that haunts them. They pirate a real boat and almost lose the Queen at sea. Along the way, their friendship is tested, their trust in each other is tested, and maybe grow up a little along the way after all.