I read Doll Bones on a recommendation over the holiday weekend, and while I was hesitant at first (I tend to find dolls creepy), I rather enjoyed this. It's kind of creepy but not too creepy, and I enjoyed the clear-cut characters (I liked Poppy best, since she was more-or-less the gamemaster/dungeon master for their imaginary games, and her fear of loosing her friends to "growing up" was relatable).The story's biggest pitfall, to me, was two-fold. There were several times I felt like the kids were making some really stupid/bad decisions (though a few of these were reconciled later in the story, and some of their actions made sense by the end), and two, there were a few sub-plots I would like to have seen tied up that were left open. Granted, the story ended in a reasonably good place (the main adventure was complete), but I would have liked to have seen how Zach and his father interacted, whether or not Alice got off the hook of being grounded, whether or not the kids managed to find out the continued mystery of the bone-china doll, and if the librarian at the end of the story might have made a good example of an adult who didn't necessarily "grow up" the way they viewed growing up (and growing out of their playtime).However, the ending did solve Zach's initial problem with his dad, as well as to the main mystery of the bone-china doll, and left a feeling that their overall situations had room to improve. There were a few times I wondered if the kids were acting a bit too old or too young, but I haven't spent much time around that age group, so I can't say for sure.Regardless, the story is fast-paced, with not a lot of downtime, and I enjoyed the idea of the bone china doll, and the ghost's story behind it, as well as the details about bone china that Zach finds when he's searching through the library. (After reading the book I looked up the name of the company that the story was loosely based on, and I liked that the history had been incorporated into the story). I also liked the story of the ghost, and I wouldn't have minded seeing more of that, and another bonus was seeing how the kids succeeded in pushing forward by bringing in the characterization of their story characters, thus breaking past their individual fears.As a side-note, the style of the illustrations fit well with the premise of the story.Overall, this was a fast, enjoyable read, and will likely appeal to readers who enjoy a little bit of a ghost story with their modern-day adventure. Taking the steps from being a child to being a teenager is hard. Zach is 12 and not ready to put away his action figure fantasy game and start thinking about pairing off with a girl. Holly Black’s Doll Bones is a bizarre story for middle graders which blends the action game with real life. Where does reality end and the quest or adventure begin? The story line did not appeal to me, but I’m not a middle grader. It is creative, but I wonder why almost every children’s book has to portray a single parent family. It isn’t necessary here. Doll Bones won a Newbery Honor award in 2014. I think the Newbery judges liked the librarian that Zach and his friends meet and the unusual story.Do middle graders want to read this book? Just the word “doll” in the title might discourage some readers, especially boys. My local library system has 16 copies and only one is checked out. I selected this book because I read all Newbery award books.
What do You think about Panenka Z Kostí (2014)?
I listened to the audio version. Kids that like creepy story might enjoy this tale.
—Sonia
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It was very twisted.
—katynp
I read this aloud to Kalea at bedtime. We enjoyed it a lot.
—idrisdragon
