Book Review: Doll Bones

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

I snagged a copy of Doll Bones by Holly Black the day it hit shelves. I'm a huge fan and have read most everything she's published. The Spiderwick Chronicles and beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles were both fabulous series, and so I was excited to read this new middle grade.

Doll Bones is one of my favorite books of 2013. It's fun and adventurous, but also sad and touching. Zach, Poppy, and Alice are all kids on the brink of becoming teens. Soon they'll be too old for their games, running around playing with dolls and action figures, creating these stories with their toys. When Zach's father declares he's too old to play, and tosses his toys out in the garbage, it sets him and his friends on a path to give up their game.

But they have one more adventure before they finish. One of Poppy's dolls, the queen, is a china doll. Poppy claims a ghost comes to her in her sleep and says that her bones are used to create the china of the dolls bones. The ghost vows not to leave her alone until the doll finds it's way to her parents' graves. So Poppy, Alice, and Zach agree to get her there.

This novel is creative and funny and creepy and very entertaining. By then end of the book, these three friends are more grown and on their way to adulthood. It made me think of the games I used to play and how much I miss that carefree time. Being an adult can be so boring. So thank the goddess for books like these.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if middle grade fiction isn't your thing, I think you'll like this one. And if you need a bigger selling point, it had a very similar vibe to Neil Gaiman's, Coraline.