Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black

Doll Bones by Holly Black
Hardcover, 244 pages
Published May 7th 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
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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 . . .

This was my first Holly Black book and I can honestly say that she did not disappoint. I had seen this book around lately but hadn’t really heard anything about it besides that. The rating on Goodreads seemed decent so I went ahead and picked it up. Middle grade reads usually don’t interest me very much because I feel that I can’t connect with a character so much younger than I am (I am 25).  I had no problem with this book though.

This was a great middle grade read if you like creepy dolls and adventure. This book was practically one big adventure, whether it was their story telling adventures or the actual adventure that they went on. Then Holly definitely fulfilled the creepy doll aspect. This was an adventure book involving a possibly possessed doll made out of human bones and containing a bag full of ashes…. Creepy!

The main character and out only point of view is from a 12-year old boy named Zach. He lives at home with his mother and somewhat mean-come-and-go father. His two best friends, who he has been friends with for years, just happen to be girls and he just happens to play with dolls and action figures, which his father does not approve of. His friends are Poppy and Alice. Poppy lives in a not so nice house with uncaring parents and a mean older brother and sister. Alice lives with a very strict grandmother after her parents passed away.

A problem accrues which makes it impossible to play the game and nobody is happy about it. Although the secret as to why it can’t be played is sort of a dumb one. I saw no need to keep it a secret but then there would be no more story drama. Poppy tries to recover the adventures by removing the very valuable Queen from her glass castle. This is where the real adventure begins.

The ending to this book is sort of left open for the imagination. Which is quite fitting for this story since these kids like to use their imagination so much and that is what led to the adventure in the first place. Now don’t get me wrong, we do get an ending to the adventure but after that it’s up to your imagination.

Do I Recommend this Book?

Absolutely! I can’t wait to check out more of Holly Black’s books. Especially the Spiderwick Chronicles (which I had no idea where written by her.)

My Rating: