Module 5: Doll Bones

Book Summary

Zach, Poppy, and Alice, 12, are best friends, or quest friends. Together, they write and act out adventure stories with dolls and action figures. Zach’s father decides that Zach is too old to be playing with dolls and throws his action figures away, which sets off the action of the plot. Too embarrassed to tell the girls, Zach lashes out and tells them he no longer wants to play. The girls feel so strongly about finishing up the story currently underway, they take Poppy’s mother’s antique doll, whom they have named The Queen, from the case so that she can finish the play. But the doll is haunted with the spirit of a murdered girl, Eleanor. The author drops hints along the way that the doll is dangerous. The doll enters the minds of the children shows them scenes from her life. She wants to be buried with her family, and wants the kids to do it, and at times the doll seems to possess one of the children. The three set off in the middle of the night on the quest to return Eleanor to her family so that her spirit can rest. It is a dangerous adventure for the kids, and Eleanor’s creepiness increases with the plot. The story concludes, however, with a happy ending for all.

 

APA Reference of Book

Black, H. (2013). Doll bones. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster

Impressions

Doll Bones is written in a style and vocabulary easy for fourth graders to enjoy but suspenseful enough for much older readers. Intriguing elements, such as a doll filled with the remains of a murdered girl, make it a compelling read even for adults. The main characters stand out as inventive intelligent kids, written fully dimensional, and certainly believable. Minor characters are quirky and interestingly written. The plot pulls us along with suspense and hints of horror and delivers us craftily to a happy, satisfying ending. This fast-paced adventure, written by the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, is a good addition to an elementary or middle school library.

Professional Review

Black has created protagonists who readers will care about, and amusing secondary characters, like a pink-haired librarian and a crazy bus passenger who seems to be able to see Eleanor. This novel is a chilling ghost story, a gripping adventure, and a heartwarming look at the often-painful pull of adulthood. Black-and-white illustrations actually tone down the scare factor a little, making this a perfect starter story for budding horror fans.

Laferriere, M. (2013, June). Doll bones. [Review of the book Doll bones, by H. Black]. 

     School Library Journal, 59(6), 112. Retrieved from www.slj.com

Library Uses

Doll Bones comes in several formats: print, CD, and Ebook. It could be used in the library for reluctant readers. Reluctant readers could read along as they listen, completing the book on a schedule, and then work with a group to discuss the book. The book is very exciting, and even the most reluctant reader would be enticed to learn what happens in the end.