Ghost Doll and Jasper

by Fiona McDonald

What happens when a broken doll is touched by stardust? She becomes a ghost doll, of course! The newly awakened Ghost Doll and her companion Jasper, a mangy black cat, set off in search of a safe place to live. But the city is new and dangerous territory for Ghost Doll (who fell asleep in quieter times). The noise and rush of traffic terrifies her, and as for the new style of toy—complete with computer chip and battery—she can’t think of anything worse. But there is something far more sinister and dangerous lurking in the city. Someone else witnessed the falling star and is anxious to get a hold of the fragment—and Ghost Doll—for his own evil purposes. How will Ghost Doll and Jasper escape their hunter and find a home where they both are safe and loved?

Fiona McDonald has created a visually stunning and poignantly told story about an unlikely friendship and the importance of feeling secure and wanted. Ghost Doll and Jasper is an Edward Gorey-esque graphic novel for kids—sure to captivate and enchant as the ethereal Ghost Doll and her alley cat Jasper embark on an adventure full of magic, suspense, and, most importantly, friendship.

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Childrens, Middle Grade, Paranormal, Juvenile, Ebooks

112 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Sophie Masson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magical tale, about a broken doll who comes to life again--or shimmers into a ghostly second life--when she is touched by starlight as she lies forgotten in an abandoned house. Soon after, she meets Jasper, a stray cat and together the pair set off on a journey across the town, each of them looking for somewhere where they can feel at home. Little do they know that trouble is brewing as the greedy Dr Borsch searches for the starlight that will help him power his megalomaniacal dreams--the starlight that is now embedded in Ghost Doll. And so he sends out his ally, the villainous chief rat Trattorus and his ratty hordes, newly empowered way beyond rat cunning and strength by Dr Borsh's potion, to search for the source of the magic he so craves..
With its lovely nostalgic story, and illustrated throughout by vivid black and white drawings, this is a great book for children aged between 4 and 12(the younger ones could have it read aloud to them)and for anyone older who still loves a touch of classic magic.
This is doll-maker, writer and illustrator Fiona MacDonald's first work of fiction, and her love of dolls, toys and their world shows clearly in it. She's had many other non-fiction books published, including a wonderful series of craft books featuring hand-made knitted dolls: Babes in the Wool'; 'Knitted Fairies'; and 'Knitted Aliens.'

[Himel Rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toy Story with a Plot-Hole-Creator Ghost Doll. A children's book with some cool illustrations.

[Book Tea 🫖 with Jai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Ghost Doll and Jasper was a great book to read. Its a good book for middle schooler or grade school girl. I enjoyed the adventure, that Ghost Doll and Jasper went through together as a friends. I think it was a great story of courage, faith and friendship. I absoutley love how the story ended for Ghost Doll.

[Crete Public Library District · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review By Kelly (Administration)

A falling star settles on an abandoned doll, bringing her to a ghostly sort of life. The characters she meets and the adventures she has while evading the evil Doctor and his rat army are just tense enough to be exciting for a young mind without being too scary for the youngest. There are also some great messages: sacrificing for friendship, don't judge people by how they look, do the right thing. All basic, and necessary, lessons.

The writing is fluid, the author never really talks down to the reader, yet doesn't use words outside of comprehension for this age range. Recommended for a couple nights around a campfire...eBook Review

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this intially to see if it was something my daughter would be interested in. And since it was short, I stayed with it. There was something about it that reminded me of an older simplistic style of writing, but ultimately it was lacking meaningful plot.

[Samantha 🤍 · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was... not the greatest book, unfortunately. I thought the depiction of violence was a bit too much for middle grade, and there were many bigger words that felt out of place. There were also very convenient plot points and things just didn't flow too easily together. it came off really cheesy and I just did not enjoy this book very much.

[Cupof Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from the library electronically. I would say that though this was called a "graphic novel" it was more an illustrated story. Not to my expectations. I wasn't sure if it was a story for a younger audience, as it did have some violence and ghost bits to it, but it seemed a tad simple for adult readers. Also, the pictures were sometimes nice (I loved the personality given to the cats) but overall messy and sometimes only loosely matched the action in the words.

Not a great find.

[Doglovergpm]

Wow. I totally loved it! If u wanna read it, or are looking @ it, read it! (if you like books like Harry potter and stuff like that)

[Angie Fehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A speck of stardust falls from the sky, eventually coming to fall on a doll's head in an abandoned house, bringing her to life as "Ghost Doll". Ghost Doll is startled by all the loud noises she's now experiencing and mystified by modern toy dolls she meets who are filled with batteries and computer chips. Ghost Doll, along with her new friend, Jasper (a mangy black street cat), sets out across the city in search of a safe, quiet place she can call home.

A safe home becomes even more of an urgency for Ghost Doll when it is revealed shortly after her metamorphosis that scientist / inventor Dr. Borsch witnessed where the stardust fell. He becomes consumed with this need to obtain the stardust for his experiments, so when he discovers it lies within Ghost Doll, he and his henchmen set out to capture her.

I found the illustrations (also done by McDonald) to have something of a 1990s avant-garde flair to them. Made me a bit nostalgic for old newspaper comics I remember loving as a kid :-) Some of the drawings were pretty cute, others were a little TOO squiggle-heavy, making them hard to decipher.

The plot itself was at times sweet, other times moving (especially when we get to know some of Ghost Doll's history as she starts to have memories of a little girl she belonged to once). I also really liked Jasper, who didn't seem physically tough but he was strong where it was important, in his soul. But in general, something about the story fell just a bit flat. I enjoyed the adventure while I was there, but I was sort of a passive passenger, not feeling a strong pull to return to this one in the future.

[Jasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme of this picture book was friendship, which developed between the ghost doll(who became alive due to the star dust), Jasper the cat, the toys at the department store, the group of other cats and finally Lilly the ghost child.
I love this book, but I loathe the visuals. They were ugly. It would be nice to read a heart-warming book which come with beautiful graphics.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

It kind of wasn’t what I was expecting. I adored the illustrations, but I wouldn’t class it as a graphic novel. I felt there were a few plot holes, so I’d probably give it a 3.5* because it’s kind of magical all the same and I feel inspired to write again.

[Krysta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story happens too fast and the prose does not flow.

[Dee Dee G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was totally invested in this doll and cat. Nice ending.

[Ushnav Shroff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful and, in parts, haunting.

[Alsaba Ain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just really love it! its really thrilling.If you are looking for a god horror book then this is the one

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had thought that this book was a graphic novel but it turned out to be an actual novel with few illustrations. It is about a doll who after having star dust sprinkled on her is revived, loses her plastic physical appearance and turns into a ghost. She befriends a stray cat Jasper who wants to help the doll find a new home. Dr. Borsch is the evil villain in this story who orders rats to track down the doll so that he can suck out the star dust from her. The rats agreed to help in exchange for a potion that would make them big and powerful enough to attack cats their prime enemies. In the end, Jasper risks his own life to save the doll from Dr. Borsch and the cat is nearly killed. The doll in turn gives some of her stardust to Jasper and the light from the stardust attracts the attention of a family who helps treat the cat. Jasper also meets a ghost girl in the family's home and introduces the doll to the ghost girl and they live happily in that home away from Dr. Borsch's clutches.

I was moved and sad when it appeared that Jasper would die after he was injured while rescuing the doll. I gave a star for that part of the novel but I hoped that the novel would've been written in a more interesting way. I was also left wondering why Dr. Borsch wanted the star dust in the first place and where the star dust came from....

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Doll and Jasper is an imaginative, wonderfully strange story. It's about an abandoned antique doll brought to life by stardust. The doll, named Ghost Doll, befriends a black cat named Jasper, who strives to find her a new home as her present home is about to be demolished. Along the way, they must evade a scheming scientist and a gang of malevolent rats. The prose is simplistic, as is to be expected from a children's story, but Fiona McDonald manages to include a fair amount of lyrical morsels. The story's conclusion is beautifully heartwarming. It reminded me of a mix between Toy Story and The Secret of NIMH. Therefore, I would encourage anyone who likes those movies - as well as dolls and cats - to read this book. This would make a fantastic animated movie - Studio Ghilbi comes to mind, but I think it would also make an excellent stop-motion animation.

[Eurydactyl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept really intrigued me, but the execution is lacking. It reads as being aimed to a much younger audience than the plot suggests. The content of the story seems middle-school appropriate, but the reading level is more elementary.

[Laura]

superb