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The Doll Graveyard
This graveyard hides buried dolls...and buried secrets!
The house at Cinder Creek hides many secrets. Shelby and Brian Tate have heard heated voices crying out in the night. They've noticed the unsettling way things move around on their own. But the most chilling thing about their new home is the cemetery someone's built out back. The graves are tiny, only big enough for dolls.
AND THE DOLLS WON'T STAY BURIED.
Soon Shelby's learning all about them. Betsy Anne's angelic appearance hides a raging fire behind her eyes, while Baby Daisy changes faces as quickly as she changes moods. And Miss Amelia's cracked porcelain skin and twisted lips only hint at the pain she once endured at the hands of a very angry girl. If Shelby can help the dolls find peace, she and her family might actually be happy at Cinder Creek. But if she can't--the dolls will have their revenge....
The house at Cinder Creek hides many secrets. Shelby and Brian Tate have heard heated voices crying out in the night. They've noticed the unsettling way things move around on their own. But the most chilling thing about their new home is the cemetery someone's built out back. The graves are tiny, only big enough for dolls.
AND THE DOLLS WON'T STAY BURIED.
Soon Shelby's learning all about them. Betsy Anne's angelic appearance hides a raging fire behind her eyes, while Baby Daisy changes faces as quickly as she changes moods. And Miss Amelia's cracked porcelain skin and twisted lips only hint at the pain she once endured at the hands of a very angry girl. If Shelby can help the dolls find peace, she and her family might actually be happy at Cinder Creek. But if she can't--the dolls will have their revenge....
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2014
73 people are currently reading
910 people want to read
About the author
Lois Ruby
25 books87 followersLois Ruby is the author of fifteen books for middle-graders and teens, including STEAL AWAY HOME, SKIN DEEP, and THE SECRET OF LAUREL OAKS. She and her husband live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the foothills of the awesome Sandia Mountains. Lois explores lots of haunted places, including ghostly locations in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and even a few spooky spots in Australia and Thailand. No spirits have tapped her on the shoulder yet, but she hasn't given up hope.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
October 25, 2014
What's creepier than finding a doll grave yard in your new backyard? Oh, I don't know, maybe that they won't stay buried, follow you around, and threaten you.
From a 10yo old's perspective, she loved it. She made me stop at pg 225 of 246, lol, I'm like why?!?!? Seriously it's only 20 pgs, let's just finish it and see how it ends. But she was determined to wait. Shortly there after she made me follow her around for a bit, cause she was slightly edgy about her dolls. But in the end she really liked it, and was sad that it was over.
For me, I sort of wished we just stopped with the 20 pages to go. Up until then it was pretty good. Creepy enough for it's suggested reader level of 4th-6th grade, but Shelby's 12yo antics balanced it nicely. However the last 20 pages were a disappointment. Sadly it was a race to the finish line, only to crawl through the tape, kind of ending. There was a 'TADA' moment(which was seriously lacking)then all rainbows and sunshine.
There were way to many characters and side stories in this. And sadly they were all left hanging. No resolution, just page filler.
And then we come to the flowers. How smart is it to tell kids which flowers you can kill a person with? Or what flowers will make you hallucinate if you eat them? Probably not the best idea.
March 16, 2026
In her 2014 middle grade novel The Doll Graveyard, Lois Ruby shows and tells how for twelve year old main protagonist and first person narrator Shelby Tate adjusting to her parents’ recent divorce (as well as learning how to confront and deal with her anger towards her father for having a “new” family, for cheating on his wife and immediately after the divorce marrying his paramour) becomes increasingly complicated (and is also kind of being pushed to the periphery) due to the creepy, clearly haunted dolls she and her younger brother Brian discover at their new house (after relocating with their mother to Cinder Creek, Colorado from Denver, and with in particular Shelby not at all happy regarding this, that she is textually shown by Ruby as understanding why her mother needs a new start after the divorce but not all that much understanding the necessity of having to leave Denver and to move more than two-hundred miles away). And in The Doll Graveyard, the house in question (formerly owned by recently deceased great-aunt Amelia) has been in Shelby’s mother’s family for generations and is described by Lois Ruby’s text as containing many ancient and curious items and among them a collection of strange and uncanny dolls (see above) and these depicted in The Doll Graveyard as becoming animated, as actively seeking revenge for the poor treatment they have suffered at the hands of their previous owners (and targeting Shelby in particular because she is a girl and also because like previous doll owners Sadie Thorngood and Emily Smythe, Shelby Tate also is textually shown as often angry, that she has trouble controlling her temper, and that in The Doll Graveyard, while nine year old Brian is introverted and not a big talker, his sister is extroverted, loquacious and also easily set off, is rather easily made furious).
Now in The Doll Graveyard, Shelby is thus being haunted by doll voices only she and to a much lesser extent Brian can hear (harsh condemning words pointedly criticising her volatility, voices of pain, categorical demands to find and rescue a doll named Lady) and that the dolls will also not stay buried in the little graveyard in the backyard (which is obviously meant for dolls) since no matter how often she and her brother are shown by Lois Ruby (talking as Shelby) interring the set of dolls, they always appear again in the house ready and willing to wreak havoc and to make life miserable for especially our first person narrator. And after Shelby Tate in The Doll Graveyard finally manages to decipher Sadie’s and Emily’s invisible ink journals and learns more and more about former residents of the house (and in particular regarding the above mentioned angry, miserable and physically abusive to their dolls Sadie Thorngood and Emily Smythe) as the hauntings and hijinks keep escalating and with Shelby realising that she absolutely needs to locate the missing doll named Lady, she needs to make peace with the past both for the sake of the dolls and for herself as well (and to finally put the dolls to rest permanently in the graveyard gently with love as well as with gracefulness, but that in The Doll Graveyard making peace with the past also means for Shelby Tate finally absolutely accepting that her parents are divorced and that her father is happily remarried).
But just to point out that albeit the book cover image for The Doll Graveyard is truly visually horrifying (for my eyes at least), in particular my inner child is indeed pretty happy that the scare factor for The Doll Graveyard is in fact fairly tame (and that how Lois Ruby through Shelby’s voice describes the Tate family divorce, Sadie’s death from parrot fever, her anger and her pain regarding her mother’s clear favouritism of her baby sister Daisy, Emily becoming increasingly mentally unstable, Aunt Amelia rejecting her lover because he did not want to fight in WWII etc., yes, all of this is in my humble opinion much more heavy duty, much more poignant and horrid than those haunted and creepy doll could ever be, although while both my inner child and adult I both really do appreciate how Ruby has not made her haunted dolls neither too creepy nor too frightening, readers expecting horror galore might perhaps be rather disappointed that The Doll Graveyard is not more paranormally scary and that the book cover is also perhaps just a wee bit visually misleading).
So indeed, with regard to the themes and the contents of The Doll Graveyard, yes, both my inner child and adult I have quite enjoyed what Lois Ruby is providing story-wise and that we hugely appreciate the haunting factor not being too intense. And while I (or rather we) at first feel that Shelby’s voice is a bit removed for a first person narration, this totally changes when Mrs. Tate decides to move from Denver to Cinder Creek, and that while Shelby of course ultimately has not say in the matter, her voice gets stronger and stronger when she at least is shown as complaining and as being critical, and that this endears Shelby Tate to both my inner chucked and also to adult me and makes her narration wonderful and equally so the sign of a true and and bond fide so-called kindred spirit as well.
Now in The Doll Graveyard, Shelby is thus being haunted by doll voices only she and to a much lesser extent Brian can hear (harsh condemning words pointedly criticising her volatility, voices of pain, categorical demands to find and rescue a doll named Lady) and that the dolls will also not stay buried in the little graveyard in the backyard (which is obviously meant for dolls) since no matter how often she and her brother are shown by Lois Ruby (talking as Shelby) interring the set of dolls, they always appear again in the house ready and willing to wreak havoc and to make life miserable for especially our first person narrator. And after Shelby Tate in The Doll Graveyard finally manages to decipher Sadie’s and Emily’s invisible ink journals and learns more and more about former residents of the house (and in particular regarding the above mentioned angry, miserable and physically abusive to their dolls Sadie Thorngood and Emily Smythe) as the hauntings and hijinks keep escalating and with Shelby realising that she absolutely needs to locate the missing doll named Lady, she needs to make peace with the past both for the sake of the dolls and for herself as well (and to finally put the dolls to rest permanently in the graveyard gently with love as well as with gracefulness, but that in The Doll Graveyard making peace with the past also means for Shelby Tate finally absolutely accepting that her parents are divorced and that her father is happily remarried).
But just to point out that albeit the book cover image for The Doll Graveyard is truly visually horrifying (for my eyes at least), in particular my inner child is indeed pretty happy that the scare factor for The Doll Graveyard is in fact fairly tame (and that how Lois Ruby through Shelby’s voice describes the Tate family divorce, Sadie’s death from parrot fever, her anger and her pain regarding her mother’s clear favouritism of her baby sister Daisy, Emily becoming increasingly mentally unstable, Aunt Amelia rejecting her lover because he did not want to fight in WWII etc., yes, all of this is in my humble opinion much more heavy duty, much more poignant and horrid than those haunted and creepy doll could ever be, although while both my inner child and adult I both really do appreciate how Ruby has not made her haunted dolls neither too creepy nor too frightening, readers expecting horror galore might perhaps be rather disappointed that The Doll Graveyard is not more paranormally scary and that the book cover is also perhaps just a wee bit visually misleading).
So indeed, with regard to the themes and the contents of The Doll Graveyard, yes, both my inner child and adult I have quite enjoyed what Lois Ruby is providing story-wise and that we hugely appreciate the haunting factor not being too intense. And while I (or rather we) at first feel that Shelby’s voice is a bit removed for a first person narration, this totally changes when Mrs. Tate decides to move from Denver to Cinder Creek, and that while Shelby of course ultimately has not say in the matter, her voice gets stronger and stronger when she at least is shown as complaining and as being critical, and that this endears Shelby Tate to both my inner chucked and also to adult me and makes her narration wonderful and equally so the sign of a true and and bond fide so-called kindred spirit as well.
August 5, 2014
The Doll Graveyard is about a doll graveyard.... dolls that are buried and show up in the attic in a doll house. Dolls that talk to girls and tell them they are an "angry, angry girl." Dolls that are searching for something.
I'm not sure who my favorite character was, maybe Shelby. She is going through a lot in her young life. She may be susceptible to the dolls because of the pain she is feeling. Her father left the family for another woman. Her mother moves them into an old house given to them by an aunt they barely know. She doesn't have any friends. Dolls are talking to her and the last girl who lived in her house was hospitalized for being crazy.
This was another book that I couldn't put down. Thank goodness my kindle would read it to me. I listened to it while I worked and hated the drive home waiting until I could read it again! I am giving this The Doll Graveyard five stars because it is an exciting read with a lot of twists and turns. I was surprised by the ending. I liked it, but I was surprised!
I'm not sure who my favorite character was, maybe Shelby. She is going through a lot in her young life. She may be susceptible to the dolls because of the pain she is feeling. Her father left the family for another woman. Her mother moves them into an old house given to them by an aunt they barely know. She doesn't have any friends. Dolls are talking to her and the last girl who lived in her house was hospitalized for being crazy.
This was another book that I couldn't put down. Thank goodness my kindle would read it to me. I listened to it while I worked and hated the drive home waiting until I could read it again! I am giving this The Doll Graveyard five stars because it is an exciting read with a lot of twists and turns. I was surprised by the ending. I liked it, but I was surprised!
June 30, 2014
A Fun and Creepy Story
The Doll Graveyard is part of Scholastic's 'Haunting' series. These are creepy, slightly spooky, stand alone stories. Thank you for the advance review copy.
What could be scarier than dolls that will not stay buried!? How about dolls that also talk and move around on their own? Oh yes. We are also given attics, secret compartments, eerie houses on a hill with glowing lights... so much spooky fun.
I really thought the side story of Shelby's parent's divorce will ring true with many young readers. A fresh splitting of a family. I feel it was presented well.
Unfortunately I found there to be so many characters - humans, dolls, animals, etc. I'm taking a guess, but think there were at least fifteen to twenty characters mentioned. I got lost as to who was who. Also, the side theme of a split family wasn't wrapped up. I'm not sure where that was left.
A fun creepy story for young readers who like to be spooked. Web resources have the reading level of The Doll Graveyard listed with a Lexile measurement of 790L.
The Doll Graveyard is part of Scholastic's 'Haunting' series. These are creepy, slightly spooky, stand alone stories. Thank you for the advance review copy.
What could be scarier than dolls that will not stay buried!? How about dolls that also talk and move around on their own? Oh yes. We are also given attics, secret compartments, eerie houses on a hill with glowing lights... so much spooky fun.
I really thought the side story of Shelby's parent's divorce will ring true with many young readers. A fresh splitting of a family. I feel it was presented well.
Unfortunately I found there to be so many characters - humans, dolls, animals, etc. I'm taking a guess, but think there were at least fifteen to twenty characters mentioned. I got lost as to who was who. Also, the side theme of a split family wasn't wrapped up. I'm not sure where that was left.
A fun creepy story for young readers who like to be spooked. Web resources have the reading level of The Doll Graveyard listed with a Lexile measurement of 790L.
May 28, 2014
Adult Confession: This book actually kind of creeped me out a bit.
Lois Ruby has a way of making books interesting for a younger audience by choosing subject matter that kids love and by using the things we fear as children to base her stories around.
This was an interesting book from the very beginning, complete with the creepy house and creepy relative that leaves the main characters quite an inheritance.
The story itself is easy reading, but does contain some more challenging words for readers who are looking to expand their vocabularies. The feeling of mystery and the unknown in this book is strong and compelling and perfect for a child who needs excitement to bypass their reluctance to keep reading.
The length of the chapters is perfect, allowing breaks for the reader to go do other things frequently.
This story is scary but not horrifying and has no gross material in it, so parents can feel good about their kids reading it.
I would definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers for their children or students.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from Netgalley and the publisher, Scholastic. All opinions are my own.
Lois Ruby has a way of making books interesting for a younger audience by choosing subject matter that kids love and by using the things we fear as children to base her stories around.
This was an interesting book from the very beginning, complete with the creepy house and creepy relative that leaves the main characters quite an inheritance.
The story itself is easy reading, but does contain some more challenging words for readers who are looking to expand their vocabularies. The feeling of mystery and the unknown in this book is strong and compelling and perfect for a child who needs excitement to bypass their reluctance to keep reading.
The length of the chapters is perfect, allowing breaks for the reader to go do other things frequently.
This story is scary but not horrifying and has no gross material in it, so parents can feel good about their kids reading it.
I would definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers for their children or students.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from Netgalley and the publisher, Scholastic. All opinions are my own.
February 12, 2016
Rating: 1.5 Stars
Overall Impression: Wait...what? Ugh. Nope.
I have a great love for the Hauntings series. For a junior/middle school read there's nothing better when it comes to stories about things that go bump in the night. This particular titles was greatly anticipated because how on earth could a story about dolls and an old decrepit house NOT hold a true grain of terror? I mean look at the cover! It's perfect!
However this is a case of the cover being better than the contents. The storyline was scattered, choppy, and ran in every direction so it was hard to figure out just where the main character was going with their thoughts. The suspense build-up was like a house of cards, one sneeze of reason and it was gone. The story itself was rushed and made no sense. As for the characters? Don't bother. Three quarters of the way through had me tossing my copy and walking away. Wasn't worth the time which is a shame because the other titles under the Hauntings series have never failed to impress. *sigh*
So much potential. Great concept. All the right ingredients for pure creepiness. Poor execution. Bad writing. Failure to launch.
Don't you just hate it when that happens?
Overall Impression: Wait...what? Ugh. Nope.
I have a great love for the Hauntings series. For a junior/middle school read there's nothing better when it comes to stories about things that go bump in the night. This particular titles was greatly anticipated because how on earth could a story about dolls and an old decrepit house NOT hold a true grain of terror? I mean look at the cover! It's perfect!
However this is a case of the cover being better than the contents. The storyline was scattered, choppy, and ran in every direction so it was hard to figure out just where the main character was going with their thoughts. The suspense build-up was like a house of cards, one sneeze of reason and it was gone. The story itself was rushed and made no sense. As for the characters? Don't bother. Three quarters of the way through had me tossing my copy and walking away. Wasn't worth the time which is a shame because the other titles under the Hauntings series have never failed to impress. *sigh*
So much potential. Great concept. All the right ingredients for pure creepiness. Poor execution. Bad writing. Failure to launch.
Don't you just hate it when that happens?
September 7, 2014
I liked the book well enough but I never felt scared or creeped out. Maybe because the book, written for kids, wasn't as scary as a Stephen King novel. On the other hand, I've read some pretty creepy books for kids. The dolls' reasons for being evil just didn't seem urgent enough to endanger humans. Then the end seemed rushed. They found what was making the dolls mad and then everything was hunky-dory. It was build up, build up, build up, and then, Oh that was easy. Story over.
If dolls were trying to kill me, they better have a damned good reason for doing so. In fact, I never really figured out why these dolls were "alive" anyway. There was never a good explanation as to why these dolls were alive and why new dolls that looked like the new residents showed up.
I guess we'll write it off to magic. But I want my magic explained!
If dolls were trying to kill me, they better have a damned good reason for doing so. In fact, I never really figured out why these dolls were "alive" anyway. There was never a good explanation as to why these dolls were alive and why new dolls that looked like the new residents showed up.
I guess we'll write it off to magic. But I want my magic explained!
April 12, 2019
This book was super good. It was spooky and had a new twist around each corner. I would reccomend this book to anyone that likes scary things and action packed things. I would definately read this boo again.
March 14, 2022
Pretty good ideas for a children’s horror book but the ending was pretty abrupt and didn’t give much insight into the dolls history or why they came back as ghosts. Had there been more in depth explanation, would have gotten a higher rating.
August 30, 2019
Exciting read with my granddaughter, she read it too me and we enjoyed the time together....good book too.
February 11, 2024
That was . . . odd. And a little confusing, with lots of unresolved questions.
April 7, 2018
It had a nice little surprise ending. I liked this book.
October 21, 2019
3.5 out of 5 stars.
I loved the idea of this story. And it had some creepy element. I could see young children getting spooked by this book. I mean, who doesn't like a book about creepy dolls who just won't stay buried!
The only problem I had with this was the narrative because the main character, Shelby, was a bit annoying. I think I would've given this a higher rating if it wasn't for her. But overall, it was a fun read. I would recommend this book to the young audience who is looking for something spooky to read for Halloween.
I loved the idea of this story. And it had some creepy element. I could see young children getting spooked by this book. I mean, who doesn't like a book about creepy dolls who just won't stay buried!
The only problem I had with this was the narrative because the main character, Shelby, was a bit annoying. I think I would've given this a higher rating if it wasn't for her. But overall, it was a fun read. I would recommend this book to the young audience who is looking for something spooky to read for Halloween.
December 12, 2014
The Doll Graveyard
Lois Ruby
Juvenile Horror/Mystery
Review: Shelby feels like her life is falling apart. It all started when she catches her father with a woman who is not her mother. When the truth comes out that Shelby’s dad and mom are getting a divorce and her dad will have a new family Shelby becomes a very angry girl. Then on top of the divorce, Shelby’s great Aunt Amelia passes away and leaves them a big but spooky house in Cinder Creek, Colorado, that Shelby’s mom insist they move to. This means a new school for Shelby and her little brother, Brian. Unfortunately that is not all that awaits them at their new home. There is also a mystery surrounding a bunch of old porcelain dolls that are more than they seem. These dolls want revenge for all the mistreatment they have gone through at the hands of angry little girls. Now it is up to Shelby and Brian to solve the mystery before the dolls get their revenge.
Now first thing you should know is that I am way older than the age group this is intended for. That being said this story was supposed to be scary, but as an adult I did not get the fear factor. That does not mean I did not enjoy this story. To the contrary I loved the mystery and could not wait to find out whether Shelby was able to help the dolls or if they would drive her crazy like they have other little girls in the past.
I have to say though that at first I didn’t really care for Shelby. Yes I understand her whole world seems to be falling apart with her dad’s remarriage and everything but she is so angry and takes it out on everyone. Thankfully as the story progresses Shelby starts to grow up and see beyond herself to those around her and to start to lose the anger (with some help from the dolls of course.) Brian was cute he is nine and loves everything to do with chess, which comes in handy later. Together they piece together why the dolls are unhappy and how to fix past mistakes.
This is a wonderful story. Not only because the mystery sucks you in and makes you want to know whether someone can change or not but also there is a hidden lesson. The lesson shows that we should be kind to all things even those that are not real because we want to be treated well as well. I recommend this book to young mystery lovers, who will be okay with a little to no fright factor.
I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.
Lois Ruby
Juvenile Horror/Mystery
Review: Shelby feels like her life is falling apart. It all started when she catches her father with a woman who is not her mother. When the truth comes out that Shelby’s dad and mom are getting a divorce and her dad will have a new family Shelby becomes a very angry girl. Then on top of the divorce, Shelby’s great Aunt Amelia passes away and leaves them a big but spooky house in Cinder Creek, Colorado, that Shelby’s mom insist they move to. This means a new school for Shelby and her little brother, Brian. Unfortunately that is not all that awaits them at their new home. There is also a mystery surrounding a bunch of old porcelain dolls that are more than they seem. These dolls want revenge for all the mistreatment they have gone through at the hands of angry little girls. Now it is up to Shelby and Brian to solve the mystery before the dolls get their revenge.
Now first thing you should know is that I am way older than the age group this is intended for. That being said this story was supposed to be scary, but as an adult I did not get the fear factor. That does not mean I did not enjoy this story. To the contrary I loved the mystery and could not wait to find out whether Shelby was able to help the dolls or if they would drive her crazy like they have other little girls in the past.
I have to say though that at first I didn’t really care for Shelby. Yes I understand her whole world seems to be falling apart with her dad’s remarriage and everything but she is so angry and takes it out on everyone. Thankfully as the story progresses Shelby starts to grow up and see beyond herself to those around her and to start to lose the anger (with some help from the dolls of course.) Brian was cute he is nine and loves everything to do with chess, which comes in handy later. Together they piece together why the dolls are unhappy and how to fix past mistakes.
This is a wonderful story. Not only because the mystery sucks you in and makes you want to know whether someone can change or not but also there is a hidden lesson. The lesson shows that we should be kind to all things even those that are not real because we want to be treated well as well. I recommend this book to young mystery lovers, who will be okay with a little to no fright factor.
I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.
December 12, 2017
I liked this book because the Shelby has so many different feelings. It is a book that 4-6 would like. If you like scary books you will like this book.Shelby is new to cinder creek she dose not no that the house is filled with mysteries or other weird stuff. Will the dolls find a good home or will they not? Will Shelby learn to like the dolls or hate them ?Find out in the doll graveyard.
June 23, 2014
The Doll Graveyard by Lois Ruby is a superb new addition to Scholastic's Haunting Series! Shelby and her brother, Brian, are dealing with the recent divorce of their parents, the remarriage of their father and a new extended family, as well as a recent move to a creepy, old house in Cinder Creek that was left to them by their dearly departed, albeit eccentric, Aunt Amelia. Shelby and Brian soon discover the doll graveyard where the dolls will not stay buried! Shelby's determination to unravel this creepy mystery soon leads her on a journey into the past and discovers the previous two young girls living in the house also experienced the same haunting feelings. Beneath all of its frightening and ghostly accounts, (and yes, as an adult this story even gave be the jitters!) this is really a story about emotions...particularly anger, jealously, and feeling the need for revenge. Like the dolls in the story, such emotions cannot simply be buried and forgotten....because just like the dolls, they will come back to haunt us unless dealt with properly. This is an extremely well-written story with a wide array of unforgettable characters and filled with unexpected twists and turns throughout, as well as a very important life lesson that will resonate with many young readers.
For more children's fiction reviews author interviews, and giveaways, please visit my blog:
For more children's fiction reviews author interviews, and giveaways, please visit my blog:
December 29, 2016
Creepy, but in a good way...a new, spooky, isolated house...a doll house that's an identical replica of your spooky house. Dolls in the dollhouse that seem to move around, a doll graveyard where the dolls (temporarily) rest in peace..before returning to the spooky house. A mysterious death of a little girl, and the apparent breakdown of another little girl...
Add this all together and you've got DOLL GRAVEYARD. Shelby and her brother move to their great-aunt's house in CO, and nothing is as it appears.
Shelby finds a diary of a dead girl, the first family to live in the big house. She tries to unravel the mystery of her death, and the mystery of the dolls who seem to be alive, and vengeful.
They want something that Shelby can't give them: Lady, a doll who seems to be missing from the doll house and the doll graveyard. She needs answers, and she needs help..
Add this all together and you've got DOLL GRAVEYARD. Shelby and her brother move to their great-aunt's house in CO, and nothing is as it appears.
Shelby finds a diary of a dead girl, the first family to live in the big house. She tries to unravel the mystery of her death, and the mystery of the dolls who seem to be alive, and vengeful.
They want something that Shelby can't give them: Lady, a doll who seems to be missing from the doll house and the doll graveyard. She needs answers, and she needs help..
July 3, 2016
The Doll Graveyard: A Hauntings Novel by Lois Ruby
Shelby's Mom had inherited an old home from their Aunt Amelia. Hoping to start a new life and leave the past behind. The house holds secrets in which Shelby and her brother, Brian stumble upon. Hearing mournful crying in the night and reappearing dolls that were long buried in a cemetery plot. Why were these dolls buried? For what purpose were they buried? What is the story behind these hauntings? The secrets are just waiting for someone brave to unravel the truth.
Shelby's Mom had inherited an old home from their Aunt Amelia. Hoping to start a new life and leave the past behind. The house holds secrets in which Shelby and her brother, Brian stumble upon. Hearing mournful crying in the night and reappearing dolls that were long buried in a cemetery plot. Why were these dolls buried? For what purpose were they buried? What is the story behind these hauntings? The secrets are just waiting for someone brave to unravel the truth.
June 11, 2016
This was complete and utter crap! The main character was a whining brat. It never explained just how the dolls were haunted. And the whole back story on the haunting was really boring confusing and complicated. And I was so bored I didn't give a darn. I usual like ghost stories but not this one. I don't recommend it. If you want a GOOD children's ghost story try Mary downing Hahn. I loved "wait till Helen comes" & "deep dark & dangerous"
February 9, 2016
The doll Graveyard is about a girl named Shelby and her brother Brian. They move to Cinder Creek in a house. They hear heated voices crying out in the night. They notice that things move around on their own. But the chilling thing is that someone has built graveyards about the size of a doll. The house at Cinder Creek hides many secrets.
December 13, 2014
To be added soon. :D
July 23, 2016
Fun book for kids who like a good mystery. I read this story because it is up for the Sequoyah 2017 award. I think my activity for the Sequoyah Kickoff event will be an invisible ink center.
November 2, 2017
I do think this is a good book for a children chapter book. The cover is so creepy I was worried how scary it would be, but it’s not that scary. The story plays with a haunted house.
December 16, 2017
The title of my book is The Doll Graveyard and the author is Lois Ruby. The genre of the book is mystery. The main characters are Shelby and Brian Tate. Shelby is a curious , twelve year old girl who has a tendency to exaggerate . Brian Tate is Shelby’s 9 year old little brother who almost never talks ever since their parents split apart.
The setting is an old , creepy house in Cinder Creek that Aunt Amelia, Shelby and Bryan’s great aunt, used to live in until she just recently passed away. Shelby , Bryan , and their mom moved there because Serena, their mom, wanted to move and get out of Denver. She didn’t want to be reminded of their dad leaving her.That is also the start of the plot. They move in , and Shelby finds a doll graveyard in the yard and she notices weird things happening around the house like the dolls they dug up and then reburied , show up around the house. She then does everything she can do to find out about these dolls by reading a notebook she found that belonged to a girl who used to live in that house and by asking neighbors and others about the previous owners of the house.
The conflict is Shelby vs. the dolls because they won’t stay buried , and they want their revenge. One interesting moment was when Brian dug up a doll that had a grave marker that said “Miss Amelia” and brought her up to the attic, but then later when he and Shelby were digging up more dolls, Miss Amelia was back in the grave! Neither of them had touched the doll. Another , is when they dug up all of the dolls, reburied them, then once they got up to the attic they were all around the room with a bunch of other dolls that weren’t there before. The last one was when Shelby went into an empty house up the hill to look for clues a second time, she ran into a person who was already was there , Mariah , her new neighbor. Three reasons I think other people would like this book would be because it’s a mystery, a tiny bit scary, and very exciting.
The setting is an old , creepy house in Cinder Creek that Aunt Amelia, Shelby and Bryan’s great aunt, used to live in until she just recently passed away. Shelby , Bryan , and their mom moved there because Serena, their mom, wanted to move and get out of Denver. She didn’t want to be reminded of their dad leaving her.That is also the start of the plot. They move in , and Shelby finds a doll graveyard in the yard and she notices weird things happening around the house like the dolls they dug up and then reburied , show up around the house. She then does everything she can do to find out about these dolls by reading a notebook she found that belonged to a girl who used to live in that house and by asking neighbors and others about the previous owners of the house.
The conflict is Shelby vs. the dolls because they won’t stay buried , and they want their revenge. One interesting moment was when Brian dug up a doll that had a grave marker that said “Miss Amelia” and brought her up to the attic, but then later when he and Shelby were digging up more dolls, Miss Amelia was back in the grave! Neither of them had touched the doll. Another , is when they dug up all of the dolls, reburied them, then once they got up to the attic they were all around the room with a bunch of other dolls that weren’t there before. The last one was when Shelby went into an empty house up the hill to look for clues a second time, she ran into a person who was already was there , Mariah , her new neighbor. Three reasons I think other people would like this book would be because it’s a mystery, a tiny bit scary, and very exciting.
July 19, 2024
This book was meh, the main character was just described as angry and mean spirited. There were too many characters to keep up with, and the story surrounding the dolls seemed to jump from plot point to plot point without ever really being experienced in the plot. It seems like the author just strung out the plot to explicitly mention what happened instead of writing about it. It’s mainly a book about finding all the dolls to complete some past residents family history and tragic death. The dolls rarely, if ever, had a role in the plot other than to be occasional voices of suggestions, leaving the audience to wonder if they were ever harmful in the first place or just a guiding factor to the plot. It was alright but I would t read it again or recommend it. It wasn’t a horror book, nor was it even a mystery, it seemed to just be a very mundane and bleak story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2019
I liked Lois Ruby’s The Secret of Laurel Oaks very much. It had an interesting plot based on true events and was a bit scary. The Doll Graveyard is interesting but not at all scary. There is no proper explanation given as to why the dolls don’t stay buried, what started the haunting and the past owners’ histories. Caliberti could have elaborated much more on the previous occupants than what he has done in the book, since he was present during Sadie’s time. But he just clams up abruptly.
Of all the doll related horror books that I’ve read, The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn was the best.
Of all the doll related horror books that I’ve read, The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn was the best.
March 30, 2021
I'm a yr7 student and I enjoy reading horror books however, this book wasn't very "scary" but I did enjoy Shelby wanting to discover about these creepy dolls and about Sadie and Emily being "crazy". After all, I'd say Shelby had a tough life because of her father and moving away from everything she knows. To find her "destiny" was to find these dolls and complete this mission for the dolls not to get "revenge" is rather complicated and a interesting destiny, I very much enjoyed this book and I am wanting to see more books by Lois Ruby for this book, "The Dolls Graveyard" was given to me by my school.
January 23, 2026
The Doll Graveyard was an engaging and atmospheric read that kept me interested throughout. The concept was intriguing, the darker elements were handled well, and the overall vibe was creepy in a good way. It definitely stood out compared to typical reads in the genre.
That said, while I enjoyed the story, some parts felt slightly underdeveloped or rushed, especially when it came to fully exploring certain plot points and characters. It had strong moments, but a bit more depth and polish could’ve made it even better.
Overall, it was a solid, enjoyable read with a haunting atmosphere—one I’m glad I picked up, even if it didn’t completely blow me away.
⭐ 3.5–4/5
That said, while I enjoyed the story, some parts felt slightly underdeveloped or rushed, especially when it came to fully exploring certain plot points and characters. It had strong moments, but a bit more depth and polish could’ve made it even better.
Overall, it was a solid, enjoyable read with a haunting atmosphere—one I’m glad I picked up, even if it didn’t completely blow me away.
⭐ 3.5–4/5
November 4, 2019
a teenage boy is going to visit his grandma for a few days and when he arrives he puts his things away in a room filled with dolls he tells his grandma to move them out but they keep coming back in the morning he opened the window that showed the back porch and yard he noticed tiny blocks if stones so he ventured down there and saw they were tombstones with engravings of names he tells his grandma about this and she tells him never to open the boxes buried within the ground but just like every other horror story he goes and does it anyways only to find its a doll graveyard
May 8, 2020
I must have missed something. Why did Aunt Amelia just open the safe with the chess piece? She gave Brian a pipe and she hid the king in it. Why didn't Amelia just put the chess piece where it should have gone and opened the safe herself, and bury the doll? She could have saved a lot of problems including a young girl being put in a mental institution. If she didn't do it, why didn't the guy who lived in the cottage? He knew too. Besides these issues, I really did love this story, it was creepy because I find dolls creepy anyways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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