The Doll

by Cora Taylor

While Meg is recovering from rheumatic fever her grandmother gives her the old-fashioned family doll named Jessie, and when Meg falls asleep holding Jessie, she wakes up to discover that she has gone back in time and is now Morag, a girl traveling the Canadian prairies by covered wagon.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Time Travel, Canada, Historical, Adventure, Fantasy

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Cora Taylor is a famous author. She has written over fourteen books published in many languages including Japanese and Dutch. Her books are sold in many countries and have won lots of awards.

Cora was born on January 14, 1936 in the TB Sanatorium at Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. Her mother had tuberculosis (aka TB) and wasn’t allowed to hold her until she was five months old, when she finally left the sanatorium. Cora grew up on her grandmother's farm in Saskatchewan.

Now Cora is a newlywed. She has 8 children and 17 grandchildren.

Her writing studio in Ontario is filled with Coca Cola memorabilia and she loves to watch the
red Cardinal birds out of her window.

Cora has three homes and travels all over the world,
but she bases herself in Edmonton, Alberta.

from
http://www.corataylor.com/About%20Cor...

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of all time. It meant a lot to me as a child.

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am impressed with Cora Taylor’s versatility, into which she blends personal histories. I expect to like other stories better than “Yesterday’s Doll”, which many grade highly.

High feedback sometimes comes from a lower focus on details. Some people play radios or TVs as a background and find it pleasant overall. Others notice pace, lyric meanings, repetition, and gracefulness of segues. My two star criticism of this novel has three forms: how much protagonists act on circumstances, how well outcomes or magical environments are explained, and writers avoiding repetition, overdone adjectives and adverbs, and words I myself happen to loathe. Only I am affected by the third category. Readers who pay attention to the nuts & bolts of book building might agree about a protagonist’s efforts and the clarity of story premises.

Modern times include about 60 of our living years. Parents wondering how to explain family changes to their ten year-old in 1987 is relatable, hesitancy compounded by the seriousness of Meg having rheumatic fever. I knew of no one with this illness but it was ideal for not questioning Meg sleeping for hours. Recuperation earned cuddle time with an heirloom doll, Jessie. Grandma’s kitty, Possum, disliked the doll when he could sense magic active in her. Cats, family keepsakes, and something paranormal should easily make the grade to delight me.

The trouble was despite the weakness plausibility, Meg drifts upon the story, taking no action even when she was on a prairie, except at the end. Readers can explore her bravery. I enjoyed her striking growth, telling her parents that in the scheme of hardship, she can handle difficult news. I admittedly cringe if words like “towards” lack Ss. Mainly, it would have been enchanting to know if old relatives experienced Jessie’s magic and to commiserate with them.

[Justine 🦊🍂 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had The Doll by Cora Taylor since I was about five—so nearly 37 years now! I used to read it all the time when I was younger, and picking it up again after so long felt like reconnecting with an old friend.

The story follows a girl who gets transported to a different life every time she falls asleep, thanks to a mysterious doll. It’s not really scary, but more magical and thought-provoking. There’s something so fascinating about the idea of being able to live another life every night and then return to your own world each morning. I remember being completely hooked on that concept as a kid.

Reading it now, it’s a bit simpler than I remembered, but I still found myself swept up in its charm. It’s one of those books that sticks with you because it’s more about the feeling it creates rather than the plot itself. A lovely little blast of nostalgia!

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my absolute favorite books as a child and read multiple times. I was a major book wyrm and always had my nose in a book to the extent that it was nothing for me to read 1k pages a week. Subsequently, I don't always remember what I read although, I will if I read it again. So, few of my childhood books stayed with me well enough to help create the core of my being but some of the other books & authors treasured are Tolkien, The Big Golden Book of Fairy Tales, Hitty by Rachel Fields, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews, the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Roald Dhal, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, and McCaffrey.

This is one of the rare gems that I DO remember, though my childhood copy was "Yesterday's Doll" and I can no longer recall how it came into my possession. I think The Doll stayed with me thanks to the time travel and due to the fact they were headed west as settlers. I was obsessed with the Little House series at right about the same time. I will admit however, that though I remembered the book, I did NOT always remember the title. I sought help with that a few years ago (I was obsessing over it and driving my poor husband mad) and it took a further two years to get my hands on a copy after I discovered the original one was long gone (the shelves at my parent's are still overflowing with much of mine & my sibling's childhood library).

This copy came in the mail today (bought and read purely for nostalgia) and I was ecstatic to discover it had been autographed in 1987. I almost didn't read it as I worried it would be horrible and my sweet memories ruined. However, it's just as I recalled albeit a bit shorter. Meg is still recuperating from her illness, her parents still aren't getting along, Jessie doll is still creepy, the cat still hates it and the bits on the prairie with Morag are too brief (and still my favorites). I still wish they were just a bit longer as well as the section where Meg's grandmother reminisced about the family. I can't wait to share this with my two girls.

[Elizabeth Dragina · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I loved the characters and the change of scenes, the book lacked what I like. So considering the fact that my review would be long and boring I shall only say, I disliked it. VERY MUCH!! It lacked details.

Every time I turned around someone was, sick, dying, or never to be found again. And considering the fact that Megg could never go back.... well....it's just not my type of book. The ending was extremely depressing. 😿

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I vividly remember reading this book as a child. It was just as great reading it now, some 25 years later, with my daughter.

[Salena Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to review many books ('cause I'm lazy), but I feel compelled to write a review of this one. This is one of the very few children's books that I still own. For some reason, I loved it, and it was the first book that I remember re-reading as a child.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic doll takes girl into past where she participates in her ancestors' pioneer struggles.

[Emberli · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been decades since I last read this book but I think about it and what I felt when I read it as a child often.

[Mrs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting time travel book. Modern girl travels back and forth between the present and Saskatchewan of 100 years earlier (late 1880s). No real insight into any events of the era. Get to see how the family lives as they travel. A pioneer story.
Main character has rheumatic fever.
A creepy thread with a doll that almost seems possessed.

[Meg Van Ry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very first chapter book.

[Emily Michie ☆]

Omg I was trying my hardest to remember this book title and I’ve found it! Thank you goodreads

[Emma Hawley]

Read ages and ages ago but never put on here

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first novel I ever read. It's charming and cute, worth a read for child dipping their toe in novels.

[Megan Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in middle school. it left an impression on me. scifi, Time travel, fantasy. I definitely recommend to kids who are creative and want an adventure

[Piper Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The plot was interesting and I never got bored. Also has a heartwarming moments. Would recommend!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book over and over as a kid. Had to get a battered copy through interlibrary loan to reread it. I remembered the time travel and the descriptions of the pioneering family, but totally forgot about the sub-plot of Meg's parents going through a divorce, or that it was set in Canada.

When you think about it, the time travel doesn't really makes sense: nothing in Meg's present is altered by the chain of events she experiences as Morag (saving the life of her own great great grandmother). But, oh well. The book had illness, a mysterious doll, and travel across the wilderness. And a baby cow! Eight-year-old me loved every second of it.

[Kris Irvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten what an impact this book made on me when I was a kid. Although it's very outdated (and was when I read it in the 90s!) it's still very good. The story sucks you in and is very interesting. I love the characters and the struggles they go through. I may not have understand what rheumatic fever was back in 4th grade, but I got the point.

Interestingly, I found some things from the book that I had incorporated into my teenagehood (like drawing pictures on letter envelopes, especially pictures of wombats, and wombat power stuff) that I hadn't realized came from this book. So that was cool.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading this book for the second time in between reading other books for a short break. It's simple language makes it an easy read, but the story is still excellent for children and adults. I very much enjoyed it both times.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5th grade teacher read this to us if we were good in class. When she stopped reading it, due to the class being loud and whatnot, I went and borrowed the book so I could finish it. This is the first book I can completely remember loving and NEEDING to finish.

[Cynthia Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me about twenty years to read this book that was borrowed from a good friend for years. Its a cute story. idon't really have much more to say. It neat look at learning one's history by way of a doll.

[The Distracted Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite childhood books of all time, and I just SCOURED the internet looking for it! Lovely historical fiction about travelling back in time to the pioneers on the Canadian prairies. I'm so excited!!

[Emily Joyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

i LOVED this book as a kid!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite.
Too bad I can't find this book anymore =(

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a childhood favorite. I'm glad to have revisited such a wonderful story!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was slightly creepy yet still interesting. I think it might be a little scary for younger children. Probably best for 12 plus.

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

[Its Me Nikki]

One of many of my childhood favorite books.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a child and still own it; I loved it enormously. My copy is called The Doll. The narrative described is exactly the same and it's the same author. Does anyone know when the title changed?
It reminds me I need to share it with my daughter before she decides she's too old for it!