From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…

Doll Bones

Holly Black

Start date: January 31, 2014

Finish date: January 31, 2014

Discussion: Newbery 2014

Why we're reading this: Winner of our Mock Newber Honor.
[close] Winner of our Mock Newber Honor.

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Newbery 2014

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last updated Mar 22, 2014 03:21AM

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What Members Thought

Aug 11, 2013 Paige Y. rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013-books-read, 2013-ya-fiction, 2013-summer-books

How many of you liked (or perhaps still like) to play with action figures? What were some of your favorites? Zach has played with Poppy and Alice for years. They have the most fun using action figures and dolls to make up elaborate stories – stories that last for days. All three love the stories, but now that they are twelve, Zach’s father feels that Zach needs to give up his toys before other kids find out and make fun of him. So without telling Zach, he throws away all of the toys he feels Zac How many of you liked (or perhaps still like) to play with action figures? What were some of your favorites? Zach has played with Poppy and Alice for years. They have the most fun using action figures and dolls to make up elaborate stories – stories that last for days. All three love the stories, but now that they are twelve, Zach’s father feels that Zach needs to give up his toys before other kids find out and make fun of him. So without telling Zach, he throws away all of the toys he feels Zach is too old for. Zach is devastated, and he’s furious with his dad. But he cannot bring himself to tell the girls the truth, so he just tells them he just wants to stop playing.
Poppy, in particular, is devastated. But then a couple of nights later, the girls wake him up in the middle of the night. Poppy then pulls out the Queen, the one doll they had never been allowed to play with because it was her mother’s and was supposedly valuable. Poppy tells Zach that the Queen had spoken to her in a dream. According the Queen, they need to bury the doll in the town of East Liverpool, Ohio – a few hours away by bus. As crazy as it seems, the three gather what money they have and set off for East Liverpool to bury the Queen once and for all.
Doll Bones has been mentioned by numerous people as a contender for the Newbery, and I certainly understand why. It is very much an adventure, but more importantly, it is a story about growing up. Holly Black’s writing is beautiful. For the first time in a while, I found myself jotting down page numbers of passages that I really liked. It’s also going to be a kid-friendly book. Unlike The Center of Everything, it will be an easy sell to my students. In the long run, however, I think The Center of Everything is a stronger contender. The problem I had was in suspending disbelief on the actions of one of the characters. Without risking too many spoilers, Black has Alice doing and saying a couple of things that I just don’t see in her doing. That doesn’t mean that it’s not a great book, or that I’m not going to booktalk the heck out of it. It just means that it gets four stars from me instead of five.
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Oct 13, 2013 Barbara rated it really liked it

Shelves: families, self-esteem, writing, friendship, death, facing-fears, hair, individuality, travel, story-tellers

Long-time friends Poppy, Zach, and Alice enjoy role playing games consisting of a continuous story that has spun out over time and allows each of them to play various characters. But things change when Zach's newly-returned father discards all Zach's doll figures. Zach can no longer play the games without his characters. Perhaps that might have happened inevitably as the middle graders grow up, but maybe not. As distance grows among the friends, Poppy removes a porcelain doll they call the Queen ...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Brandi Rae Fong rated it liked it

Shelves: juvenile-fiction

I liked this, but it wasn't quite spooky enough and had a few small issues that just kept me from loving it (and I really wanted to love it). There were a few too many plot coincidences, I wasn't sure why the adults were seeing the kids' "blonde friend" instead of the doll, and the parts that were supposed to be spooky sometimes felt just unexplained.

Kids who are just starting to want "a scary book" will enjoy it though.

And the cover is awesome. ...more

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May 05, 2013 Sarah W rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, friendship, horror, ghosts, 2013

Holly Black has crafted a creepy read that touches on friendship, the changes growing up brings and an eerie doll. While there are parts that give shivers, there are also parts of this book that make me laugh such as this inner monologue from Zach: "Aragorn never wore sunblock. Taran never wore sunblock. Percy never wore sunblock."

I have to say I love characters who love stories and weave in references to them. That said this book will appeal to those who love books and those who do not. ...more

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May 23, 2013 Sharon rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-fiction-middle, a-mystery, a-paranormal-horror

Well written ghost story with strong girl/boy characters who are being guided on a journey from their town in PA to a cemetery in OH where they hope to bury a doll which holds the ashes and bones of a murdered girl. Excellent language, and just creepy enough to make you wonder if the ghost exists, or if it is a figment of Poppy's imagination. ...more

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Aug 02, 2013 Lorna rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens, fiction-adventure-survival, newbery-medal, horror, friendship, paranormal, a-z-challenge-2014

I gave it 3.7 stars, rounded up. Good adventure story even though it was weird and crazy in places. Kinda creepy too. Nice messages about friendship, family, stories, and growing up.

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May 31, 2013 Camille rated it liked it · review of another edition

A creepy tale that will enthrall young readers. As someone who used to believe my dolls were real, I loved the connections the author made with the doll and history.

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