Black, H. (2015). Doll Bones. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Holly Black's Doll Bones is a great book filled with mystery, adventure, and life lessons. The story has 3 main characters Zack, Poppy, and Alice and they've always been best friends and played make believe quests. One day, Zack notices that all of his action figures are missing, and when he learns what happened to them he feels like he has to grow up and not play childish games anymore. Poppy and Alice are left wondering what happened to cause this change in Zack so quickly. One night, Poppy rounds them all up and tells them that "The Queen" (the china doll) is really a spirit that is trapped inside the doll. Eleanor aka "The Queen" was murdered and wants to be put to rest in her family's grave, but she needs the children's help. Poppy, Alice, and Zack must complete this quest in order to help Eleanor find her everlasting peace, but it means leaving home without permission and travel out of their town. Will the three friends complete the quest, or will Eleanor continue living unhappily inside the doll?
I listened to audio version of this story, and it sounded like the narrator of the movie Stand by Me. In fact, the movie and this story have a similar theme and tone. Both story and movie illustrate the sense of adventure and the bonds of friendship through tough time. Zack's character reminded me of myself when I went from little kid to teenager and it felt like I needed to stop acting like a child. This particular development can be tough when you don't want to let go of childish things, because you think it's not cool. Doll Bones is a real eye-opener in that sense.
Plus, the fact that Eleanor (the doll) had her creepy supernatural moments during the story gave me goosebumps. For example, Eleanor was beside Poppy during her nighttime watch and the following morning she mysteriously ends up behind Zack who is barely waking up and turns his head to stare into those doll eyes. Creepy!!
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