Review of Doll Bones by Holly Black

[LivreAmour217]

Doll Bones: A Coming-of-Age Thriller for Middle Grade Readers


Holly Black’s Doll Bones tells the story of a daring adventure taken by three friends—Zach Barlow, Alice Magnaye, and Poppy Bell—who are being pulled through the inevitable transition from childhood to adolescence.

For years, Zach, Alice, and Poppy have been writing an elaborate adventure tale and acting it out using action figures and dolls. The central figure of their stories is The Queen, an antique bone china doll in a glass cabinet in Poppy’s living room. Although the three friends separately acknowledge that they are slowly growing apart, they still meet on a regular basis to act out their quests.

One day, Zach abruptly ends their game by telling Alice and Poppy that he is no longer interested in playing with them. The truth, however, is that Zach’s father threw his toys in the garbage and he is too upset to talk about it. He begins avoiding Alice and Poppy at school, until the two girls approach his house in the middle of the night to reveal a secret of their own: The Queen is haunted by the ghost of a little girl whose bones were used to make the doll! The little girl’s spirit has been visiting Poppy for several nights, and has charged the three friends with finding her family’s burial plot and giving her a proper burial. If they refuse her, the ghost will lay a lifelong curse upon each of them. Zach and Alice are uncertain if Poppy is telling them the truth, but they agree to help her carry out The Queen’s orders on what may very likely be their last adventure together.

I found Doll Bones to be a very engaging novel. The plot moved swiftly with a chain of events that constantly made me question the existence of the ghost: Was she real, or simply the product of the children’s imaginations? Furthermore, Black’s descriptive language painted elaborate mental pictures of the settings and events that literally sent chills down my spine (cliché, I know, but very true!).

I was also impressed by the vividness of the characters themselves. Zach, Alice, and Poppy are complex characters grappling with the social and emotional changes of early adolescence, along with less-than-ideal family situations. I often found myself feeling strongly sympathetic toward their individual struggles, and I was even moved to tears a few times. I believe that middle grade readers should easily relate to them, and older readers will catch glimpses of their former selves (I certainly did). This does not, however, mean that Zach, Alice, and Poppy are always likeable; in fact, I also found their actions to be obnoxious and annoying on many occasions! But I didn’t mind the characters’ less-than-perfect moments, because I feel that their flaws made them all the more realistic.

The biggest drawback to the story is the outlandish nature of the friends’ journey to find the graveyard where The Queen will be laid to rest. I cannot go into too much detail without including spoilers, but older readers may be distracted by the unrealistic nature of their travels, which include crossing state lines and sailing down a river without adult assistance. Additionally, the characters must also engage in illegal acts (such as theft) to meet their objectives. Although Black insinuates that the trio will be in trouble with their families, the reader does not witness any of the repercussions. And while I don’t personally believe that Doll Bones will inspire its target audience to commit delinquent acts, I wouldn’t be surprised if some parents feel otherwise.

I thoroughly enjoyed Doll Bones and give it three out of four stars for its realistic characters and thoroughly creepy vibe. This is a great novel for people of all ages who want an eerie tale that will make them shiver, but not cause them to lose any sleep.