Poppy’s parents have thrown their arms up and decided to let their kids do whatever they want.

This is important, because while we must allow children to face and learn how to cope with the consequences of life in a broken world, we must also tread lightly and be very careful not to unduly frighten and depress them.ĭysfunctional family life is a central theme, and serves as a backbone in the development of the book’s main characters. But it does so in a way that remains accessible and palatable for children. True to Black’s other work, Doll Bones deals with dark themes like death and supernatural angst. Just as in reality, the two in Doll Bones are one in the same. It’s not heavy handed, but comes up in the text organically, and it forces kids to do some research and to build their vocabulary.īlack does a remarkable job of describing the roleplaying of Zach, Alice and Poppy from their perspective, and of elevating mere child’s play to an elaborate ongoing act of talented and inspired storytelling. Occasionally, Black peppers her language with words that are a little complex for a middle grader, words like kleptomaniacal. The words she uses and the way she uses them frequently take my breath away. Let’s start with what this book does right.įor one thing, it’s gorgeously written. This is the result.Īs I always do when I review a book, I like to point out both the positives and the negatives, because I believe that even a good book isn’t perfect, and because I like to present a balanced and thorough analysis. I promised the blogger who wrote it that I would eventually get around to writing my own. I picked this one up after reading this review. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity… They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences.

Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing…and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever.

Doll bones cover