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Doll Bones by Holly Black has a freaky-looking doll on the cover, and the story is just as delightfully creepy. It’s middle grade fiction and about three friends dealing with some of the tough parts of being a young teenager – trying to figure out where you “fit in,” strict guardians, mean siblings, separated parents, and of course, a quest to bury a potentially haunted doll.
The main character is Zach, who has a fantastic imagination and loves making up stories with his neighborhood friends Alice and Poppy. He is also a member of the basketball team and is struggling to accept his father back into his life.
The book has some very real descriptions of the expectations and definitions of masculinity and how parents and peers reinforce those expectations, particularly onto others that may not fit the traditional mold. There’s also a lot of humor in the story, including some great Lord of the Rings references. Plus, a Carnegie library and it’s pink-haired librarian play an important role! I’m definitely enjoying this book and recommend it to you!
From Goodreads: “Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. 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 one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. 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. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . . “