The Doll People [Paperback]

Ann M. Martin (Author), Laura Godwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

Annabelle Doll is eight years old -- she has been for more than a hundred years. Not a lot has happened to her, cooped up in the dollhouse, with the same doll family, day after day, year after year... until one day the Funcrafts move in.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439329078
• ISBN-13: 978-0439329071
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,851,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 8 Years Old and Over 100, October 21, 2002

By 

S. Lane Solona "laney" (Alaska, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doll People (Hardcover)

I wish this was Book One of a very long series...unfortunately, it currently stands alone. The story is delightfully imaginative and unique, told from the perspective of a porcelain family of dolls who surreptitiously live with the fourth generation of their beloved human family. Aided by the recent discovery of a secret journel, Annabelle, the little girl doll, resolves to decipher the mystery of her Aunt Sarah's disappearance from the house forty years before. Along the way, she learns the values of courage and friendship, determination and family love. Filled with adventure and truly interesting perspective, the book also teaches children about the differences in society today versus life 100 years ago. It's accompanied by wonderfully drawn illustrations that are featured throughout the book on practically every page. My daughter, aged 6, really loved the story and insisted upon sleeping with the book at night in place of her usual stuffed animals! In our family, this book ranks right up there with Charlotte's Web and Harry Potter.

44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, December 28, 2000

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doll People (Hardcover)

Annabelle Doll is an eight-year-old, and has been since she was made some 100 years ago! Part of a family of eight (including Papa Doll, Mama Doll, Uncle Doll, Auntie Sarah, Nanny, Annabelle, little-brother Bobby and Baby Betsy), Annabelle lives her little-girl doll existence - being played with, avoiding The Captain (her owner's cat), and most of all avoiding being seen as alive. However, when she discovers the journal of Auntie Sarah, who has been missing since 1955, she decides to find out what happened to her.

Things become better when her owner's little sister receives the Funcraft Doll House, complete with a brand new plastic family - neighbors. Annabelle, who must be cautious, to protect her china body, makes great friends with Tiffany Funcraft, who is wild and adventurous, with her unbreakable plastic body. Together the girls dare all (or a lot anyway), to find Auntie Sarah.

This book has an absolutely fantastic story. The author succeeds in keeping the main characters in character as dolls, showing their unique existence. There is a great deal of gentle humor, with the illustrations providing just the right amount of action, not distracting from the story. My 9-year-old daughter loved the story, and had absolutely no problem reading it. I recommend this book to everyone with a daughter!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doll People.. come to life!, October 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Doll People (Hardcover)

What a terrific story! My daughter (10 yrs) and I read this book together during our nightly ritual for reading before bedtime (together), and each night we had difficulty putting the book down, wanting to just keep reading to see what would happen next! The author writes in such a way that it makes one feel as if they are right there, living the story along with the charecters. When everyone at Kate's house is fast asleep the Doll family comes alive, inspiring the imagination and for some of use remembering a time when we too wondered if our dolls ever came alive when we weren't looking!

A great story, with wonderfully animated charecters, a good mystery and fun suspense that'll keep tickling your funny bone, especially when the Captain (a real live cat) decides to investigate the dolls, or a real spider almost the same size as one of the doll charecters, crawling a wee bit too close for comfort, truly awakening the imagination with the authors knack for giving just the right amount of detail to keep your mind wanting for more...

I'd recommend this book for anyone who enjoys sharing great stories with their children, especially moms and daughters.. even for adults who have a passion for dolls. Excellent, will be one of my favorites for a long long time.