House of Dolls [Hardcover]

Francesca Lia Block (Author), Barbara McClintock (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

In a little house from another time, with lace curtains in every window and paintings hung in gold doily frames, Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene live a warm and cozy life. They wear fancy dresses, bake play-dough cakes, and spend their days enjoying one another's company.

For the three dolls, life is small but good.

But life is not good for Madison Blackberry, the owner of the dollhouse. Her grandmother pays more attention to the dolls than to her. The dolls have one another, but she is lonely in her big, empty apartment.

Then one day, as things always do—even for dolls—everything changes.

This beautiful story from the acclaimed team of Francesca Lia Block, author of such novels as Weetzie Bat, and Barbara McClintock, author and illustrator of many picture books, including AdÈle & Simon, brings to life the power of love, family, and friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up—The gorgeous House of Dolls is home to Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene. It belonged originally to Madison Blackberry's grandmother. The dolls live small but contented lives, until spoiled, sullen, and emotionally neglected Madison takes out her frustrations on their world. Jealousy causes her to send the dolls' boyfriends (a soldier and a small teddy bear) off to war (a hidden shoebox) and then remove the beautiful dresses her grandmother made for them. The dolls slip into a genteel decline, until one of them writes a note to the grandmother, who figures out what is happening and fixes everything. An afternoon spent with her grandmother, plus a new dress, causes the child to return the boyfriends and the dresses and the baby doll she had evidently removed before the story starts, and suddenly both worlds are made right. Despite the fact that this is a story about a child and some dolls, it reads like a selection in a highbrow collection for adults. There are lessons to be learned here, but not necessarily by children, and, in the end, even McClintock's fine, exquisitely detailed illustrations and Block's lyrical language don't make this slight, wistful tale satisfying.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Grief, inhumanity, redemption, and several layers of metaphor—what heavy lifting Block does in just 80 pages! From the outside, this feels like just another dollhouse tale (which makes it work for younger readers): the book itself is just a few inches in either direction. McClintock’s illustrations are of the precious and timeless variety, and Block’s plot involves a touch of magic and plenty of pretty dresses. Yet the overall impact is tremendous. Young Madison is growing tired of her dollhouse and its residents: Wildflower, Rockstar, Miss Selene, and their boyfriends Guy (a G.I. Joe type) and B. Friend (a teddy bear). Increasingly abandoned by her mother, Madison begins exercising a capricious cruelty that starts by sending Guy off to war. Then B. Friend is pronounced MIA. Then all of the ladies’ gowns are stolen. The reality/unreality of any of this is a tightrope Block toes with precision—when necessary, readers will happily shield their eyes so as not to break the breathless artifice. What at first seems to be about the perennial war between familial generations is expanded into a message about the global forces of pride and avarice that plunge innocents into devastation. This is powerful, haunting, and—just when you don’t think it’s possible—inspiring, too. Grades 3-6. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006113094X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061130946
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Francesca Lia Block, recipient of the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award. has been publishing novels, short stories, essays, memoirs and poetry since 1989. Her work has been translated into many languages. Ms. Block lives in Los Angeles where she teaches writing workshops that are also available online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Tale, June 22, 2010

By 

J. Prather (IN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Dolls (Hardcover)

Don't let appearances deceive you. This is not a book for very young readers. The themes handled in this short story about a young girl and her house full of dolls are not going to be understood by your average 7 or 8 year old, and they will no doubt find the book confusing and boring. The author attempts to cram everything but the kitchen sink into just a few pages and for the most part she succeeds. There is jealousy, pain, love, loss and war here. All handled with a deft touch and a gift for metaphor. This book just left me with an odd feeling. I find the ending less inspiring than puzzling. More Twilight Zone than warm and fuzzy. I can't really recommend it because I can't think of what kind of reader might enjoy this story. An older reader (12-14) will probably be able to gather all the meaning but is unlikely to pick it up because of it's appearance. It's an okay little tale, just be forewarned that it's not your typical doll story. These dolls might have small lives, but along with their owner, they worry about very large things. Very strange.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still Thinking, June 17, 2010

By 

Portianay "portianay" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: House of Dolls (Hardcover)

While I agree with much of the Booklist Starred review for this one, and I do love the heavy issues dealt with so delicately, I have to wonder: for what age would I recommend this book? Booklist says that the dollhouse-story facet makes it work for younger children, but I disagree. This book requires more maturity of the reader; well, more than *I* had when I was in my dollhouse stage. Still, the issues raised are so pertinent, so valid, that this book must be read! I would recommend it for upper-elementary and tweens, with the caveat that, hey, this is NOT a little-kid book about dolls! Excellent handling of some difficult themes, such as jealousy; neglect; emotional pain AND physical pain; war; loneliness; separation; and finally, reconciliation.
STUNNING illustrations, Ms. McClintock! So rich and detailed! I spent a long time over each one, and loved it.

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Francesca, September 2, 2011

By 

MidnightRaven528 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: House of Dolls (Hardcover)

I always have adored this author. This book came on time, in good quality. Simple easy read. Read it in about 30 minutes. I am sure some day I will read it again :)