![[(Doll Bones )] [Author: Holly Black] [Feb-2014]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51L8I3R5cfL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
I absolutely loved this book. It’s written for kids (tweens), but I read it as an adult. It reminded me of the intense joy that comes from discovering the power of reading, and how it is conveyed by the best books written for children. It reminded me of why it’s worth reading at all – the importance of stories and magic and adventure in a world where we spend too much time reading for information, to communicate the mundane news of the day, or out of professional obligation.
The story is about three friends who play imagination games with dolls, who are just reaching the age when kids don’t do that sort of thing anymore. And we all remember that horrible moment in our lives, when we aren’t yet quite ready to move on from the innocent pleasures of our early youth, but we see our friends starting to change and develop the interests that accompany adolescence, as well as all the social judgment that comes with it. I still remember resisting those changes for a while and then turning against my early childhood with a vengeance once I decided it was an embarrassment to me – tossing away toys, readings and collectibles that I had become ashamed of – and regretting this forever after.
Even better yet, this is a ghost story – a story about a creepy doll reputed to have the ashes of a dead girl hidden inside – a girl whom the kids decide, based on a dream, they need to carry to her final resting place. And yeah, everyone can remember the creepy old-fashioned doll that gave rise to such fantasies.
This is also a story about friendship, the intensity of the bonds that kids develop at that age, when they have learned to care about each other and to try to protect each other from a world that won’t just let them be. Kind of like the last line of the film “Stand by Me,” when the writer reflects that never again did he have friends like the ones he had when he was that young. And yes, we do develop great friendships later in our lives to be sure – but it doesn’t feel the same. Friendship in the tween years is intense and loyal and emotional in a way this book really captures.
And of course, like all great stories, this one involves a journey, a quest, and lots of adventure.
I put this book down half-wishing that we could all stay kids forever, feeling that the imagination, innocence and heartfelt loyalty of that age is something we could all use more of. Fortunately the kids of this wonderful story will never grow old, so you can return to re-read about them as many times as you want – even if you’re a jaded adult. Highly recommended.
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