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_janellealexa's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
girlhood!! this book is so girlhood coded! A family of dolls passed through four generations of women. A doll who is bored with her routine life and yearns for adventure. A doll who is a scientist and longs to discover the outside world. Finding an unexpected best friend. Learning to be brave and do things that might seem scary. I'm glad I had this book when I was young and I'm glad to have registered to it now at 25.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
The Meanest Doll in the World, the sequel to The Doll People, is the one the oldest books on my bookshelf. I no longer recall how I acquired it, but at the time I was unaware it was a sequel. So while I read that book several times over the course of my childhood it was only years later when I’d grown out of the primary demographic that I picked up The Doll People. As such I did not have the same fondness for it that I had when re-reading The Meanest Doll in the World.
Nevertheless, The Doll People still a bit of charm to see it through.
Annabelle Doll is part of doll set made in the 1800s passed down the generations of one family. She and her family are currently the property of eight year old Kate Palmer, the granddaughter of their first owner. Annabelle is filled with ennui that her family does not understand, further cementing the feeling. The arrival of the Funcrafts - a plastic doll family for Kate’s younger sister Nora - proves to be just what she needs.
The dolls are able to move around freely, but they are held to doll code. If a doll ever does something that risks dollkind then a doll will be forced into doll state which is the inability to move or talk for a period of 24 hours. Depending on temperament it is not uncommon for dolls to end up in doll state as it does not take much to accidentally move or be overheard talking. The real fear is the fabled permanent doll state. It is exceedingly rare - if it exists at all.
There are a few stories about random happenings in the life of the dolls, but the majority of it is taken up by this mystery about what happened to Annabelle’s Aunt Sarah. Aunt Sarah disappeared without a trace forty or so years ago. Annabelle finds her secret journal reigniting Annabelle’s desire to find out where she went. Tiffany Funcraft, a doll Annabelle’s age, is her partner in crime in her pursuits.
I am way outside of the age range and unlike some other middle grade books I definitely felt every single one of those years acutely. This is definitely lower middle grade, basically a chapter book when it comes down to it. The characters are pretty underdeveloped, not much happens, and frankly the world of the house could have used some more detail.
The book is cute. I needed something light, The Doll People provided that. It’s a quick read so it doesn’t have time to overstay its welcome. I think it could have been stronger, however, it’s clear what Ann M. Martin wanted for her story and she certainly achieved it. As an adult, if you’ve never read this before I hesitate to tell you to. Without that added nostalgia factor or an overwhelming love for the genre I’d say let it alone. If it’s for a kid, go nuts.
Nevertheless, The Doll People still a bit of charm to see it through.
Annabelle Doll is part of doll set made in the 1800s passed down the generations of one family. She and her family are currently the property of eight year old Kate Palmer, the granddaughter of their first owner. Annabelle is filled with ennui that her family does not understand, further cementing the feeling. The arrival of the Funcrafts - a plastic doll family for Kate’s younger sister Nora - proves to be just what she needs.
The dolls are able to move around freely, but they are held to doll code. If a doll ever does something that risks dollkind then a doll will be forced into doll state which is the inability to move or talk for a period of 24 hours. Depending on temperament it is not uncommon for dolls to end up in doll state as it does not take much to accidentally move or be overheard talking. The real fear is the fabled permanent doll state. It is exceedingly rare - if it exists at all.
There are a few stories about random happenings in the life of the dolls, but the majority of it is taken up by this mystery about what happened to Annabelle’s Aunt Sarah. Aunt Sarah disappeared without a trace forty or so years ago. Annabelle finds her secret journal reigniting Annabelle’s desire to find out where she went. Tiffany Funcraft, a doll Annabelle’s age, is her partner in crime in her pursuits.
I am way outside of the age range and unlike some other middle grade books I definitely felt every single one of those years acutely. This is definitely lower middle grade, basically a chapter book when it comes down to it. The characters are pretty underdeveloped, not much happens, and frankly the world of the house could have used some more detail.
The book is cute. I needed something light, The Doll People provided that. It’s a quick read so it doesn’t have time to overstay its welcome. I think it could have been stronger, however, it’s clear what Ann M. Martin wanted for her story and she certainly achieved it. As an adult, if you’ve never read this before I hesitate to tell you to. Without that added nostalgia factor or an overwhelming love for the genre I’d say let it alone. If it’s for a kid, go nuts.
meredith_mccaskey's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
I read this book when I was a kid and now I read it out loud to my own kids ages 9 and 6. They both enjoyed it!
jerr13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
jeneenthepharm's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
madeleineem's review against another edition
4.0
Childhood favorite of mine! I love re-reading the series every once and a while.
ostrichzzz's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
katykelly's review
5.0
Toy Story, The Borrowers - and something of its own.
Who doesn't love the idea of toys coming to life when humans aren't around? I remember very well fantasising about this as a child. This story feeds directly into that reverie, and I would have LOVED this as a child, it would have enthralled me.
Our characters are dolls, living in a doll house in the bedroom of a girl whose mother and grandmother also played with them. A family, with parents, children, a nanny, they are wooden, traditional models, and well looked after. But Annabelle, much like Arrietty in the Borrowers, has yearnings to explore more than the doll house, as well as the urge to find out what happened to her aunt, who disappeared decades before and whom nobody ever speaks of.
It is the appearance of her aunt's diary and the arrival of a new family of plastic dolls for a younger human in the house that changes Arrietty's everyday world and opens up her existence to wider possibilities.
Selznick gives us his superlative black-and-white drawings, showing the dolls in their houses as realistic wooden/plastic toys one moment and strangely-shaped moving and thinking beings the next. They enrich the story and give the characters life.
The story is wonderful for readers - the life of a doll and how they see the human world, the rules of keeping the secret from people, the mystery of what has happened to Auntie Sarah, the introduction of new and different dolls. Having two very different families of dolls was intriguing, though the possible differences and how the families related to each other seemed skirted over a little, it could have featured more.
Martin creates a very relatable world from a doll's point of view, Selznick ably assisting with his illustrations. Annabelle is a very appealing Arrietty-like heroine, with touches of a Toy Story Woody in there too.
This is one I only heard of recently, it was included on my son's '100 Book Bucket List', so I expect he'll be asking to try it soon too. Most enjoyable, and one for youngsters aged 7-11.
Who doesn't love the idea of toys coming to life when humans aren't around? I remember very well fantasising about this as a child. This story feeds directly into that reverie, and I would have LOVED this as a child, it would have enthralled me.
Our characters are dolls, living in a doll house in the bedroom of a girl whose mother and grandmother also played with them. A family, with parents, children, a nanny, they are wooden, traditional models, and well looked after. But Annabelle, much like Arrietty in the Borrowers, has yearnings to explore more than the doll house, as well as the urge to find out what happened to her aunt, who disappeared decades before and whom nobody ever speaks of.
It is the appearance of her aunt's diary and the arrival of a new family of plastic dolls for a younger human in the house that changes Arrietty's everyday world and opens up her existence to wider possibilities.
Selznick gives us his superlative black-and-white drawings, showing the dolls in their houses as realistic wooden/plastic toys one moment and strangely-shaped moving and thinking beings the next. They enrich the story and give the characters life.
The story is wonderful for readers - the life of a doll and how they see the human world, the rules of keeping the secret from people, the mystery of what has happened to Auntie Sarah, the introduction of new and different dolls. Having two very different families of dolls was intriguing, though the possible differences and how the families related to each other seemed skirted over a little, it could have featured more.
Martin creates a very relatable world from a doll's point of view, Selznick ably assisting with his illustrations. Annabelle is a very appealing Arrietty-like heroine, with touches of a Toy Story Woody in there too.
This is one I only heard of recently, it was included on my son's '100 Book Bucket List', so I expect he'll be asking to try it soon too. Most enjoyable, and one for youngsters aged 7-11.
rachelfaye's review against another edition
5.0
This book has lived in my heart since I read it as a child. It was the first and only book I remember staying up past my bedtime, reading by flashlight under my covers. I cannot wait to buy it again and rediscover the magic :).