Scan barcode
princessleia4life's review
5.0
I used to read this book all the time as a kid. It such a gothic and spooky story.
elspethm's review
4.0
I read this book in maybe middle school. It has scared me to death ever since. It's about a girl who treats her dolls poorly so she has to live with them for a bit. Being "stuck" somewhere is one of my biggest fears and this truly fits into that niche.
williamsdebbied's review
3.0
Vicky keeps dropping not-so-subtle hints that what she'd really like for her birthday is a new bike. When they get her an antique dollhouse instead, she can't hide her disappointment. At first, she avoids the gloomy, dusty dollhouse. Then, gradually, she starts to play with it.
As her parents fight more and more, Vicky takes out her anger on the dolls. When Vicky suddenly finds herself a prisoner inside the dollhouse, she realizes that there is no way out--and she is at the mercy of the dolls.
Creepy.
As her parents fight more and more, Vicky takes out her anger on the dolls. When Vicky suddenly finds herself a prisoner inside the dollhouse, she realizes that there is no way out--and she is at the mercy of the dolls.
Creepy.
aklibrarychick's review
2.0
I read this aloud to my daughter when she was sick. She loved it. I thought it was OK. The basic story is about a girl receiving an antique dollhouse for her birthday when she really wanted a bike. She reacts with a bad attitude and ingratitude, and though she plays with the dollhouse, she makes the dolls be mean to each other. Her family life also spins out of control. Is there a connection? One day she wakes up to find herself IN the dollhouse and at the dolls' mercy. What will happen? I won't tell you, except that she doesn't seem to learn the big lessons I'd like her to learn, like how to be grateful for a gift, how to treat people and things. It was a quick read, and kept me interested, but not the greatest story ever told. I really need to read a grown-up book!!!
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this so many times growing up. 'Among the Dolls' is a Prince among the dolls come alive and ruin your life books, of which there are more than a few. What surprised me about reading this now was how short 'Among the Dolls' is. This book looms large in my memories, and I was an even more voracious reader back then. For 65 pages to have so much resonance is a testament to Sleator's abilities.
Vicky is given a Victorian dollhouse by her parents instead of a sweet ten-speed and takes some of that aggression out on her play with them. In the beginning she doesn't come off as troubled girl, but when her parents start to fight she continues to escalate the violence of the doll family. One day she wakes up in a strange yet familiar room, but she's no longer the one in control.
The beginning of the book could have used some more fleshing out, Vicky's motives seem to go beyond the disappointment of not having a bike, but without more to go on she comes off as selfish. Once the action moves to within the doll house, however, the book is delightfully disturbing. The doll house is a treasure and, sure, I wasn't your typical kid, but I would have given up my bike for a doll house like this one any day. To the adult reader the story may come apart at the seams, but the description and character of the individual dolls - especially the mother - more than make up for it.
Vicky is given a Victorian dollhouse by her parents instead of a sweet ten-speed and takes some of that aggression out on her play with them. In the beginning she doesn't come off as troubled girl, but when her parents start to fight she continues to escalate the violence of the doll family. One day she wakes up in a strange yet familiar room, but she's no longer the one in control.
The beginning of the book could have used some more fleshing out, Vicky's motives seem to go beyond the disappointment of not having a bike, but without more to go on she comes off as selfish. Once the action moves to within the doll house, however, the book is delightfully disturbing. The doll house is a treasure and, sure, I wasn't your typical kid, but I would have given up my bike for a doll house like this one any day. To the adult reader the story may come apart at the seams, but the description and character of the individual dolls - especially the mother - more than make up for it.
library_brandy's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the hell out of this book as a kid. This time through, as an adult, I found it rushed (about 70 pages) and missing the plotline I vividly remembered.* Vicky wants a 10-speed bike for her birthday, and instead her parents give her this lame antique dollhouse, so she takes out her disappointment by making the dolls fight and be horrible. Then Vicky gets sucked into the dollhouse to be a part of the horrible group she's created.
Creepy in the way that all Dolls Come Alive stories are, and I think this one was my introduction to the genre. I think I found this SCARY DOLLS WANT TO KILL YOU story in the card catalog under "dollhouse" when I'd been looking for a gentle, benign story a la Ann M. Martin's The Doll People, which wouldn't be written for another 15 years. And I've never looked back. Scary doll stories are da bomb.
*Said plotline actually comes from Marjorie Stover's When the Dolls Woke and involved a servant-doll named Martinique, who is from Martinique, and the other dolls hated and feared her because she told voodoo stories. I remember this and want to reread it to see if it's as racist as it probably is.
Creepy in the way that all Dolls Come Alive stories are, and I think this one was my introduction to the genre. I think I found this SCARY DOLLS WANT TO KILL YOU story in the card catalog under "dollhouse" when I'd been looking for a gentle, benign story a la Ann M. Martin's The Doll People, which wouldn't be written for another 15 years. And I've never looked back. Scary doll stories are da bomb.
*Said plotline actually comes from Marjorie Stover's When the Dolls Woke and involved a servant-doll named Martinique, who is from Martinique, and the other dolls hated and feared her because she told voodoo stories. I remember this and want to reread it to see if it's as racist as it probably is.