Doll Bones

By Holly Black, Eliza Wheeler (illustrator),

Book cover of Doll Bones

Book description

My name is Eleanor Kerchner.
You can call me the Queen.
I died in 1895.
Now it's time to play.

A chilling ghost story by the bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black.

Recipient of a Newbery Honor Award. An ALA Notable Book. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book. A…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Doll Bones as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I have never encountered a story that depicts the dread and heartbreak of growing up more authentically than Black has done in the pages of this Newberry-awarded novel for children.

It is both as brutal and as delicate as the creepy antique doll (which may or may not be haunted) at the center of the story. Three kids head out on their own, determined to lay the spirit trapped within the doll to rest while the all-to-real fears and quiet dangers of their regular lives snap at their heels.

It is a book of loss, acceptance, and courage that will…

Who doesn’t love a creepy doll story, right? And in this book, it’s done perfectly. But even that, what’s most powerful about this story is the journey the group of kids goes through as they try to restore this doll to its proper place and lay it to rest.

So many middle grade books are about that transitional moment from childhood to…something more grown up. That’s very much the case in this book, but we look at that transition and that challenge via this journey to restore the dolls' bones from whence they came. 

The Warlock's Curse

By C.B. Oresky,

Book cover of The Warlock's Curse

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C.B. Oresky Author Of The Warlock's Curse

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Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, the library was a wondrous place filled with magical tales and epic stories about strange realms that I could take home…devour…and get lost in. I grew up dancing to enchanting classical music…as an adolescent I painted majestic unicorns…my best friends are my enchanting pets. I often retreat into the deep silent woods or walk along the crashing waves of the ocean to find solace in the magical beauty of nature. Now, as a writer I hope to bring the wonder I’ve found in this world into the strange places and unique characters I create. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite fantasies: worlds that I truly fell in love with.

C.B.'s book list on fantasy filled with so much magic and wonder

What is my book about?

Clara and Angelica Grace have never met ghosts. They’ve never sailed on a tall ship, ridden wild unicorns, or fought with magical weapons. Instead, the teenage twins have a wretched existence, ignored by their troubled parents in a rundown home and tormented by the town’s snobs.

Everything turns topsy-turvy all of a sudden when the discovery of an ancestor’s hidden journal with an odd key to an unknown door leads them into an entirely different realm.

The girls go on a thrilling oceanic voyage to search for mysterious whales, train with a seasoned warrior, and are befriended by a wise…

The Warlock's Curse

By C.B. Oresky,

What is this book about?

Clara and Angelica Grace have never met ghosts. They’ve never sailed on a tall ship, ridden wild unicorns, or fought with magical weapons. Instead, the teenage twins have a wretched existence, ignored by their troubled parents in a rundown home and tormented by the town’s snobs.

Everything turns topsy-turvy all of a sudden when discovery of an ancestor’s hidden journal with an odd key to an unknown door leads them into an entirely different realm.

The girls go on a thrilling oceanic voyage to search for mysterious whales, train with a seasoned warrior, and are befriended by a wise Master.…


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