4.5 stars. ( )

So my toy collector heart breaks at the thought of toys being thrown out (or buried! I also had to verify that bone China is made with bone (it is, but the higher bone content (regular China apparently generally has some bone too), gives it a translucent look that wouldn’t be good for doll making). Anyway the three friends go on a quest, which is pretty awesome and now I feel like I need a quest. Also yes to keeping imagination and stories alive! ( )

This is the story of three friends and a doll. The friends are on the verge of putting away childish things and growing up. The doll is possibly possessed by the ghost of a dead girl.

This was Goosebumps meets a coming-of-age novel. It's a sensitive book wrapped in a scary package. I had a lot of fun booktalking it at schools because many adolescents love a good creepy story. One kid raised his hand and asked, "Do you think the doll is like Chucky's little sister?"

( )

The premise was interesting, and the scary part was promising, but the family drama put me off. Good messaging for middle grade lit, I suppose, but did not connect with me the way other children's stories have.

Audiobook, borrowed from my public library. DNF after half an hour of listening. ( )

It starts to pick up once the kids leave home and try to take a bus to Liverpool. For a children's story, it was a good read. ( )