The Doll People (2000)

Liked it! Story was well-built, and the characters were lovely. ( )

I absolutely LOVE this book. This book shows the many adventures of two doll families, living the same household. I read this book over and over again as a child, and it warms my heart thinking of all the love I had for my own dollhouse and doll people. ( )

This post has taken me far longer to write than I'd like to admit and I think that's largely because I found this book pretty lukewarm. The Doll People by Ann M. Martin (with pictures by Brian Selznick) was another one of those books recommended as a great book for the kids in your life who are trying to stretch their legs as early and eager readers. I didn't realize at the outset of reading it that it was actually the first in a series which follow the lives of the members of the Doll family. This is like Toy Story but dialed up to 11, ya'll. We follow the adventures of Annabelle Doll who is preoccupied with the mystery of her aunt's disappearance 45 years ago. Like Toy Story, there are certain rules about letting the humans see them moving but they actually have an oath with consequences attached. (We learn about Doll State or Permanent Doll State where they are frozen either temporarily or permanently.) The storyline is slow and rather predictable but suitable for beginner readers who are gaining confidence with chapter books. I guess the most 'interesting' part (if you can call it that) was when a new set of dolls entered the house and the reader can see the difference between the older porcelain toys and the newer plastic ones. 4/10 ( )

Dear Sophia,
Thank you for loaning me The Doll People. I really liked it. What did I like?
p.15 – The heroine talks about the difference between being bored and being restless. I started thinking about this difference in my own life. Restlessness is a sign that something is missing. I think we should pay attention to restlessness in our lives. The heroine’s restlessness is solved by a friend: that’s what she needed. We need different things in our life, but friendship is certainly one of them. We also need – granddaughters. I think my whole life is different because you are in it.
p.32 spiders. The illustrations later on are fascinating! I am inspired to take up the study of spiders!
p.112-114 negotiating. You are an excellent negotiator and I recognized the same skill in the heroine in these pages. It’s one of the things I am so impressed by.
p.130 “Barbies never do.” This was quite funny! It was a subtle humor, aimed at grandmothers, I think.

With love and a hug and thank you for sharing your reading with me.
( )

“The Doll People” is a fictional story of a family of dolls who are alive but must keep that a secret from the humans that own them. This novel provides a fun “out of the box” look at dependence, independence, and interdependence. The dolls must depend on their human owners for certain things, but also enjoy a sense of independence when the humans are not around. The main doll character, Annabelle, also struggles to find a balance between depending on her parents advice and independently adventuring out to see the world. ( )