Doll Bones

I absolutely adore Holly Black's writing, and this was no exception. Even though it's a children's novel, she has such a way of writing emotionally charged characters who speak with a lot of undertone that really resonates with me. I thought this was going to be a creepy doll ghost story, but it turned out to be so much more. It's a coming of age, tale of friendship, as they navigate leaving behind childhood and growing out of imaginative play. The adventure they go on is not as much about putting a doll to rest as it is about finding themselves and discovering their values and beliefs, who they can trust, and how much they want to risk in hopes of characterizing themselves and defining their own identities in the world. Absolutely loved it. And I'm a 38yo adult. Will be reading it with my 10yo soon!