Middle School/Junior High
Doll Bones
By Holly Black
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends since they were young, and as middle school students, they still love playing with their action figures and dolls, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious and physically stricken, feeling like pieces of his psyche have been discarded and destroyed. He decides that his anger will overwhelm him unless he stops playing the game and starts avoiding Alice and Poppy.
Shortly thereafter, the girls pay Zach a visit in the middle of the night and tell him about a quest they must all take together. It is Poppy whose nightmare has launched them on the quest; she swears that she is being haunted by a ghost of a young girl whose bones have been ground up and used to create the porcelain for the spooky china doll that belongs to Poppy’s family. Poppy says that they must find the graveyard with the girl’s empty grave and bury the doll. Otherwise, the ghost of the girl will continue to haunt them and make their lives miserable.
Poppy, Alice, and Zach feel compelled to set off that night, wondering if they believe in ghosts, are trying to save their friendship, or are just ready to be in charge of their own destinies.
Holly Black was born in New Jersey and spent her early years in a decaying Victorian mansion. She grew up loving reading and writing, and her mother fed her imagination with ghost stories and books about faeries. She received her BA in English and went on to seek a Masters degree in Library Science. In addition to writing Doll Bones, for which she received a Newbery Honor award in 2014, Ms. Black co-wrote The Spiderwick Chronicles series with her friend Tony DiTerlizzi. Ms. Black has also written fantasy novels for teens and young adults. Her latest books are The Darkest Part of the Forest (a young adult fantasy novel) and The Iron Trial (the first book in the series, a middle grade fantasy series).
Holly Black’s official website, http://blackholly.com
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Secrets play a big part in Doll Bones. Poppy hates it when Zach and Alice keep secrets, and Zach’s failure to tell his friends why he can’t play the game sets up the entire story. Do you think some secrets should be kept? Which ones and from whom? Have students share their experiences with secrets, if they are comfortable doing so, and reflect as a class on the benefits or disadvantages of keeping secrets from the important people in your life. Students can follow up with a reflective piece of writing.
Adolescence and middle school is a time of physical and emotional growth. New friends as well as enemies are made. Some students start to date. Bodies change and emotions can be difficult to control. Both Zach and Polly look at growing up glumly at several points during the story. For example, Zach’s tremendous physical growth has made boys and girls treat him differently. Zach is also disillusioned at time, wondering “whether growing up was learning that most stories turned out to be lies.” He even contemplates running away from home. Poppy says “growing up... seems like dying” and worries that Zach and Alice are changing while she is not. Have a class discussion on the benefits and drawbacks of growing up and being in middle school.
When Zach, Poppy, and Alice play with their dolls, each member creates an element of the story and the others must adapt to the changing storyline. Work in a small group or as a class to tell a collaborative story. It will be up to each person to think quickly and add on to what the previous student shared. Decide on rules beforehand (for example, no extreme violence, genre, supportive behavior by others, participation by everyone at least once, a “go to” person like Poppy who excels at interjecting interesting storyline elements).
Zach says “You can’t play pretend forever.” Is this true? What are the jobs in the adult world that allow you to “play pretend”? Why or why not would you be interested in these jobs and what are the skills needed for these jobs?
Holly Black makes several references to two of the most famous quest series ever written, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. Poppy, Zach, and Alice are storytellers who create quests for the characters they play, and each firmly desires a real life quest. Zach says, “Quests are supposed to change us.” In what ways do the three characters change in the course of the story? Next, have students look at the “Connections” section of this Resource Guide and select two quest stories to read and compare. In particular, ask them to focus on similar and dissimilar elements of the story and how the fictional characters changed following their quest. Alternatively or additionally, students could write their own quest story.
Zach, Alice, and Poppy are all great storytellers and each identifies in some way with the character they play in their game. Zach loves being the William the Blade--fighting pirates, lifting curses, and helping others. Alice has recently started to play Lady Jaye, an impulsive thief who is always getting in trouble and adventure, while Poppy creates evil mermaids who lure ships and men to their death. Ask students to create their own fictional character; one that blends some of their own desires and thoughts with the ideas and thoughts they wish they were bold enough to act upon. After brainstorming the physical and emotional traits of their fictional characters, have students write a short adventure story featuring their character. Students who love art should also draw their character or create a map of the kingdom where their story takes place.
The ghost of Eleanor Kerchner plays a big part in Doll Bones, and several events happen in the story that Poppy, Zach, and Alice cannot logically explain (the trashing of their campsite, the repeated reference to an additional dining and traveling companion by others they meet, unexplained and unusual sensations). Ask students to participate in a day of spooky oral storytelling where each student must tell a story involving unexplained or creepy happenings to the class. Students may seek inspiration from a movie, TV show, book, or their own brain. Screen stories ahead of time for duplicates and appropriateness.
Step on a crack and break your mother’s back. Hold breath when pass a cemetery or the spirits of the newly dead will enter your body through your mouth and possess you. Just like the characters in Doll Bones, everyone has superstitions. Have students share their superstitions and why they believe they are powerful and must be followed. Then, working in pairs, ask them to use print and electronic resources to further research superstitions. Have them compile what they think are the ten strangest superstitions they find and share their findings.
Like the characters in the book, our bedrooms share insights into our interests and hobbies. Zach’s room has piles of dirty laundry and a bookshelf “stuffed with books on pirates, adventure novels, and textbooks.” His desk has magazines, a computer, LEGO pieces, and ship models. Poppy’s room has piles of things that used to belong to her older sister (used makeup, notebooks, old Barbies). She also has bookshelves overflowing with fantasy paperbacks and overdue library books on Greek myths, mermaids, and local hauntings. What items are in your room? What, if anything, embarrasses you about your room? What would you want your friends to notice? What do your parents pester you about with regard to your room? Have students write a detailed description of their room.
Zach’s father hates that he is a daydreamer, and Alice wonders if Poppy makes up some of her creepy dreams. Have students write a short, creative story on an imagined or actual daydream, dream, or nightmare they’ve had. If there is time, have students to share their stories orally with the class.
The toys and dolls that Zach, Alice, and Poppy play with are treasured items from elementary school as well as the props that allow their imaginations to take flight. Ask students to bring in a favorite doll or toy from elementary school. Have a group sharing session of what made the toys special. Ask them when they decided they were too old to play with the toys they loved in elementary school. How was the decision made—they felt too old or they thought others would judge them? Finally, ask students to write a creative story based on one of the toys brought in, either their own or one brought by a classmate.
The Great Queen is the creepy and mysterious doll that prompts Poppy’s, Zach’s, and Alice’s quest. She has been a mysterious and powerful character in their stories for years and was purchased by Poppy’s mother at a tag sale. Have students look at the illustrations of the Great Queen in the book and then find quotes from the book describing the Great Queen. Next, have them look at pictures of vintage china dolls and famous queens through history. Finally, ask students to draw how they imagine the Great Queen.
Invite students to bring in their scariest doll, toy, and/or stuffed animal from home. Ask students to create a creepy story for the doll/toy/or stuffed animal. Invite students to read their stories aloud to the class. Take photos of students with their dolls/toys/or stuffed animals. Tell them to look as scary as possible for the photo!
Middle school students expect more freedom because they are becoming more competent, but often parents continue to try to control their behavior. Have students find passages from the book showing how Poppy and Zach’s parents and Alice’s grandmother treat them. Do they give them independence or do they try to control their behavior? How much freedom should be granted to middle school students and should they earn it? In what ways do you show you are ready for more control over your life?
Poppy has a collection of mermaid dolls she uses for the game; with Poppy’s imagination, the mermaids have lethal intentions, desiring to lure a ship’s crew onto the rocks and then eating the pirates. What mermaid stories do you know? Compare mermaid tales from around the world. Are mermaids generally dangerous or helpful to humans?
2015-2016 California Young Reader Medal Resource Guide Doll Bones - page