Passed down from one generation to the next, the Doll family has lived
in the same dollhouse, located in the same room of the Palmer family's
house, for 100 years. While the world outside has changed, their own
lives have notDwith two significant exceptions. First, Auntie Sarah Doll
suddenly and mysteriously disappeared 45 years ago, when the Doll
family belonged to Kate Palmer's grandmother. More recently, the modern,
plastic Funcraft family has moved into Kate's little sister's room.
Following the time-honored traditions of such well-loved works as Rumer
Godden's The Doll's House, The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh and Pam Conrad's
and Richard Egielski's The Tub People, Martin and Godwin inventively
spin out their own variation on the perennially popular theme of toys
who secretly come to life. By focusing on Annabelle's and Tiffany
Funcraft's risky mission to find Auntie Sarah, the authors provide
plenty of action and suspense, yet it is their skillfully crafted
details about the dolls' personalities and daily routines that prove
most memorable. Selznick's pencil illustrations cleverly capture the
spark of life inhabiting the dolls' seemingly inanimate bodies. The
contemporary draftsmanship frees the art from nostalgia even while the
layout which presents the illustrations as standalone compositions as
well as imaginatively integrated borders and vignettes reinforces the
old-fashioned mood of the doll theme. Doll lovers may well approach
their imaginative play with renewed enthusiasm and a sense of wonder
after reading this fun-filled adventure. Ages 7-10.
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From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. It was exciting when the 100-year-old, dollhouse-dwelling
Doll Family met the modern, "real pink plastic" Funcrafts in
The Doll People (2000),
a thoroughly charming exploration of the fantasy that dolls are
secretly alive. In this action-packed sequel, things heat up even
further after Annabelle Doll and her best friend Tiffany Funcraft dive
into the human girl's backpack and get hauled off to school. They end up
in the wrong kid's backpack and in the home of the meanest doll in the
world! Will they bravely take on Mean Mimi, who is determined to expose
the sacred secret of dollkind? And, how will they get home? Selznick's
pencil drawings are winningly expressive, and the clever title-page
progression, spelling out "The Meanest Doll in the World" in several
pages, is not to be missed. There are inspiring moments of fortitude
here as the dolls show readers how to live with integrity and without
fear. Though the authors provide background info, readers will want to
start with the first novel.
Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From School Library Journal
Grade 3–5—A mysterious package addressed to Grandma Palmer's
grandfather arrives at the Palmer home while they are on vacation.
Kate's doll, Annabelle, and her sister's doll, Tiffany Funcraft, deduce
that the package contains the Doll family's missing baby. They open the
package to find that Matilda is indeed Annabelle's lost sister. But how
do they keep the family from sending her back? Since the package is not
addressed to the Palmers, they might not open it, and the baby will be
lost forever. Annabelle decides the only solution is to run away with
her new sibling to save her from this fate. Annabelle, her brother
Bobby, Tiffany, and her brother Bailey join the adventure and find
themselves lost in the woods and then trapped in a toy store. The
adventure takes a dangerous and mysterious turn when dolls begin to
disappear from the store each night. The story opens with Selznick's
12-page illustrated, wordless prologue, and his art moves the story
along throughout the book. This fun, magical entry in the series is just
as engaging as the previous books.—
Debra Banna, Sharon Public Library, MA
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