The Doll People by Ann Martin and Laura Godwin

I would’ve waited in line for hours to buy this series when I was a child if it had been around then!  Many of the stories I wrote as a child revolved around this same topic…dolls coming alive when humans aren’t looking.  Needless to say, I loved the book!  To be more accurate, I love the idea the plot is based on in this book.  The doll family and their house are over a hundred years old and have become a family heirloom to the Palmers, a human family whose house they live in.  Annabelle Doll, the main character, is a spunky and brave eight year old who feels that there is something missing in her life. Auntie Sarah doll has been missing for over fifty years. When Annabelle finds her aunt’s journal, she becomes staunchly determined to learn of her aunt’s whereabouts.  When the Funcrafts, a modern, plastic family, move in, Annabelle makes a friend that will help her find her aunt and help Annabelle feel content with her doll existence.  The book includes some great illustrations that help the plot along.  Although the plot is there, as well as some character development, the writing in this book is nothing spectacular.  I think the main benefits of this book is that, to certain children, the topic could really spark some real desire to read!  I personally can’t wait to read the others in the series.
           Because the writing is not top notch, I would not use this book as an assigned reading for the whole class.  Rather, I would recommend this series book to certain students who I feel would really enjoy it.  I would encourage students to write from their own imaginations about dolls or other objects that may have secret lives when humans aren’t looking.  I think this is an important exercise for students because it is extremely satisfying to the mind and it allows students to look at everyday objects in new, innovative ways.   This would also be a good book for a group of students to act out scenes from.  We have enough information about the characters that students could really get into the parts and create fun costumes.  I believe group exercises such as this one are great because they encourage effective social skills and cooperation, as well as provide students with practice speaking in front of a group.  This is also a good book to use for a discussion of family and friendship.  Students can ponder questions, such as what would life be like if you where stuck in your house with your family for eternity?  I think this discussion is important because it allows students to think about their family members in new ways.

Year Published: 2003          Illustrator: Brian Selznick