House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block

Hi there!

Welcome back to another week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!  As the festivities from the fourth of July celebrations wind down, it's time to get back into the swing of things, review a book from my TBR pile (hmm, mountain might be better said) and play a little bit of catch up in the online world.  Are you ready?  Let's jump right in for a little bookish play.  Today's book of choice is....

House of Dolls

by

Francesca Lia Block

Illustrated by

Barbara McClintock

From the start, we are introduced to Madison Blackberry...a lovely little girl in a bit of a mood. She has a glorious doll house with lovely dollies to play with given to her by her Grandmother (complete with self given "boyfriends" of an army man and teddy bear....very cute...)...and yet, she's in no mood to play. It seems that the dolls (Rockstar, Wildflower, and Miss Selene) get all the attention from dear old Grandma that little Madison craves. Can a little childhood magic and belief in something impossible being possible turn this child's world around?

A short quick read from a familiar name in the Young Adult genre, this book carries more message and meaning than story (that's a good thing here). For those that believed once-upon-a-time (or still do) that dolls have a life of their own beyond their play time with their human counterparts...this delightful novel is for you.   With several penned drawings throughout the book to help build upon the images the story itself conjures in your minds eye, readers young and young at heart have something to discover within these pages.  Your imagination is captured by the dolls eye view of the events unfolding as the "lessons" woven within the story itself are revealed in brilliant colors.  From life and its many changes, to the love and importance of family, this book well worth a second look.

Special thanks to Laura at HarperCollins Publishers for the review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information and to see other titles of interest, be sure to check out their site or follow along on Twitter!

Until next time....happy reading!