Instead of spending her summer with her parents and friends at a fun cottage, Alice now must spend her summer with her mom and her nursing patient, Mrs. Bishop in Blackwood House while her parents contemplate divorce. On their way to Blackwood House, Alice's train makes a hard stop and Alice gets a concussion and must spend time resting. Blackwood House is full of antiques that Alice can't touch and the cantankerous Mrs. Bishop; however, Alice finds a friend in the house cleaner's daughter, Lily. Together, they explore Blackwood House and find a dollhouse replica of Blackwood House in the attic. Alice begins to dream of the dolls in the dollhouse and slowly, what happens in Alice's dream dollhouse world begins to affect real life and real life begins to affect what is happening in the dollhouse.
The Dollhouse is a haunting and magical middle grade mystery. Though written for a middle grade level, I was easily pulled in by the intrigue of the dollhouse and the wonderfully written characters. Alice was highly imaginative and anxious, placed in a setting where her imagination could run wild and dealing with many novel situations. Lily has a developmental difference that allows her to see the world as open and welcoming. I really enjoyed that Alice and Lily were fast friends. The dollhouse world was fascinating. I equally enjoyed the girls in the dollhouse, Bubbles and Fizz and how they reflected people in Alice's real world. The mystery of the dollhouse and how Alice was connected to it kept me guessing until the end. The themes that Alice and Mrs. Bishop dealt with throughout the book, grief, divorce and loss of self identity are just as engaging.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The Dollhouse is a haunting and magical middle grade mystery. Though written for a middle grade level, I was easily pulled in by the intrigue of the dollhouse and the wonderfully written characters. Alice was highly imaginative and anxious, placed in a setting where her imagination could run wild and dealing with many novel situations. Lily has a developmental difference that allows her to see the world as open and welcoming. I really enjoyed that Alice and Lily were fast friends. The dollhouse world was fascinating. I equally enjoyed the girls in the dollhouse, Bubbles and Fizz and how they reflected people in Alice's real world. The mystery of the dollhouse and how Alice was connected to it kept me guessing until the end. The themes that Alice and Mrs. Bishop dealt with throughout the book, grief, divorce and loss of self identity are just as engaging.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
