Doll Bones by Holly Black
This review can also be found here.
This was my first Holly Black book and it won't be my last. As soon as I heard about this one I was really excited about it. I love Middle Grade and throw in a creepy doll and ghost story and you have me hooked. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as I hoped to but it was a good read anyway.
The thing that really bugged me the most about this book was the fact that the beginning was kind of slow. For a while it seemed like nothing was happening but once the children begin their adventure the pace picks up drastically.
I liked Zach and Alice. They were my two favorites. They both seemed pretty level-headed for middle schoolers and they looked out for each other. Poppy however tended to get on my nerves. She was constantly on Zach's case about him not wanting to play their game anymore and she did some things that would have had me hating her if she was my friend.
As far as the whole creepy aspect goes, it was okay for a Middle Grade novel. Nothing too scary but there were times when I got freaked out by the doll. If you were considering this book I definitely think you should go for it. It was a quick read and it had a great adventure and just the right amount of creepiness for the age the book was targeted towards.