by Holly Black
First published 2013
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have spent years playing an elaborate fantasy game centered around the Great Queen, a bone china doll that rules their imaginary world of pirates and warriors. When middle school pressures force Zach to abandon their childhood games, their friendship fractures. Then Poppy starts having vivid dreams about the Queen and claims a dead girl's ghost speaks through the doll, demanding to be buried in her own grave. The three friends embark on what they promise will be their final adventure together, setting out to lay the ghost to rest. Their journey quickly spirals beyond their control as strange events plague their mission. The doll seems to exert a sinister influence over them, and they begin to question whether supernatural forces are truly at work. As their quest becomes increasingly dangerous, they must confront not only the possibility that ghosts are real, but also the painful reality that growing up means leaving cherished parts of childhood behind.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, horror, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, supernatural-elements
256 pages · Hardcover · Margaret K. McElderry Books