16. The Runaway Dolls by Ann M. Martin

The Runaway Dolls by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin*
Illustrated by Brian Selznick
The Doll People, Book 3

Pages: 323
Finished: Jan. 22, 2009
First Published: Oct. 7, 2008
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

First sentence:

Annabelle Doll didn't see the mysterious package when it was delivered.

Comments: The Palmer's are on a two week vacation and the dolls have the run of the house. Just before they left a parcel arrived and was thrown on the couch. Annabelle and Tiffany examine it only to find that it is Annabelle's long lost little sister. However, the adults believe no such thing so Annabelle decides to let her sister out and runaway to protect her from disappearing again and, of course, Tiffany comes along. Little do the girls know that their brothers have been spying on them and follow them. Thus begins a wild adventure for the dolls as they get lost in the woods, hitch a ride on a wagon, end up downtown and eventually in the toy department of a large department store.

This is the most exciting of the three books. The dolls find themselves in one spot of trouble after another and the characters are just adorable. This book is so much fun to read. Again, the illustrations are half of the enjoyment of the book. Selznick's illustrations are gorgeous and this book starts with a several page long illustrative wordless narrative similar to parts of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I highly recommend this series to young girls (and their mothers!).

*Laura Godwin was born and raised in Alberta, Canada, hence the Canadian Author tag.