Doll Bones by Holly Black read by Nick Podehl

Zack was just a regular boy.  He played sports, hung out with the guys, and enjoyed time with his Mom.  He also imagined great adventures with two neighbor girls after school.  They each had action figures and they negotiated the game as they went along.  That is, until his Dad came back home and decided to live with them again.  He threw out Zack's action figures.  That was the first part of Zach's troubles...

Random House/Listening Library sent me an audio CD book to listen to for review (thank you).  This has been published, so buy it where it wherever audio books are sold.

This author understands children feelings and their confusion about life.  There are times when you feel afraid of everything and that's the journey these three children are going to take.

Nick Podehl is the reader and he's amazing.  He can do both girls and boys voices, instills anger and fear in the voices, and keeps you listening for nuances as the story goes on.

At the center of the story is the "Queen", an antique doll that was made with some of the hair and ashes from the maker's girl's body.  The ghost of that girl is still in the doll, and she sends Zach and the girls on a final quest to return her doll body to the grave.

They sneak off in the middle of the night to go on the trip to graveyard, but they have no idea what they are going to encounter and how dangerous the trip can be...

I enjoyed how innovative the children were and how Zach's Dad came to realize that his actions were uncalled for; the past doesn't have to be repeated in the present.  It's an exciting story and comes in both print and audio book form.  It was written for young adults, but it's very readable by older folks, too.

Happy reading/listening.