Christian only listened to half of it when we were in the car. After I listened to half of it in our home, he didn’t pay attention. He didn’t care for it.

Julia - 5 stars
Zacky - 4 1/2 stars
Me-3 1/2 stars

Lovely story. And the last chapter is so warm. ( )

The Christmas Doll could be described as a Charles Dickens-ish story with a female main character. Lucy and Glory’s parents are dead and they live in a workhouse. The book begins just slightly before they escape. As children living on the streets, their future looks really dim, until they discover they can trade items they find at the dump for food. The younger girl, Glory, finds a worn and muddy old doll at the dump, and immediately wants to keep it. During their time at the workhouse, the older girl, Lucy, would often tell Glory stories about what life was like when their parents were living. One of the stories included a doll they owned named “Morning Glory.” Glory immediately believes that the doll she found at the dump is “Morning Glory.” The older and wiser sister knows that they need food more than they need a doll, so she takes it to a doll shop. The doll shop owner agrees to buy the doll’s head since it’s in fair condition and, through a stroke of luck, decides to hire Lucy to sew hearts onto their new dolls because of the Christmas shopping rush.

The end of the book is very touching, selfless, and would be a good lesson on the true meaning of giving for a child.

With that said, however, I did have a few issues with the book. Several minor characters die at the beginning of the story. This may or may not be okay depending on the maturity level of the child. I could see an 11 or 12 year old reading this. I'm not sure it would hold a 9 to 10 year old's interest, unless they were a good independent reader.

Overall, this book made me feel very thankful that I’m not an orphan during the Victorian era. And it’s good to be thankful at Christmastime. ( )

Two girls have survived the workhouse in 1800s England by staying together and telling one another of the wonderful life they used to have with a doll, but the littler one is sick and they must leave for fear of her dying. When they are out, they discover that things are not easy, but the discovery of a doll like the one fro their stories of their old life opens up new possibilities. The girls ultimately lose the dolls through their own generosity, but find their salvation the same way. ( )