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Among the Dolls
A dark awakening . . .
When her parents give her a gloomy old dollhouse for her birthday instead of the ten speed bike she's expecting, Vicky is disappointed. But she soon becomes fascinated by the small shadowy world and its inhabitants. The hours she spends playing with the dolls is a good way to escape from her parents's arguments. As Vicky's life becomes more troubled, she starts to take out her frustration on the dolls, making their lives as unhappy as hers.
Then one day, Vicky wakes up inside the dollhouse, trapped among the monsters she's created. Bewildered, Vicky is sure she's dreaming. Can she find her way out of this nightmare world?
When her parents give her a gloomy old dollhouse for her birthday instead of the ten speed bike she's expecting, Vicky is disappointed. But she soon becomes fascinated by the small shadowy world and its inhabitants. The hours she spends playing with the dolls is a good way to escape from her parents's arguments. As Vicky's life becomes more troubled, she starts to take out her frustration on the dolls, making their lives as unhappy as hers.
Then one day, Vicky wakes up inside the dollhouse, trapped among the monsters she's created. Bewildered, Vicky is sure she's dreaming. Can she find her way out of this nightmare world?
84 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
17 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
About the author
William Sleator
45 books308 followersWilliam Warner Sleator III was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on February 13, 1945, and moved to St. Louis, MO when he was three. He graduated from University City High School in 1963, from Harvard in 1967 with BAs in music and English.
For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.
For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
June 1, 2020
"But, though she tried at first, the dollhouse was impossible to ignore. Not only was it so large, but now she began to be aware that it held a peculiar fascination for her".
Among the Dolls
by William Sleator
Reread from childhood.
I remember this book as being twice as creepy as it wound up being. Or maybe it is because I was so young when I first read it. For whatever reason, I did a reread and though it is a bit creepy, I did not find the reread all that enjoyable.
If there is one thing that is creepy it is dolls. Yeah they were fun as a kid but there have been so many movies and stories and books on dolls gone bad..LOL..I get that.
This one was a short read and while I love the premise I did not feel the creepy factor. I will say though it is always fun to reread childhood books and this one is no different in that respect. Maybe not my favorite of childhood but a quick, fun read anyway.
Among the Dolls
by William Sleator
Reread from childhood.
I remember this book as being twice as creepy as it wound up being. Or maybe it is because I was so young when I first read it. For whatever reason, I did a reread and though it is a bit creepy, I did not find the reread all that enjoyable.
If there is one thing that is creepy it is dolls. Yeah they were fun as a kid but there have been so many movies and stories and books on dolls gone bad..LOL..I get that.
This one was a short read and while I love the premise I did not feel the creepy factor. I will say though it is always fun to reread childhood books and this one is no different in that respect. Maybe not my favorite of childhood but a quick, fun read anyway.
May 15, 2017
This short, scary, slightly science fiction story, tells of how a girls mistreatment of her dolls has significant repercussions for her. It was an interesting read although I found it dark and gloomy and as a read aloud I found doing cross and sinister voices for virtually the whole book exhausting, I found the underlying message quite depressing because it is profoundly true. There were lots of twists to the story and it was fun trying to work out what was happening and what was going to happen next. My daughter enjoyed it more than I did.
March 16, 2015
I think that I may have read this when I was younger.
September 10, 2010
A deeply disturbing children's book by the author of "The Green Futures of Tycho". It was a pleasure to see a female protagonist as the lead in a story NOT focused on girl power/sisterhood, young romance or "growing up"; I was at times reminded of Neil Gaiman's book "Coraline" and at others of Jonathan Coulton's song "Creepy Doll". My only concern is that the book might not be long enough for older children while proving too disturbing or frightening for younger children. I suppose it will vary depending on the child who is reading it!
July 16, 2017
I love Sleator's Juv. SF adventures. I love TSH's art, especially her fantasy. But this is horror. I can't stand horror. Or... maybe I can, when crafted by this team. Very original - no vampires, no witches, no gore, almost no violence... but nonetheless suspenseful. I'm very glad that I don't have a dollhouse in my attic....
August 15, 2017
I was really looking forward to reading this but.... I'm so disappointed. I felt it could have been so much more.
January 24, 2020
This was a fair sci/fi or fantasy book by one of my favorite authors. I prefer the ones with more complexity and more science involved.
June 21, 2023
Quick and eerie story. A great introduction into the horror genre for young audiences. I would have loved this as a kid.
February 27, 2018
This morning, I read Dan's review of Kate's House and Aimee mentioned this book in a comment. Creepy dolls and Sleator sounded like a good combination, my e-library had it, and as a very short children's book, it took me about half an hour to read, so you're getting a quick turnaround on this one.
"Aha," said the aunt doll softly, her smiling mouth not moving at all. "You are small and helpless now, I see."
This is the story of Vicky, a little girl who receives an antique dollhouse for her birthday, a parenting decision that very often spells no good and goes here about as well as you'd expect. Vicky's house soon descends into arguments and misery, which leads to her acting that out on her dolls--making the mother doll and father doll fight, in particular. Then, she finds herself uncannily sucked into the dollhouse, a minuscule figure in an open-faced house with only a plastic turkey in the kitchen and beds made out of covered wooden blocks. And, most ominously, with the very dolls she's been making miserable, who are eager to make her miserable in return. This is all splendidly creepy, with a father doll whose arms are made of pipe cleaners and lots of focus on how disturbing doll-like details are when they're pulled into real life. (Including names. Sleator does a great job coming up with whimsically creepy names here, like "Danderoo.")
...And then all the tension and logic drop out of the bottom. Despite lots of suggestive threats, the dolls fail to actually do much to Vicky. This is a children's book, but there's been great children's horror before. Worse, though, is the way the internal reasoning of the book falls apart.
For a start, are all dolls sentient? These are almost entirely of a set, but the one Vicky buys herself and brings in develops selfhood, too, so is it the dollhouse that makes them self-aware? I don't mind this not being answered, but there's an ethical question actually posed in the book about what will happen now that another girl has inherited the dollhouse, which is mostly answered with a shrug--oh, maybe she'll play with them differently and they'll be nicer, not much we can do about it--that would seem related to this, i.e., what about all the other toys? Is Vicky at least unnerved by them? And given that the dolls seem oppressed not just by the fighting Vicky's made them do but also by the normal play conditions--they hate being forced to lie on the beds for hours, since they can't sleep, and they hate sitting at the kitchen table, since they can't eat--isn't it likely the whole situation will just go on and on?
So a strong, creepy beginning with lots of great touches eventually falls apart, which is too bad.
"Aha," said the aunt doll softly, her smiling mouth not moving at all. "You are small and helpless now, I see."
This is the story of Vicky, a little girl who receives an antique dollhouse for her birthday, a parenting decision that very often spells no good and goes here about as well as you'd expect. Vicky's house soon descends into arguments and misery, which leads to her acting that out on her dolls--making the mother doll and father doll fight, in particular. Then, she finds herself uncannily sucked into the dollhouse, a minuscule figure in an open-faced house with only a plastic turkey in the kitchen and beds made out of covered wooden blocks. And, most ominously, with the very dolls she's been making miserable, who are eager to make her miserable in return. This is all splendidly creepy, with a father doll whose arms are made of pipe cleaners and lots of focus on how disturbing doll-like details are when they're pulled into real life. (Including names. Sleator does a great job coming up with whimsically creepy names here, like "Danderoo.")
...And then all the tension and logic drop out of the bottom. Despite lots of suggestive threats, the dolls fail to actually do much to Vicky. This is a children's book, but there's been great children's horror before. Worse, though, is the way the internal reasoning of the book falls apart.
For a start, are all dolls sentient? These are almost entirely of a set, but the one Vicky buys herself and brings in develops selfhood, too, so is it the dollhouse that makes them self-aware? I don't mind this not being answered, but there's an ethical question actually posed in the book about what will happen now that another girl has inherited the dollhouse, which is mostly answered with a shrug--oh, maybe she'll play with them differently and they'll be nicer, not much we can do about it--that would seem related to this, i.e., what about all the other toys? Is Vicky at least unnerved by them? And given that the dolls seem oppressed not just by the fighting Vicky's made them do but also by the normal play conditions--they hate being forced to lie on the beds for hours, since they can't sleep, and they hate sitting at the kitchen table, since they can't eat--isn't it likely the whole situation will just go on and on?
So a strong, creepy beginning with lots of great touches eventually falls apart, which is too bad.
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March 25, 2017A young girl gets an antique dollhouse for her birthday instead of the bike she wanted, and expresses her anger by making the dolls mistreat each other. When she wakes up and finds herself shrunken down to doll size and trapped inside the dollhouse, she realizes her play gave the dolls a mean streak and now they are taking it out on her. She has to find a way to escape or be trapped among the dolls forever.
Another creepy-doll favorite from my childhood. The original illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are everything.
Another creepy-doll favorite from my childhood. The original illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are everything.
September 15, 2016
A very short book that will stick with you. Marvelous in its simplicity, its adventure, and breath-taking symbolism.
January 31, 2021
Story is creepy but not too much. The illustrations are amazing! Overall, a good book for doll story enthusiasts.
Seriously though, Trina Schart Hyman is just a master artist. I loved seeing scenes from the story visually drawn out by her hand.
Seriously though, Trina Schart Hyman is just a master artist. I loved seeing scenes from the story visually drawn out by her hand.
May 19, 2013
GRIM STUDY IN DOLLHOUSE PLAY-THERAPY!
Disappointed that she did not receive a bicycle for her birthday and failing in school, Vicky acts out her frustration by being brutal with her newly-acquired Victorian dollhouse. When she is magically reduced in size and transported Inside her own dollhouse, she discovers that they blame Her for their wretched existence and--incredulous as it seems--the dolls want Revenge!
Can "only dolls" turn the tables and "play' with mini human beings for a change? Can dolls capture, torture and enslave children (and even adults)? We notice a subtle hint of an abusive family lifestyle when one doll explains unsympathetically: "Yes, but one falls into patterns...even if you didn't come near us for a month, we'd still be doing this."
This book reads quickly; I find that the real horror part of this read is less what happens to the heroine, than what we may be doing to our own children. Elementary kids though will just enjoy the plot; they always cheer for the kid up against Any antagonist--animal, adult or even vicious dolls. Isn't there one decent doll among the lot? And if Vicky learns her lesson, will she ever get out to show improvement? (If nothing else, this book might encourage children to take better care of their dolls!--Not to mention, encourage parents to take better care of their children!)
(May 17, 2013. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Disappointed that she did not receive a bicycle for her birthday and failing in school, Vicky acts out her frustration by being brutal with her newly-acquired Victorian dollhouse. When she is magically reduced in size and transported Inside her own dollhouse, she discovers that they blame Her for their wretched existence and--incredulous as it seems--the dolls want Revenge!
Can "only dolls" turn the tables and "play' with mini human beings for a change? Can dolls capture, torture and enslave children (and even adults)? We notice a subtle hint of an abusive family lifestyle when one doll explains unsympathetically: "Yes, but one falls into patterns...even if you didn't come near us for a month, we'd still be doing this."
This book reads quickly; I find that the real horror part of this read is less what happens to the heroine, than what we may be doing to our own children. Elementary kids though will just enjoy the plot; they always cheer for the kid up against Any antagonist--animal, adult or even vicious dolls. Isn't there one decent doll among the lot? And if Vicky learns her lesson, will she ever get out to show improvement? (If nothing else, this book might encourage children to take better care of their dolls!--Not to mention, encourage parents to take better care of their children!)
(May 17, 2013. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
July 25, 2017
Received this one in an adult subscription box. That was a goof! Not terrible for a children's chapter book - has a bit of a feel of Indian in the Cupboard, but it wasn't something I would have ever picked up myself.
November 29, 2015
I always liked Sleator's House of Stairs. This one was only okay.
February 21, 2025
Having previously read this author’s “Blackbriar” (which I quite enjoyed save for the ending), this one is a much more abbreviated story that’s short enough to have been included in a collection somewhere as opposed to an individual publication.
The story premise is fine enough for young creepy tales with a glaring message along the lines of “do unto others…” but it’s too bare bones to ever be engrossing.
The exceptionally awesome illustrations gave the star rating a bump. Otherwise, would’ve been a two star read at best.
The story premise is fine enough for young creepy tales with a glaring message along the lines of “do unto others…” but it’s too bare bones to ever be engrossing.
The exceptionally awesome illustrations gave the star rating a bump. Otherwise, would’ve been a two star read at best.
September 1, 2020
From all the books I got at the book fair as a child this was by far the most memorable. I remember being so creeped out by my own dolls at home after this book. Definitely started my journey into darker fantasy books.
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May 17, 2019Scared me!
November 27, 2021
Scared me as a kid. Happy to report it still scares me as an adult.
December 29, 2021
I haven't read this since I was a kid and it made me so nostalgic! Such a fun, creepy read about a little girl who gets sucked into her dollhouse.
February 5, 2021
This is a chilling story of a girl who was unhappy about playing with her dolls until one day she became one of them...
I am 28 years old when I read Among the Dolls and boy this gives me the creeps! I became a fan of William Sleator after I read The House of Stairs.
Neil Gaiman's Coraline is similar to this one, so if you love it I recommend this to you.
I am 28 years old when I read Among the Dolls and boy this gives me the creeps! I became a fan of William Sleator after I read The House of Stairs.
Neil Gaiman's Coraline is similar to this one, so if you love it I recommend this to you.
July 22, 2023
3.5
I can't believe it took me this long to read something else by William Sleator, who wrote my fave childhood book Into the Dream. I doubt anything will ever live up to that, but this was a quick and creepy little read. Ganglia!! I wish I'd read this as a kid, but I still really enjoyed it and I look forward to finally checking out more by this author!
I can't believe it took me this long to read something else by William Sleator, who wrote my fave childhood book Into the Dream. I doubt anything will ever live up to that, but this was a quick and creepy little read. Ganglia!! I wish I'd read this as a kid, but I still really enjoyed it and I look forward to finally checking out more by this author!
July 20, 2017
I loved the hell out of this book as a kid. This time through, as an adult, I found it rushed (about 70 pages) and missing the plotline I vividly remembered.* Vicky wants a 10-speed bike for her birthday, and instead her parents give her this lame antique dollhouse, so she takes out her disappointment by making the dolls fight and be horrible. Then Vicky gets sucked into the dollhouse to be a part of the horrible group she's created.
Creepy in the way that all Dolls Come Alive stories are, and I think this one was my introduction to the genre. I think I found this SCARY DOLLS WANT TO KILL YOU story in the card catalog under "dollhouse" when I'd been looking for a gentle, benign story a la Ann M. Martin's The Doll People, which wouldn't be written for another 15 years. And I've never looked back. Scary doll stories are da bomb.
*Said plotline actually comes from Marjorie Stover's When the Dolls Woke and involved a servant-doll named Martinique, who is from Martinique, and the other dolls hated and feared her because she told voodoo stories. I remember this and want to reread it to see if it's as racist as it probably is.
Creepy in the way that all Dolls Come Alive stories are, and I think this one was my introduction to the genre. I think I found this SCARY DOLLS WANT TO KILL YOU story in the card catalog under "dollhouse" when I'd been looking for a gentle, benign story a la Ann M. Martin's The Doll People, which wouldn't be written for another 15 years. And I've never looked back. Scary doll stories are da bomb.
*Said plotline actually comes from Marjorie Stover's When the Dolls Woke and involved a servant-doll named Martinique, who is from Martinique, and the other dolls hated and feared her because she told voodoo stories. I remember this and want to reread it to see if it's as racist as it probably is.
April 20, 2020
I gave this book 5 stars because it was one of my favorite when I was younger. Being home for quarantine, I just recently found it again. I loved how creepy it was and how it was a children's book but also scary.
It's like the horror version of Toy Story. A young girl named Vicky is given a creepy old dollhouse for her birthday and she does not like it. She wanted a bike, and instead was given this which makes her very upset and even angry. Even though she is angry with her parents, she takes it out on the old raggedy dolls in the dollhouse and makes up scenarios that are horrible for the dolls because she is angry with her own life. One night, she goes to bed and wakes up inside the dollhouse with all of the dolls that she has made miserable lives out of. This book was controversial to my parents when I was younger, as they thought it was to scary and creepy for a girl my age but I absolutely loved it. It was like my own little Stephen King book. The text is super big, and the chapter book is relatively small compared to some others but it helped me get into reading chapter books that were bigger and I think it is perfect to introduce younger readers so creepy writing!
It's like the horror version of Toy Story. A young girl named Vicky is given a creepy old dollhouse for her birthday and she does not like it. She wanted a bike, and instead was given this which makes her very upset and even angry. Even though she is angry with her parents, she takes it out on the old raggedy dolls in the dollhouse and makes up scenarios that are horrible for the dolls because she is angry with her own life. One night, she goes to bed and wakes up inside the dollhouse with all of the dolls that she has made miserable lives out of. This book was controversial to my parents when I was younger, as they thought it was to scary and creepy for a girl my age but I absolutely loved it. It was like my own little Stephen King book. The text is super big, and the chapter book is relatively small compared to some others but it helped me get into reading chapter books that were bigger and I think it is perfect to introduce younger readers so creepy writing!
September 21, 2011
I'm waffling between three and four stars on this one. I didn't like it as much as Fingers, partly because it was shorter and simpler, but it was definitely creepy and once again Sleator did an amazing job of making things grotesque without ever feeling like he was dipping into distasteful. I'll give it four stars here, but it's probably closer to three-and-a-half.
Also, this was a really short read. Around 70 pages with big text and fully illustrated. I read it in under an hour.
Once again I didn't have the version with the James Jean cover. The version I read had a cover and illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman, which were pretty good. The James Jean cover definitely nails the creepiness of the dolls, though.
Also, this was a really short read. Around 70 pages with big text and fully illustrated. I read it in under an hour.
Once again I didn't have the version with the James Jean cover. The version I read had a cover and illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman, which were pretty good. The James Jean cover definitely nails the creepiness of the dolls, though.
March 1, 2016
This came as a suggestion for a book club, and I figured I would give it a try. Vicky wants a ten speed bike for her birthday, but instead she is given an old dollhouse. At first she is not happy, but then she finds herself playing with it. Meanwhile things are not good in her house. Her mother is an unhappy woman and takes out her stress on Vicky and her father. Vicky begins to act out her aggression and frustration on the dolls in the home, and then one day she finds herself inside the dollhouse.
Among the Dolls is an incredibly quick read with a feeling of eeriness. Vicky's unhappiness pours into the dolls given them evil personalities. I felt that the story was a little rushed and did not find the characters to be likable. I felt sorry for Vicky but felt she created her own mess in some ways. In others her mother seemed to be on the abusive side. (This book was originally written in the 1970s). I hate dolls, so maybe that is part of why I really just did not get into this book. I do think younger children will love the creepiness of the dolls.
Among the Dolls is an incredibly quick read with a feeling of eeriness. Vicky's unhappiness pours into the dolls given them evil personalities. I felt that the story was a little rushed and did not find the characters to be likable. I felt sorry for Vicky but felt she created her own mess in some ways. In others her mother seemed to be on the abusive side. (This book was originally written in the 1970s). I hate dolls, so maybe that is part of why I really just did not get into this book. I do think younger children will love the creepiness of the dolls.
June 4, 2019
Among the Dolls is a very quick and easy read, despite the very creepy events of the story. I managed to read the whole thing in one sitting in little more than an hour. The story is very original and genuinely creepy in the plot elements and imagery, but somehow I felt unsatisfied after reading it. I think where this book fell short for me was that it was just too quick a read. For a light comedy/horror parody like Bunnicula, the much shorter story works well because of the much lower stakes(no pun intended) and the overall humorous tone. But a darker, high-stakes story like this one would benefit from a less rushed buildup and more character development. Vicky and were likable enough, but if the book were longer their personalities and relationships, and those of the more sinister characters, could be developed to their full potential.
Among the Dolls may not have enough development to satisfy older readers, but it would be a great age-appropriate horror story for kids who don't scare too easily.
Among the Dolls may not have enough development to satisfy older readers, but it would be a great age-appropriate horror story for kids who don't scare too easily.
October 26, 2013
This book was awesome! The story was really great. Vicky is a troubled young girl who receives an antique dollhouse for her birthday. As Vicky's parents begin to argue more, and her grades drop in school, she makes the dolls' lives as miserable as her own. Vicky makes the dolls fight, and has them sleep in uncomfortable places. One night Vicky finds herself IN the dollhouse, and now she must face the evil dolls she has created and find her way back home. I love creepy doll-themed plots and this one was really different and even creeped me out at times! I was more than glad the book lacked cheesiness and romance and all that, but there were some minor faults. The book was really short at 86 pages, and I wanted the story to go on for longer. I also wish the author spent more time leading up to Vicky being trapped in the dollhouse. Overall, great story and perfect for horror fans! I loved "Among the Dolls"!
December 15, 2014
Having loved "The Doll's House" by Rumer Godden as a child, I continue to like books about dollhouses. This one was moderately spooky and a relatively quick read. I'm not sure what I would have thought about it as a child, but I found it unsatisfying as an adult. The idea is that the dolls are supposed to be mean because the little girl plays with them in mean ways, but her meansness is only explained in a few paragraphs and just didn't come across effectively. *Spoiler* While the miniature house in the attic was a nice touch, there was no reasoning as to why it would be there. It just seemed to come from nowhere. Strange. Also the mom first said that she didn't want the main character to add a fifth doll because it wouldn't "fit", but the daugther doll is rubber and the dad is wrapped cloth and pipe cleaners. Not authentically antique at all.
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November 26, 2021A perfect post-Thanksgiving aperitif: a swift and menacing autumnal tale of a girl named Vicky shrunk down to doll-size and tormented by the inhabitants of her own dollhouse. These misshapen, deterioriating antique dolls want to force Vicky to suffer through the same sundry degradations that she's forced upon them during her sadistic playing-- having one's rubbery limbs twisted in knots, being left for hours stuffed under a kitchen table, and eating nothing but crumbles of plaster turkey from a platter that's never cleared from the kitchen table -- all while reminding Vicky that, like them, she's been rendered "small and helpless now" by whatever mysterious forces. So, a great metaphor for bad parenting and miserable childhoods! If only Vicky's lousy, Chopin-loving parents had purchased her that ten-speed she'd wanted for her birthday instead of that rotten old cursed dollhouse.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews