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Quick answer: If you liked Doll Bones, read Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles, then Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Small Spaces and The Night Gardener. All are spooky middle-grade adventures about friendship, ghosts and growing up.
Holly Black's 2013 novel follows three friends, Zach, Poppy and Alice, who have played an elaborate pretend game with toys for years and are drawn to take a haunted doll to bury her in a faraway town. It is creepy, tender and honest about the end of childhood. The books below offer similar scary-but-sweet stories with friendship at the centre.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide | Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi | Ages 8-12 | hidden creatures |
| Coraline | Neil Gaiman | Ages 8-12 | children's horror |
| The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman | Ages 10+ | raised by ghosts |
| Small Spaces | Katherine Arden | Ages 9-13 | scarecrows and fog |
| The Night Gardener | Jonathan Auxier | Ages 10-14 | haunted tree |
| Serafina and the Black Cloak | Robert Beatty | Ages 9-13 | Biltmore mystery |
| Greenglass House | Kate Milford | Ages 10-14 | snowed-in mystery |
| Bridge to Terabithia | Katherine Paterson | Ages 9-13 | friendship and loss |
| Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | Alvin Schwartz | Ages 8-12 | short frights |
| The Thief Lord | Cornelia Funke | Ages 10-14 | Venice adventure |
| A Monster Calls | Patrick Ness | Ages 12+ | grief and story |
| The Doll People | Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin | Ages 7-10 | living dolls |
| Wolf Hollow | Lauren Wolk | Ages 10-14 | quiet tension |
| The Girl Who Drank the Moon | Kelly Barnhill | Ages 10+ | lyrical fantasy |
| Nevermoor | Jessica Townsend | Ages 9-14 | whimsical wonder |
1. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Three children find a field guide to faeries. Short, spooky and richly illustrated.
Best for: hidden creatures.
2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
A girl finds a door to a sinister mirror world. Short, creepy and brilliant.
Best for: children's horror.
3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A boy is raised by the inhabitants of a graveyard. Eerie and tender.
Best for: raised by ghosts.
4. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
A girl and her friends face a terrifying farm. Spooky and fast.
Best for: scarecrows and fog.
5. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
Two Irish orphans work for a family at a sinister house. Gothic and atmospheric.
Best for: haunted tree.
6. Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
A girl who lives secretly in a mansion hunts a child-stealing figure. Mysterious and exciting.
Best for: Biltmore mystery.
7. Greenglass House by Kate Milford
A boy at an inn full of odd guests solves a theft. Cosy and complex.
Best for: snowed-in mystery.
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Two children invent a magical kingdom in the woods. Beautiful and heartbreaking.
Best for: friendship and loss.
9. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
A classic collection of folktales and urban legends. Creepy and iconic.
Best for: short frights.
10. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Orphans in Venice join a boy who steals. Atmospheric and adventurous.
Best for: Venice adventure.
11. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
A boy is visited by a monster as his mother is ill. Powerful and sad.
Best for: grief and story.
12. The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
Dolls come to life when no one is looking. Gentle and fun.
Best for: living dolls.
13. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
A girl in 1943 Pennsylvania faces a cruel classmate. Beautiful and tense.
Best for: quiet tension.
14. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
A witch raises a child on moonlight. Gentle and beautifully written.
Best for: lyrical fantasy.
15. Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
Morrigan Crow escapes a curse and joins a secret society. Charming and imaginative.
Best for: whimsical wonder.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Doll Bones: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more Black begin with The Spiderwick Chronicles. For gentle chills choose Coraline, The Graveyard Book or Small Spaces. For haunted settings pick The Night Gardener or Serafina and the Black Cloak. For emotional depth read A Monster Calls or Bridge to Terabithia. For shorter scares try Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Doll Bones is spooky, so check how sensitive your reader is. Doll Bones was a Newbery Honor book, and its theme of friends outgrowing play makes it a good choice for children around ten or eleven. Pair it with a discussion of how friendships change. Reading Doll Bones aloud is a nice way to share the book, as the creepy scenes work best with a little drama. If your child enjoyed it, a visit to a local library for more spooky middle-grade is a good next step. Holly Black's author notes and interviews also give insight into how she writes ghost stories.
Related: What Age Is The Lovely Bones Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide · Printable List of The Ugly Doll Books
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Doll Bones about?
Three friends take a haunted doll on a quest to bury her.
Who wrote it?
Holly Black.
When was it published?
2013.
Did it win an award?
It was a Newbery Honor book.
Is it scary?
It is creepy but not gory.
What age is it for?
Roughly ages 9 to 13.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.
What should I read next?
Try The Spiderwick Chronicles or Coraline.
Is the doll actually haunted?
The book keeps this ambiguous, which is part of its charm.
Is there a film?
Check current listings for any adaptation.