The+Museum+of+Mary+Child

This book was...odd. In some ways I really enjoyed it, but it was also just strange. Heloise is a young girl living with her godmother and their housekeeper in a small cottage next to a museum. Her godmother gives tours of the museum and generally oversees its upkeep, although Heloise has never been allowed in there. Heloise is not allowed to do most things--laugh, talk at a normal volume, play with other children, have a doll. She spends her days on the schoolwork that has been chosen for her by her godmother and sewing clothing for children in the orphanage in the next town. She is very lonely and longs for a doll more than anything; one day, she pries up one of her bedroom floorboards and finds a doll hidden there. She manages to keep the doll a secret from her godmother for a short time, but when she finds out and demands the doll Heloise takes drastic action. There were some magical and fantasy aspects to the story, but they didn't always tie in well. I'm not sure that it deserves a spot on the final list--compared to some of the others I've been reading, it just doesn't hold up as well. Caitlin Stevens Bedford Public Library