The Headless Doll

by Mike Ford

From the author of The Lonely Ghost comes a chilling new tale about a vengeful ghost who wants her doll back-or else.

A headless doll. A deserted island. A haunted lighthouse. Twelve-year-old Jennifer's summer vacation is not going anything like she expected it to. She's staying with her Aunt Liv, who lives on an island off the coast of Maine. The island is mostly famous for its lighthouse, which is rumored to be haunted by a ghost. Aunt Liv is an artist who specializes in making one-of-a-kind dolls. She also runs a doll hospital. People send her their dolls from all over to repair.



Jennifer notices some creepy things about the house, like flickering lights and something that sounds like faint whispering. Then one of the dolls that Jennifer has been helping her aunt work on is found broken. A neighbor girl tells Jennifer that her aunt's house is haunted by a ghost who's looking for her lost doll. Jennifer doesn't want to believe her. But after more dolls are broken, she starts to get scared. What if the ghost is real?

Genres: Horror, Ghosts, Middle Grade

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Pseudonym for Michael Thomas Ford.

Reviews

[Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. A bit spooky at first but the end was nice.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

middle school read and a little ghostly.

[⏾⋆.˚ naji˚.⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you read a heartwarming horror story revolving around the ghost of a girl who wants to find her father, and the ghost of her father looking everywhere for her?
This one <3 it did give me some goosebumps at times, too.

[Tayler Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Liz Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean it was a YA thriller so what do you want me to say

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was scary in the best way! ♥ I loved the characters except for Maddie in the starting of the book. i loved the plot from start to ending♥ I had a feeling this would be a fantastic book when I saw it at the library today, I was correct and easily read all of it in the same day! ♥

[Danielle S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely paced. I read this aloud with my 1st and 4th graders and they were both engaged the entire time. Not overly spooky.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jen's parents send her to her Aunt Liv for the summer while they're busy working. Liv designs realistic art dolls and also runs a doll hospital in a small island town in Maine. On the ferry over, Jen meets Joe, who lives on the mainland, but visits his uncle, who runs a restaurant. Joe tells Jen that the only other kid on the island is Maddie, and she's a bit of a character. Jen is charmed by her aunt's house, which was owned in the early 1800s by Captain Pratchett, but a little creeped out by the dolls, especially when she finds a stray fake eye in her dresser! Things get even weirder when Liv's doll workshop has items moved around in it. Joe tells Jen the story of Pearl Pratchett, who was waiting for her father to come back from sea, and after the ship was wrecked, found the body of the doll he was bringing home to her... but not it's head. There is also something going on with Aunt Liv; she is stressed, and there seems to be money problems. Some of these are due to the evil plans of Chester McKiser, who wants to buy up properties on the island and open a hotel. Jen has met Maddie, who is standoffish at first, but then wants to befriend her, but only because she is spying for Chester, who is her uncle. When the head of a doll ends up in a lobster trap, it looks like the one in the portrait of Pearl still hanging in Liv's house. Since Jen has heard creepy singing and felt the presence of Pearl, she takes this as a sign that Pearl's ghost needs her help to move on. She's hanging out with Maddie, even though she overheard Maddie talking to her uncle, and actually likes the girl. Will Jen be able to put Pearl's ghost to rest but also save her aunt's property from being sold?

Young readers might not fully understand how important dolls were to young girls before the 1960s; not only would Pearl have wanted to be reunited with her father, but the doll would have been a coveted possession, and enough to stick around for a couple of hundreds years to restore it. Would the head have survived in the briny deep? Maybe not, but it makes for an intriguing premise.

The island setting was well portrayed, and creepily atmospheric. There's a light house, windswept shore, fun, touristy locations, and even a ferry. It makes sense that Jen would gravitate to the only two kids around, and it was quite true to life to have her hang out with Maddie even after she knew that Maddie meant to spy on her for her uncle.

The best part about this was how Aunt Liv's business made a perfect setting for a creepy doll! Sure, Pearl's ghost was looking for her doll, but having this set in a house where there are not only pictures of Pearl and her doll but also a whole host of dolls in various stages of disrepair kept me on the edge of my seat. The back cover of this book has a clothesline of disembodied doll limbs that is even creepier than the cover. That said, this is more mildly scary, and would not give upper elementary age children nightmares that would keep them awake!

Ford's The Lonley Ghost also brought in some historical elements to a scary story, and Ford is the same author who did the fantastic 2011 Z, which combined zombies AND video games. Scholastic has a knack for publishing fantastic scary books. These are often paperback only releases, which is great for kids who want to buy books, but less fabulous for libraries who want to purchase copies for circulation!

[Sarah Seelbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was truly creepy in a good way! I enjoyed it and it kept me on my toes wanting to keep reading to find out more and what is going to happen next. I'm so glad she kept going and investigating it all rather than let everything bad happen to her aunt and their house. I really enjoyed reading this book!

[Lucille Bransfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good middle grade ghost story. I bought this from the Scholastic book fair at school. Once we go back to school I know exactly who I’m passing it onto. I love to read books my students enjoy and trade with them. This is a great read and not too spooky. Kind of touching actually. Very reminiscent of books I read as a kid. It definitely had an 80’s feel to it.

[Maryann yamelski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The haunted Island .

Loved the characters and the setting.it was such a refreshing ghost story I couldn't wait to get to the ending to see what happened but hated that the story had ended.great story!

[DCI Zip · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly chilling tail and a haunting past, perfect for a starter up into spooky tails: Good for kids

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent middle grade mystery/horror novel.

[Michelle Till · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary but not terrible. I think I’ve definitely read scarier. Love this book super intriguing

[Krystin Cutwright]

Read with Aubrey

[Paul Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my students was reading it and I loved the cover so I went for it. Great quick little middle school scare. Fun characters and enjoyable story

[Poe · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I always feel like somebody's watching me?" ~ Rockwell, Somebody's Watching Me (1983)

Spending the summer at Auntie’s is always a good time... especially when ghosts decide to clock in.

The Headless Doll was my introduction to Mike Ford, & he didn't disappoint. The story follows 12-year-old Jennifer, who gets sent to stay with her Aunt Liv for the summer on a small island you can only reach by ferry—an island famous for its haunted lighthouse... because, in a fictional piece called The Headless Doll, why wouldn’t it be?

Aunt Liv lives in the Pratchett House, once owned by the infamous Captain Pratchett, & runs a doll hospital where people send their broken dolls to get fixed up good as new.

Jennifer links up with Joe, the kid mail carrier who ferries back & forth delivering packages, & Maddie, the moody, slightly creepy (& only other) kid on the island. When one of Aunt Liv’s dolls starts reaching out to Jennifer for help (yes, honey… the doll... which, incidentally, is the reason I prefer to collect stuffed animals as opposed to dolls), the three kids realize a ghost is involved: Pearl Pratchett, the captain’s daughter.
Now they’ve gotta help Pearl before time runs out because local developer with tourist-resort dreams & bad vibes, Chester McKiser, is trying to buy up island properties, including the Pratchett House, from a financially struggling Aunt Liv.

The characters are just the right mix of age-appropriateness, sassiness, & humor—perfect for young readers & still enjoyable if you’re grown but young at heart. It’s spooky without being too scary, adventurous without being overwhelming, & a solid middle-grade ghost story overall.

3 out of 5 ✨