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Dory Fantasmagory #6
Dory Fantasmagory: Can't Live Without You
The wildly popular, ever hilarious Dory Fantasmagory series is back for a sixth adventure, with Dory turning separation anxiety into a ghostly, goofy escapade.
When Dory loses track of her mom in the hardware store, it leads to a touch of separation anxiety. Dory suspects her mom will soon sail off on a ship across the world to eat cake and play kickball and never return. These are big feelings, and Dory knows what to. She throws a sheet over her head and haunts her family everywhere they go so they can't leave her, much to the annoyance of her brother and sister. Then Dory’s longtime nemesis Mrs. Gobble Gracker reappears, wearing a wedding dress, and Dory’s mom makes an announcement that leaves not just Dory reeling but her siblings, too. Maybe a haunting is exactly what's needed to get this family back to normal.
In her sixth book, Dory delivers hoots and oopses on every page, entangling her friends—real and imaginary—in fabulous plots that sometimes take even Dory herself by delightful surprise.
When Dory loses track of her mom in the hardware store, it leads to a touch of separation anxiety. Dory suspects her mom will soon sail off on a ship across the world to eat cake and play kickball and never return. These are big feelings, and Dory knows what to. She throws a sheet over her head and haunts her family everywhere they go so they can't leave her, much to the annoyance of her brother and sister. Then Dory’s longtime nemesis Mrs. Gobble Gracker reappears, wearing a wedding dress, and Dory’s mom makes an announcement that leaves not just Dory reeling but her siblings, too. Maybe a haunting is exactly what's needed to get this family back to normal.
In her sixth book, Dory delivers hoots and oopses on every page, entangling her friends—real and imaginary—in fabulous plots that sometimes take even Dory herself by delightful surprise.
160 pages, Hardcover
Published September 26, 2023
54 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Abby Hanlon
34 books270 followersAbby Hanlon is the author and illustrator of Dory Fantasmagory, a series of chapter books for five to nine year olds, published by Dial/Penguin Random House. The first book in the series was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Parent's Magazine. It won a Golden Kite Honor for Fiction and is an American Library Association Notable Book. The sequel, Dory and The Real True Friend won a 2015 Cybil award. The books have been translated in twenty-four languages and are Junior Library Guild selections.
Abby has a bachelor's from Barnard College and a master's degree in childhood education from the City College of New York. Abby has taught creative writing and first grade in the New York City public school system. Her debut picture book, Ralph Tells a Story (2012), is widely used by elementary school teachers. Abby illustrated the picture book, Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme, written by Avery Monsen (2022). Chester Van Chime is a 2023 Bank Street College Best Books pick and a Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Books of 2022 selection.
Abby lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.
Abby has a bachelor's from Barnard College and a master's degree in childhood education from the City College of New York. Abby has taught creative writing and first grade in the New York City public school system. Her debut picture book, Ralph Tells a Story (2012), is widely used by elementary school teachers. Abby illustrated the picture book, Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme, written by Avery Monsen (2022). Chester Van Chime is a 2023 Bank Street College Best Books pick and a Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Books of 2022 selection.
Abby lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
September 22, 2023
My daughter is way too old for these now, but I love them so much I had to read it myself! This one is just as delightful and hilarious as the rest.
September 26, 2024
Pirmoji mūsų Dorės nuotykių knygelė. Visai buvo smagu, juokinga 😄
Bandysime ir kitas!
Bandysime ir kitas!
November 3, 2025
“I love it.” -JJ
December 20, 2024
Very funny, Dory gets a babysitter named Judy. I am sad that the Dory fantasmagory series is over. 😭
September 1, 2023
These are the funniest early chapter books I have read.
October 26, 2023
Abby Hanlon has done it again! Our family LOVES Dory. She’s hilarious and my kids can relate to her imagination. Last year we reached out to Abby to see when her next Dory Fantasmagory book would be coming out and my kids have practically been counting down the days until its release. We absolutely loved this one. It was funny and endearing. We were so glad to see Suzy Jackson narrated this one, too, because she just brings the book to life. We will definitely be listening to this one over and over again, like we do all the other Dory Fantasmagory books. We hope there will be more Dory Fantasmagory books to love!
January 26, 2024
It was worth the wait. It's as lovable as the other books in the series. Dory's up to her usual antics, and we just can't get enough of her. I read this with my daughter in one sitting because she didn't want me to stop--and I didn't want to either. I couldn't continue at one point because we were both laughing so hard. By the end, our bellys hurt from so much laughing, but our smiles were wide, and we were so, so satisfied. Abby Hanlon does it again. We love this book!
October 8, 2023
Maybe our favorite one of all 💚
September 30, 2023
I don’t care how old my kids are, I will always continue to love this series. Abby Hanlon said she was done but I was so pleased that she decided to continue the story of this delightful family and Dory’s imaginary friends.
September 29, 2023
Hilarious! My kids thought this was the funniest book yet.
October 5, 2024
It was cute and there were a few funny moments, but it wasn’t my favorite of the series. My son loved it though and I was happy to read it with him!
September 24, 2023
Four years later, better than ever. Cannot recommend Dory enough for the circa-kinders in your life.
July 14, 2023
In the sixth installment of this fantastic series, Dory is worried about being away from her mother. Her imagination runs away with her, and she's convinced that her mother is about to abandon them all and her nemesis, Mrs Gobblecracker, is going to marry her father! The story is hilarious, and has the ring of emotional truth. Dory, her siblings, and her friends behave like real children, and kids and parents alike will have fun with this one.
December 31, 2023
It is so funny I mean who knew that Rascal liked porcupine It's so funny guys red it!!!
November 1, 2023
Perhaps the funniest in the whole amazing series.
January 28, 2024
What worked:
Dory has a vivid imagination which leads to unusual situations. The opening chapter finds her wanting to be a teenager named Rainbow but the purse she brings to school creates an issue. She has several imaginary characters including her friends Mr. Nuggy and Mary while Mrs. Gobble Gracker is a strange-looking woman with fangs. Mary uses a banana split to call Mr. Nuggy who’s able to create potions to help Dory, including a love potion. Dory is upset when she discovers Mozart is dead (he died a couple hundred years ago) and she’s afraid her mother may fall off a ship and get bitten by a shark. Dory’s creative mind produces many wacky scenes that will keep young readers guessing.
The narrative is accompanied by black and white drawings that help to visualize the events. These pictures are especially helpful when Dory interacts with her imaginary characters. Mr. Nuggles is a small man with a pointed hat, Mary has little horns, and Mrs. Gobble Gracker wears unusual outfits. The illustrations add detail to the descriptions such as when Dory is lost at the hardware store or taking ballet lessons. Speech bubbles provide amusing dialogue in the pictures like when a horrible odor follows Dory around school. Almost every page in the book has an illustration which helps the pace of the story for young readers and helps them visualize what’s happening.
Despite Dory’s imagination, the book deals with several real-life issues. Dory suffers from separation anxiety and sometimes becomes clingy around her mom. Dory has older siblings and they can be supportive or annoying depending on the situation. She’s in a dance class that she’s not crazy about and she gets upset when her dad takes her instead of her mom. Dory’s mom makes an announcement later in the book that will require some adjustments to the family’s home life.
What didn’t work as well:
There are scenes where Dory’s brother and sister talk to Mrs. Gobble Gracker which doesn’t make sense if the character is in Dory’s mind. Dory’s siblings must be pretending but it might confuse young readers. Dory’s random thoughts often take the story in unpredictable directions which may bother some readers. The plot doesn’t move in a straight line.
The final verdict:
This book can be read independently from the rest of the series and is most appropriate for an elementary audience. Readers must adapt to how Dory’s arbitrary thoughts control the plot but the whole story is based on realistic issues. Overall, this book should appeal to younger readers and I recommend they give it a shot.
Dory has a vivid imagination which leads to unusual situations. The opening chapter finds her wanting to be a teenager named Rainbow but the purse she brings to school creates an issue. She has several imaginary characters including her friends Mr. Nuggy and Mary while Mrs. Gobble Gracker is a strange-looking woman with fangs. Mary uses a banana split to call Mr. Nuggy who’s able to create potions to help Dory, including a love potion. Dory is upset when she discovers Mozart is dead (he died a couple hundred years ago) and she’s afraid her mother may fall off a ship and get bitten by a shark. Dory’s creative mind produces many wacky scenes that will keep young readers guessing.
The narrative is accompanied by black and white drawings that help to visualize the events. These pictures are especially helpful when Dory interacts with her imaginary characters. Mr. Nuggles is a small man with a pointed hat, Mary has little horns, and Mrs. Gobble Gracker wears unusual outfits. The illustrations add detail to the descriptions such as when Dory is lost at the hardware store or taking ballet lessons. Speech bubbles provide amusing dialogue in the pictures like when a horrible odor follows Dory around school. Almost every page in the book has an illustration which helps the pace of the story for young readers and helps them visualize what’s happening.
Despite Dory’s imagination, the book deals with several real-life issues. Dory suffers from separation anxiety and sometimes becomes clingy around her mom. Dory has older siblings and they can be supportive or annoying depending on the situation. She’s in a dance class that she’s not crazy about and she gets upset when her dad takes her instead of her mom. Dory’s mom makes an announcement later in the book that will require some adjustments to the family’s home life.
What didn’t work as well:
There are scenes where Dory’s brother and sister talk to Mrs. Gobble Gracker which doesn’t make sense if the character is in Dory’s mind. Dory’s siblings must be pretending but it might confuse young readers. Dory’s random thoughts often take the story in unpredictable directions which may bother some readers. The plot doesn’t move in a straight line.
The final verdict:
This book can be read independently from the rest of the series and is most appropriate for an elementary audience. Readers must adapt to how Dory’s arbitrary thoughts control the plot but the whole story is based on realistic issues. Overall, this book should appeal to younger readers and I recommend they give it a shot.
November 2, 2023
First sentence: My name is Dory but everyone calls me Rainbow. "Nobody calls you Rainbow," says my big brother, Luke. "Remember?" I whisper. "I'm a teenager named Rainbow." "It's hard to remember you're a teenager when you have syrup all over your face," says my big sister, Violet. I feel my face. It is very sticky.
Premise/plot: Dory returns for her sixth adventure. In this one she becomes extremely clingy to her mother. Not that that keeps her from imagining her best life ever. OR from making great friends with the new babysitter. This one, like previous titles, features MANY adventures and misadventures--a blending of real and imaginary play. This one continues on the stories of her imaginary friends and enemies.
My thoughts: This one was so funny. It has been a while since I read one of these books. I loved the writing/narrative voice. For example, we learn that Saturday is NIGHTGOWN day and naturally Dory doesn't want to leave the house to go to Creative Dance. I also love the line where Dory offers both the pennies and the PIG to her mother in an effort to persuade her to keep on being a stay at home mom.
I do wish my library had the fifth book. I've read the first four and the sixth.
Premise/plot: Dory returns for her sixth adventure. In this one she becomes extremely clingy to her mother. Not that that keeps her from imagining her best life ever. OR from making great friends with the new babysitter. This one, like previous titles, features MANY adventures and misadventures--a blending of real and imaginary play. This one continues on the stories of her imaginary friends and enemies.
My thoughts: This one was so funny. It has been a while since I read one of these books. I loved the writing/narrative voice. For example, we learn that Saturday is NIGHTGOWN day and naturally Dory doesn't want to leave the house to go to Creative Dance. I also love the line where Dory offers both the pennies and the PIG to her mother in an effort to persuade her to keep on being a stay at home mom.
I do wish my library had the fifth book. I've read the first four and the sixth.
October 16, 2024
Dory's imagination is living and active and ready for anything...except maybe change. She's heartbroken to learn that Mozart is dead. She'd be ok with growing up, but dressing up in her older sister's clothes seems to be rather...stinky. But she definitely is not ready for her mom to go back to work and get stuck with a babysitter every day. This is going to be awful!
I haven't read all the Dory books as I found the 1st book not my cup of tea. I like that her family and teachers and friends now get her imaginary world and know how to work around it (or even use it). That part feels more believable than it did in the first book. The stinky part of her dress up is pretty funny as is Dory's reaction to learning that Mozart is dead. And the new babysitter is surprisingly perfect for Dory.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: Dory's imaginary creation Mrs. Gobble Gracker supposedly falls in love with Dory's father, but then has a switch of amorous intention. The kids hold a pretend wedding for her.
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: Dory's family are white, some classmates are people of color.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: The kids decide to try to scare the new babysitter but she handles them with aplomb and tact.
I haven't read all the Dory books as I found the 1st book not my cup of tea. I like that her family and teachers and friends now get her imaginary world and know how to work around it (or even use it). That part feels more believable than it did in the first book. The stinky part of her dress up is pretty funny as is Dory's reaction to learning that Mozart is dead. And the new babysitter is surprisingly perfect for Dory.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: Dory's imaginary creation Mrs. Gobble Gracker supposedly falls in love with Dory's father, but then has a switch of amorous intention. The kids hold a pretend wedding for her.
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: Dory's family are white, some classmates are people of color.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: The kids decide to try to scare the new babysitter but she handles them with aplomb and tact.
March 25, 2024
Dory, also known as Rascal, becomes afraid that her mother will leave.
After Dory runs off during a trip to the hardware store, she becomes frightened when she can’t find her mother, which results in a temporary fear of abandonment that unfortunately coincides with her mother’s announcement that she will be returning to the workforce.
Dory’s imaginary enemy Mrs Gobble Cracker reappears. This time around she is in love with Dory’s father whom she plans to marry and make Mr Gobble Cracker. But with the help of her fairy godmother Mr Nuggie, Dory is able to use a potion to
Dory also takes a foul smelling plastic purse to school, acts up during dance class, and is sad to learn that Mozart is dead.
Dory, her brother, and her sister try to use Mrs Gobble Cracker, Dory’s oddball behavior, and some misbehavior of their own to get rid of their new after school babysitter. But to no avail.
This book doesn’t have the same magic as the other books in the series. Dory’s misbehavior wasn’t as humorous as in previous installments. It was mostly just annoying. And the Mrs Gobble Cracker subplots fell flat. But it’s hard to hit a home run every time.
After Dory runs off during a trip to the hardware store, she becomes frightened when she can’t find her mother, which results in a temporary fear of abandonment that unfortunately coincides with her mother’s announcement that she will be returning to the workforce.
Dory’s imaginary enemy Mrs Gobble Cracker reappears. This time around she is in love with Dory’s father whom she plans to marry and make Mr Gobble Cracker. But with the help of her fairy godmother Mr Nuggie, Dory is able to use a potion to
Dory also takes a foul smelling plastic purse to school, acts up during dance class, and is sad to learn that Mozart is dead.
Dory, her brother, and her sister try to use Mrs Gobble Cracker, Dory’s oddball behavior, and some misbehavior of their own to get rid of their new after school babysitter. But to no avail.
This book doesn’t have the same magic as the other books in the series. Dory’s misbehavior wasn’t as humorous as in previous installments. It was mostly just annoying. And the Mrs Gobble Cracker subplots fell flat. But it’s hard to hit a home run every time.
January 27, 2024
Read aloud with the kids.
The Dory Fantasmagory series makes me laugh out loud. Yes, the characters can be irreverent and at times rude. Abby Hanlon has a great understanding of children and the way their brains work and she uses of a bunch of seemingly random thoughts that Dory has (that feel very real to the way kids reason) that she blends together into a plot line and each book is so much fun. I’ve read that Abby Hanlon uses instances from her own children for inspiration and her plot-building process is so interesting: she builds the plot and makes sure each scene is crucial to the outcome so even though there are ridiculous and imaginary things happening, it feels believable.
Recommendation for another laugh out loud read aloud series: Mac B. Kid Spy books by Mac Barnett.
The Dory Fantasmagory series makes me laugh out loud. Yes, the characters can be irreverent and at times rude. Abby Hanlon has a great understanding of children and the way their brains work and she uses of a bunch of seemingly random thoughts that Dory has (that feel very real to the way kids reason) that she blends together into a plot line and each book is so much fun. I’ve read that Abby Hanlon uses instances from her own children for inspiration and her plot-building process is so interesting: she builds the plot and makes sure each scene is crucial to the outcome so even though there are ridiculous and imaginary things happening, it feels believable.
Recommendation for another laugh out loud read aloud series: Mac B. Kid Spy books by Mac Barnett.
January 8, 2024
Continuing my reading voyage of beginner chapter books, this book made me laugh out loud at a few parts, which is a hard thing for me to do. Dory is a strange girl with a wild imagination. She's worried about her mom dying, she's worried about her dad running off with Dory's imaginary arch enemy Mrs. Gobble Gracker. Luckily, Dory has her imagination and friends and family to see her through these ridiculous times. While I enjoyed this one and could see people who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid loving it as well (it has so many pictures on every page), I wish it had had more of a running plotline. Still, a humorous, imaginative read. My rating- 4/5
March 24, 2024
I was thrilled to finally find a new Dory Fantasmagory! It's just as hilarious, sweet, and imaginative as the others. It doesn't change the formula, or go to any deeper place, as Tiny Tough for example did. But it does exactly what it sets out to, another hysterical Dory escapade. I do wish I'd taken it out of the library, as my daughter read it in about an hour and I'm not going to return to this one.
January 15, 2025
Dory’s mom goes back to work. The last book in the series thus far. It was a bittersweet moment when we finished it. We love Dory and can’t wait to see her again but are looking forward to new reading adventures. I’m really thankful for this series because Dory definitely turned my girl into a reader.
Eliana’s review: “5 stars! I love Dory and I can’t pick a favorite part. I like Judy’s hair! And Mrs Gobble Gracker is funny.”
Eliana’s review: “5 stars! I love Dory and I can’t pick a favorite part. I like Judy’s hair! And Mrs Gobble Gracker is funny.”
October 6, 2023
IT'S AMAZING.
This was such a delight. I've been looking forward to this book ever since I first saw it announced, and I'm excited that the Dory series didn't end with five books, despite the long hiatus. This was a glorious return to Dory's wacky imagination and family life, and I cackled heartily throughout the entire book. It's so offbeat and humorous, and I love it so much.
This was such a delight. I've been looking forward to this book ever since I first saw it announced, and I'm excited that the Dory series didn't end with five books, despite the long hiatus. This was a glorious return to Dory's wacky imagination and family life, and I cackled heartily throughout the entire book. It's so offbeat and humorous, and I love it so much.
November 8, 2024
Dory's mom is going back to work after being a stay-at-home mom. Dory and her older siblings don't take too well to this news and the three plan to sabotage their new babysitter with the help of Dory's intensely active imagination. Though the three make a plan of action, Dory suddenly pulls out of it.
It's interesting that her siblings join Dory in engaging with her imaginary friends.
It's interesting that her siblings join Dory in engaging with her imaginary friends.
December 30, 2024
Another winner. You will laugh (rabbit on a leash, anyone?), you will say, "Awwww" (the sibling dynamic is truthful and heartwarming), and you will laugh again. A lot. We quote Hanlon in our house on a daily basis. Love love love this series. (Fingers crossed that we will be delighted with another book soon!)
July 1, 2025
Soooo - I'm starting to get used to Dory. Of course I just have to read books 2 - 5. This one is #6.
What I liked about this book is that the whole family understands about Mrs. Gobble Gracker [who wants to marry Dory's dad - that part of the book is soooooooo funny].
Keep up the good work Dory! You're getting to me, girl.
What I liked about this book is that the whole family understands about Mrs. Gobble Gracker [who wants to marry Dory's dad - that part of the book is soooooooo funny].
Keep up the good work Dory! You're getting to me, girl.
August 6, 2025
These books are such a delight. I love that the author does such a good job making Dory's (exhausted) mother so relatable, but also Dory's worldview brings back memories of being a silly little kid and all of the big feelings that go along with that. It's been so wonderful sharing these with my daughter.
October 24, 2023
We have loved all the Dory books. My kids have read them, listened to them, quoted them for years. But this one wasn’t our favorite. It had some good entertainment to it but it just felt like it ended really quick and wasn’t enough story development for us.
November 20, 2023
My kids are getting older but as soon as we saw that there was a new Dory book, we immediately picked it up. Dory's crazy imagination and her family and friend's reactions are fantastic. One of the funniest books that I have read in a long time. Abby Hanlon and Dory are national treasures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews