The Doll Hospital

by James Duffy

Alison, an invalid girl, and her dolls and "furries" who come to life, create a hospital for dolls less fortunate than themselves and with the support of the Doll Hospital patients, Alison musters enough courage to try an experimental drug treatment.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Classics

169 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Duffy is the author of a number of scholarly books on shipwrecks, slavery, African history, and a novel for young readers, The Revolt of the Teddy Bears. He has received fellowships from the Bollingen Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book as a kid. I read it several times. I tried to make my own little doll hospital. I'm tempted to read it again, but I'm afraid I'll ruin it for myself. I think I'll let it keep that rosy glow from childhood.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was amazing!!!! i wanted to start my own hospital!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a copy of The Doll Hospital in a thrift store when I was 7 or 8. I loved doll stories (and still do). My parents let me buy it, but part of me always felt it was somehow "different" from the other books I was allowed to read. I can't exactly figure out in what way I thought it was different. Had I never read an Apple paperback before??

I remember reading it multiple times, but I also got rid of it... I want to say within the year? I got rid of a lot of books when we moved when I was 8. I can only assume it was a casualty of that.

I acquired this again, since I regretted getting rid of it and was curious to read it again. It was a very sweet story! I remembered so much of the story. Even as an adult, I am unsure what is actually wrong with Alison. But I was able to pick up on things I missed as a child, such as the doll "MiMi" clearly being a plant from Alison's doctor to make her less afraid about taking new (and experimental) medication. Ha.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book as a child. I think I picked it out one year as one of my prizes at the library's summer reading program.
I was fascinated by the whole hospital aspect, as I had never had to go to the hospital myself. I was envious that she got to miss lots of school, as I hated school.
I also now remembering why the mom couldn't just chill out and let the girl run her doll hospital without giving her grief.

[Trisha Gephart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a kid. I would love to read it again now as an adult but I can't find it anywhere!

[theangrygoblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a huge impact on me me as a lonely little girl whose only real friends were her dolls. I hope one day I have a daughter of my own that I can share this wonderful story with

[Franny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It embodies my childhood dream that my stuffed animals actually could talk to me. As children, my sister and I played endless games with our stuffies and dolls, and reading a book in which they could play along delighted me. I really like Alison, she's kind and motherly to her dolls, but she's also sensible of her own limitations. I loved her world, which is mostly confined to her house, and yet when she goes to the kitchen it seems so far from her bedroom with her dolls. This was my favorite book for many years, I can't recommend it enough.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid, read it numerous times.

[Sam]

Read this in first grade--my first "chapter" book.

[Kelly (kellyreadingbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

🧸 Thrift Books really came through with this throwback! 🧸

I was obsessed with this "chapter book" as a kid which got handed down to me from my older sister. We follow Alison, a little girl that has been hospitalized off and on her entire life. It's not explicitly stated in the book what condition Alison has to deal with. An anemic disease is briefly mentioned but not confirmed. She is very bored of having to stay home from school and her only friends are a stuffed dog named Boodles and a doll named Nettie. She decides she wants to start a doll hospital to help repair any injured dolls, and a whole host of battered dolls and stuffed animals make their way from neighborhood kids to Alison and her "medical team".

🏥 🐶 🏥 🐶 🏥 🐶 🏥 🐶 🏥 🐶 🏥 🐶 🏥

This book was published in 1989. There were 1-2 moments of "that didn't age too well" in the story but overall I was impressed that the book held up as a nostalgia read as an adult. I really enjoyed the magical feeling of the dolls being able to talk to only Alison/other children. I remember relating to it a lot because I also spent some time in a children's hospital as a kid and feeling different to other kids. The illustrations and story felt like a warm hug from little-reader-me.

What are your childhood favorites that have semi-cringe covers like this one? 😅

5 stars for the nostalgia
📖 169 pgs
⛅️ 🍂 seasonal readers: takes place in late summer & Fall, but only a background mention. Could be read in any season.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was 8 or 9 year old. I loved this book, and felt a kinship to Allison. I wasn't sick like her, but I didn't have many friends and was bullied a lot. My dolls became my friends/escape when I wasn't reading books. I loved the idea of a doll hospital where dolls and teddy bears came to life and became nurses and doctors, with Allison being the head doctor.

Reflecting back on the story, maybe it was predictable - it seems the critics hated it. But as a lonely little girl, I loved the book. I saw Allison as a book friend, and chose to believe the dolls came to life (I guess like Toy Story before Toy Story was a big thing.)

I would recommend this book to kids if they are able to find it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved rediscovering this book, but somehow found it harder to keep going than I thought I would. I enjoyed the names of the characters, and the subtle way Dr. Long convinces Alison to go through the procedure.

It was one of several books from my elementary years I chose to keep after sorting and donating earlier this year, because it brought back such tangible memories of being young and in love with reading.

Plus my husband had just returned home from Lisbon where he sent me pictures of a storefront called ‘The Doll Hospital.’

A sweet book. Dated.

[Theresa F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in grade school. I think some of it went over my head at the time. Rereading it now, my suspension of disbelief becomes rather strained towards the end. But the book still holds up well overall.
Did I like it? Yes.
Would I reread it? Not sure.
Would I recommend it? Yes.

[Angela Verry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this as a kid. Read it till the pages fell out!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite that my kids are enjoying now!

[Jill Hartlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember checking this book out from the Library so many times when I was in elementary school! It was one of my first favorite books 😊

[Luann Habecker · Rating 1 out of 5]

my FAVORITE book from childhood! loved it! and i think it affected me as i treated my stuffed animals as though they were real people for years... i too am saving it for the day that i may be blessed with a daughter!

UPDATE 1/21/15
re-read this. i threw it out. we need to stop this. stop attempting to humanize dolls/inanimate objects. this does a great damage to children as it belittles God. Blasphemes Him and Him alone giving life. PEOPLE are made in His image and likeness. Dolls, animals etc are not created equal to humans!

nevermind attempting to explain to a child why a doll is pretend but God is real...

stop perpetuating this lie. we put forth such effort and encourage humanizing inanimate objects while we are MURDERING actual humans in the WOMB!

ABOLISHHUMANABORTION.com

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. I think I borrowed it half a dozen times from the library and read it twice each time. I never knew the author - now I do, I'll track down my very own copy XD

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books growing up.