The Doll Shop Downstairs
THE DOLL SHOP DOWNSTAIRS was named one of the 2010 Cooperative Children’s Book Choices, which is the annual best-of-the-year list of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. The CCBC is a non-circulating examination, study, and research library for Wisconsin school and public librarians, teachers, early childhood care providers, university students, and others interested in children’s and young adult literature. BUY THE BOOK | TEACHER’S GUIDE
Praise for THE DOLLSHOP DOWNSTAIRS
Mix one part Rumer Godden’s The Story of Holly and Ivy and many parts Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family and you create a standout family-and-doll story. It’s 1914 New York City, and Anna, the middle daughter of a doll repairman, helps her parents save their business and helps her sisters become better sisters, too. The war makes it impossible to find the German-made supplies needed to repair the dolls in the Breittlemanns’ shop, so Anna suggests they create new dolls, resulting in Nurse Nora. When the doll buyer from F.A.O. Schwarz discovers Nurse Nora, a new family business is born. Fascinating historical details of life on the Lower East Side mesh with the day-to-day routines of these Jewish sisters as they learn to get along with each other through work and play. Maione’s charming black-and-white illustrations reflect the nostalgic tone and make the book manageable for new readers. A fascinating author’s note lets readers in on a little secret—the birth of the Madame Alexander dolls was the inspiration for this story. (Historical fiction. 7-12) —Kirkus, STARRED Review
McDonough gives us a wholly original story…. Dolls and doll parts, a resourceful Mama and Papa and an appealing heroine and her sisters are all deftly drawn…The Doll Shop Downstairs will become a classic. —Jewish Book World, STARRED Review
Nine-year-old doll lover Anna lives with her capable older sister Sophie and her sometimes whiny younger sister Trudie above her parents’ doll repair shop. Although fine china dolls of their own are out of the family’s reach, the girls’ father lets them play with three that are longtime patients awaiting new replacement parts. World War I has a devastating effect on the doll repair business, but Anna finds a new way for her family to make a go of it. Anna’s first-person narrative creates convincing portrayals of her sisters and parents as well as her personal ups and downs. Set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, this short, appealing chapter book is reminiscent of Taylor’s classic All-of-a-Kind Family series in its story of sisters growing up in a loving Jewish home in the same time and place. Pleasant black-and-white pictures illustrate the action while helping children to visualize its period setting. An appended glossary defines terms such as bisque, buckram, embargo, and Sukkoth. —Booklist
"Doll Shop Downstairs" diorama made by Vivian, age 7
This is a cozy family story, similar in its New York setting and nostalgic feel to the All of a Kind Family series, and the doll aspect will undoubtedly appeal to many doll-loving girls. The historical elements provide ballast but never overshadow the focus on Anna, her family, and the dolls. The descriptions of the family¹s ability to be creative with what they have are especially appealing (and freshly timely), and the sisters’ relationships with one another are authentic in their ups and downs. Present-tense narration, clear and concise writing, and a relatively short page count make this a quick and lively read. —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB)
Taking loose inspiration from the true-life story of the late Madame Alexander, whose New York based company has been producing dolls since 1923, McDonough…fashions a wholesome tale of a Russian-Jewish immigrant family on New York’s Lower East Side in the early 1900s. [She] tells the story in nine-year-old Anna’s straightforward, sympathetic voice, accurately presenting relevant historical details as well as the emotional complexities of sibling relationships. Reminiscent of the All-of-a-Kind Family series, the book distinguishes itself both by its foundation in doll history and its authentic depictions of imaginative play. —Publishers Weekly
This…sweet tale has an old-fashioned feel and is based on a true story. Readers…will be happy with the ending. —School Library Journal
McDonough does beautifully with the sibling rivalry among the family’s three daughters, and Josie loved the way the book depicts imaginative play with broken dolls awaiting service in the shop. The book…has loads of flavor. —Marjorie Ingall, Tablet
Click here for an online review of THE DOLL SHOP DOWNSTAIRS from blogger Renee Ghert-Zand
