The Meanest Doll in the World

Lynn Redgrave's reasonable tone and measured reading lend credence to a fantasy about dolls that come to life when humans aren't paying attention. This sequel to THE DOLL PEOPLE, which can stand alone, follows best friends Annabelle and Tiffany as they find adventure. Redgrave sensitively takes cues from the text to create voices for the characters. Annabelle and her family have light British accents appropriate for dolls crafted in England in 1898. Plastic Tiffany has a squeaky and distinctly American voice. The paper dolls have breathy singsong voices, and Mean Mimi sounds believably mean. Well-timed side breaks combine with Redgrave's performance to create a light and fun listen. A.F. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

September 1, 2003
When the kids are away, the dolls sure do play. That's the case in The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, read by Lynn Redgrave. In this lively sequel to The Doll People, dolls Annabelle Doll and Tiffany Funcraft find danger and adventure when they accidentally get transported to their owner Kate's school, and then to another child's house-home to a wicked princess doll named Mean Mimi.

March 1, 2004
Gr 3-6-Annabell Doll and Tiffany Funcraft are back in Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin's fun-filled sequel (Hyperion, 2003) to The Doll People (Hyperion, 2000). This time the dolls take a trip outside the house in Kate's backpack by mistake. Unfortunately, there is a mix-up at school and the dolls wind up in the home of classmate BJ. Here they meet the evil Mimi, a doll who is convinced she shall be queen of all the dolls and has the demanding attitude to prove it. Annabelle and Tiffany, along with an assortment of other dolls, fend off Mimi and her wicked army before returning to their own home. There they discover that Mimi has followed them, bent on revenge. Mimi manages to cause a rift between the Doll and Funcraft families before her own rash behavior causes her downfall. Lynn Redgrave does an admirable job of voicing the various characters and imbuing Mimi with a sly, sneering intonation. Have the book available so listeners can enjoy Brian Selznick's witty illustrations which do a fabulous job of extending the story. This fantasy with its broad humor, evil machinations, and tales of friendship will delight both fans of the Doll People and those new to the story.-Katherine Devine, Westminster Academy, Elizabeth, NJ

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.