MARGO'S HOUSE

After her father, an unemployed carpenter, has a heart attack, Margo wakes up as Sis, one of the dolls he crafted for her. Along with a boy doll, Butch, she journeys across the house to her father's workshop, where she hopes to find his soul and send it back to his body. On the way she must contend with the attacks of her rambunctious cat and other difficulties. Griffin (Vikki Vanishes, 1995, etc.) has an odd take on the supernatural in this book; Margo's quest has no point, ultimately, nor does it have a clear resolution. She doesn't find her father's soul, and only realizes where it was after he recovers (readers will have figured this out long before she does). There are exciting moments along the way, as well as perfunctory ones; Griffin explores some of the logical details of Margo's attempts to function as a wooden doll but not others, acknowledging aspects of the doll state that don't make sense. A mystifying, still enjoyable story. (Fiction. 7-11)