Through the Dolls' House Door

The premise of Gardam's latest novel is one with which most readers are familiarthat dolls come to life. Here, an eclectic group of dolls shared by English schoolgirls Mary and Claire tell their life histories while stuffed within the confines of the dolls' house. A toy soldier named ""The General'' recounts his early fighting years during the siege of Troy and his harrowing voyage with Odysseus through storm-tossed waters. Bossy, a wooden doll with an egg-shaped head, spins a tale about the Dutch woodcarver who fashioned her. Meanwhile Mary and Claire have grown and begun families of their own and the long-abandoned dolls are rediscovered and brought forth to begin other adventures. It's a clever bit of characterization, told with humor and imaginative zeal. Ages 10-up. (October)