Saving Marissa — Joan Holub

The fourth book in the Doll Hospital series tells the dual stories of a beloved 1950s babydoll and modern-day sisters Rose and Lila.

Sisters Rose and Lila, ages 10 and 8, are spending the year with their grandmother (who runs a doll hospital) while their parents are working out of the country. Their grandmother has a special power to communicate with dolls, and to tell their stories.

In this book, the girls find a damaged babydoll at the home of their babysitter, Jill, an older woman who lives in the neighborhood. Rose and Lila persuade Far Nana to restore the doll, and the girls learn its story. The doll, Marissa, belonged to Jill when she was a little girl. Marissa was a gift from Jill's beloved aunt. (cont.)