Doll Bones

How might the novel have read differently if told from Poppy or Alice’s third-person point of view instead of Zach’s, or if told from alternating perspectives? What about if the novel were told from Zach’s first-person point of view instead of third person? How might these different viewpoints have impacted the novel’s tone, characterization, and pacing?

Take a scene and rewrite it through Poppy or Alice’s first- or third-person perspective.

Write a monologue from Zach’s father’s perspective as he throws away his son’s action figures. What are his reasons for doing this? How might they be different from what Zach thinks?

How do Poppy, Zach, and Alice’s personas reflect their inner selves and desires? How do the friends grow through storytelling?

The trio’s school peers get little attention throughout the novel. Instead, Black focuses on emphasizing their family members and parents. What impact does this have on the novel and its themes?

What genre elements does Black take from fantasy, horror, and gothic fiction? How do they impact the narrative’s tone and atmosphere?

How does the trio’s former role-playing game help and inform their quest to save the Queen? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

Zach and Alice have a difficult time trusting Poppy about the haunted china doll. What factors engender this distrust?