Hahn uses books to foreshadow details of the plot by sending clues to readers of what is in story for her characters. In Chapter 1, Ali finds a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl in a box with several other books brought home by her mother from her deceased grandmother’s house. The book tells the story of an impoverished young boy named Charlie who wins a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. A day that seems destined to be a wonderful adventure turns into a wild and surprising one, just like Ali’s summer at Gull Cottage. The story also deals with themes relating to karma and appearances being deceiving, both of which feature in this story.

The book in which Ali finds the photograph, The Bungalow Mystery, is one of “at least a dozen” other Nancy Drew titles also in the box (1). Ali feels she “has long outgrown Carolyn Keene’s plots” (1), a comment that suggests she had been a fan of mystery stories in the past. Ali’s interest in the genre characterizes her as an inquisitive person and lays the groundwork for understanding her intense curiosity throughout the story.