“FANTASMAGORY a dream-like state where real life and imagination are blurred together.”

This epigraph references the title and sets up the tone and narrative style of the book. The idea of blending real life and imagination represents the way Dory narrates her life and sees the world, combining her playful, childlike fantasy games with reality. The reader’s expectation is thus that they must interpret both Dory’s “reality” and the actual reality of the scenes in the story.

“My name is Dory, but everyone calls me Rascal.”

This is the opening line of the novel and Dory’s introduction. It is immediately suggested that the way Dory sees herself and the way her family sees her will diverge. The nickname “Rascal” indicates that Dory’s behavior is seen as unruly.

“‘Why do you always call me a baby?’ I complain.

‘Because you talk to yourself,’ says Violet.

‘And you have temper tantrums,’ says Luke.

‘And you play with monsters,’ says Violet.”

In this quote, Dory’s siblings lay out why they consider her immature and express their understanding of what maturity means. This passage introduces one of the main themes, Defining Maturity, by indicating that Luke and Violet see realism and self-control as indicators of maturity.