1. The author occasionally interrupts the story to put in comments of her own.

Do you find that the authorial voice adds to the reader's enjoyment of the novel or does it detract from it?

2. How does the author make the relationship among the two brothers and their sister seem true to life?

3. The four protagonists in the story are for the most part free from adult intervention, or even knowledge, in their various adventures with the magic ring.

How does this influence their activities?

4. Mabel's aunt seems a rather unsympathetic character. What is wrong in her relationship with her niece?

5. In the scene where Gerald disguises himself as a conjuror, he plays the role with considerable effectiveness. What traits of his personality help him to succeed?

6. Why is it that only some of the characters see the statues come to life in the garden...