Eleven Allusions & Cultural References

When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.

  • Rachel just turned eleven on the day of the story, so she's not one for making shout-outs to the Gilded Age or the poetry of William Carlos Williams. In fact, she hardly makes any references at all. Her perspective focuses instead on her surroundings and life experiences, which we think is a perfectly, wonderfully eleven-year-old way to look at the world even if it doesn't make for an extensive shout-out section.

Pop Culture References

  • Russian nesting dolls, a.k.a. Matryoshka dolls (3)
  • Band-Aid box (5)