Quote 1
"Well," April and Melanie said to each other—only just with a look, not out loud, "wasn't that just like a boy. They got things into a mess and then expected a girl to get them out of it." But, since Toby was admitting he needed their help, they were willing to give it. (19.21-22)
Even though Toby is obviously an idiot for pretending to be the oracle (well, a smart idiot, but a little rude), the girls are still willing to help him get out of this mess. That's what friends are for, after all—bailing you out when you mess up.
Quote 2
"The gods demand that we make a horrible and bloody sacrifice." April took up Melanie's theme with relish.
"A horrible and bloody sacrifice," Melanie agreed.
"A horrible and bloody sacrifice," Marshall and Elizabeth repeated dutifully, but Elizabeth's voice quavered a little and Marshall leaned over and poked his sister. (11.6-8)
Elizabeth and Marshall go along with all of Melanie and April's Egyptian rituals, but that doesn't mean that they're not occasionally spooked by them. When April starts talking about a sacrifice, the two younger kids can't help focusing on the "horrible" and the "bloody" and wondering what happened to the make-believe.
Quote 3
"How about that?" April asked. "Did you write that too?"
"Me?" Ken said in amazement. "No way! I didn't have time to write all that. Besides, I don't even know what it means." (17.24-25)
The kids are all shocked—and a bit terrified—when the oracle actually writes back to them. How are they supposed to make sense of this new turn of events? Should they stop playing the game altogether? Or keep their eyes peeled for ghosts with really good handwriting?
Quote 4
"Do you really still play with paper dolls?" April asked in just the tone of voice that Melanie had feared she would use. Not just because she was April, either. It was the tone of voice that nearly anyone would use about a sixth-grade girl who still played with ordinary paper dolls. (3.40)
April is only eleven years old, but she can still act superior when she sees Melanie doing something she sees as babyish. But when Melanie shows her the game, April is completely sucked in and has to admit that playing with paper dolls can be fun. That's the power of imagination.
Quote 5
"How old is she?" she asked, letting her eyes go narrow.
"I think her mother said she was nine," Caroline said.
"Nine," said April, with a cool smile, "is a lot younger than eleven." (7.4-6)
April is very skeptical about Elizabeth Chung because she's only nine years old. Two years younger seems like a lot when it's the switch from single digits to doubles. How are they going to have anything in common?
Quote 6
All of a sudden April grabbed Melanie's arm. "Look!" she whispered.
"What?" Melanie whispered back.
"Elizabeth," April said. "What does she look like?"
Melanie caught her breath. "Nefertiti," she breathed. (7.28-31)
Meeting Elizabeth also seems like it was meant to be when the girls look at her and realize that in profile, she looks a lot like the bust of Nefertiti. It's a pretty obvious sign that they have to let her join the game.