Exactly how steamy is this story?
G
Danielle Steel this is not; Doll Bones doesn't contain so much as a single kiss. Not yet teenagers, the main characters don't seem to have a strong awareness of themselves as sexual beings—there are stirrings, but they're still really vague. Alice, who hit puberty a few years ago, seems romantically interested in Zach, but for his part, Zach "hadn't thought about asking a girl out in any kind of real way, but if he was going to ask a girl out to get pizza or play video games, he'd want her to be like Alice" (12.47). Not exactly hot and heavy stuff.
Toward the end of their adventure, Zach asks Alice if she'd like to go to the movies. It only half-counts, though, since Alice is going to be grounded for so long that the date will have to be postponed indefinitely. A little excited, but mostly relieved, Zach felt "glad he asked and he was glad she said yes, but he was also glad she was grounded, so it wouldn't be happening soon" (14.72). So yeah, nothing to see here, Shmoopers.