“Ivy! It's a natural disaster! You have to be there!”

“When grown-ups asked you to sit in a circle, they were usually about to tell you something you didn't want to hear. Ms. Aruba-Tate, Ivy and Bean's second-grade teacher, was forever gathering them in a circle for bad news. Like, the class fish died over the weekend. Or, everyone has to start using real punctuation. Or, the pencil sharpener is off-limits. Circles meant trouble.”

“That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive—all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.”

“We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.”

“If I could have anything I wanted, I would choose story without end, and it seems I have lots of company in that.”

“If you had duct tape, you were prepared for anything.”

“You know how I love talking about books, and you know how I adore receiving compliments.”