“I was vanquished by a deer!'A giant magical flying deer with fangs,' Seth said, parroting a description Gavin had shared earlier.That sounds a little better,' Warren conceded. 'Seth is in charge of my tombstone.”

“I guess Smart Seth is glad, he said reluctantly. But be careful. Idiot Seth is the guy to watch out for.”

“Seth hustled over. “What’s the password?” “Passwords are for sissies,” Warren’s muffled voice responded. “Works for me,” Seth said, unlocking the door and opening it.”

“Oh, Kendra, before I forget, Gavin asked me to give you this letter." He held out a gray, speckled envelope."Happy birthday to you!" Seth exclaimed, his voice full of implications.Kendra tried not to blush as she tucked the envelope away."Dear Kendra," Seth improvised, "you're the only girl who really gets me, you know, and I think you're very mature for your age--""What about some cake?" Grandma interrupted, holding the first piece out to Kendra and glaring at Seth.”

“Hello," Newel said. "Look, Doren, we have visitors. Kendra, Seth, and ... Muriel's weirdo puppet."....Newel grabbed Seth's hand and shook it vigorously. "Congratulations. You just found yourself a secret entrance." "So seriously," Doren said. "What's with the puppet?”

“It was an emergency!" Seth blurted. "Read my lips - emergency reading - not some demented idea of fun. If I was starving, I would eat asparagus. If somebody held a gun to my head, I would watch a soap opera. And to save Fablehaven, I would read a book, okay, are you happy?"You had best be careful, Seth," Grandma warned. "The love of reading can be contagious."I just lost my appetite," he declared...”

“The surprise is on the far side.""You're sure?""Positive.""It better not be another fairy," Seth said."What's the matter with fairies?""I've already seen about a billion of them and also they turned me into a walrus.”