“Were we all like that? Were we all trying to change how we looked on the outside to match how we felt on the inside? Were we all trying to change how people saw us?”

“There's a beast in all of us, you know,' Jasper said.'No,' Tessa said.'Yes, a monster right inside of us all,' Jasper said.They wondered what theirs looked like. They faced each other and blinked while making faces to try to capture the phantom.”

“I smile a lot. I heard someone say once that it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown, so i'm trying it out.”

“ A shame really, because putting the right book in the right kid’s hands is kind of like giving that kid superpowers.”

“Who needs a stupid grampa-loving, book-reading, good-smelling boy who I like to talk to?”

“My name is Lake Suck and this is my manifesto. I swear to be myself. To think for myself. I will not be led by social conventions. I will make my own way through the world. I will live on my own terms without conforming to society's expectations of who they think I should be, I will be the visible minority.By being myself, I will help to save the world. I swear to always look, listen, learn, think, ask, act, and speak for myself.”

“I was born in Hell. But I am no demon. I am beige and colorful. I was quiet in this room. But I am learning to be loud. Can you hear me? I will make my mark, wherever i am. It is my space. I'll make it mine. I choose. I choose.If I voice my truth, no one loses.”