“I suppose all little kids are like that. Great big lumps of meat surrounded by charm.”

“For Celia, her whole surround was animate, and each tapioca lump had a dense, nauseating little soul.”

“A scout troop consists of twelve little kids dressed like schmucks following a big schmuck dressed like a kid. ”

“And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't.”

“I smirked as I recalled how Jenks’s kids took to Ceri, and how Ellasbeth’s mother, another pure-blood elf, adored Jenks. I didn’t have any such “charmed” feelings for the lump of somnolent rock in the belfry rafters, and as far as I knew, neither did any other witch.”

“It reminded me of a meat grinder. From when I was a kid. Going to school it felt like you were in a meat grinder. It chews you up and pours out this mess that can't function”