“Life is a test of your sanity, and believe me you never make it out without going a little crazy along the way.”

“You can never make peace with grief, sweetie. You just work out a way to live with the war grief wages in your heart.”

“If you live a life of make-believe, your life isn't worth anything until you do something that does challenge your reality. And to me, sailing the open ocean is a real challenge, because it's life or death.”

“As more kids piled on and the bus started up, she stared out the window at the place where she'd done so much growing up. When she'd first come to camp, she couldn't believe she was setting foot on Camp Lakeview, or any camp grounds at all, for that matter. Now she couldn't believe she was leaving.”

“Crysta, to her credit, never complained—it wasn’t her way. Yes, she would ask and remind nicely, and persistently, until she got what she wanted. But complain? No.”

“Poetry is a way of expressing your thoughts, feelings, and your emotions, it's how you go through life in your own special way of livin”

“Following Alyssa, they all walked over to the green clearing in front of the mess hall. It was where they'd held most of the all-camp activities, like games. Jenna sighed, remembering all the good times she'd had there---the gossip, the giggles, the crazy conversations.”