“Julius told me how much you’d grown, but I couldn’t believe it. Carter, I bet you’re shaving—”“Mom.”“—and dating girls—”“Mom!” Have you ever noticed how parents can go from the most wonderful people in the world to totally embarrassing in three seconds?”

“Have you ever noticed how parents can go from the most wonderful people in the world to totally embarrassing in three seconds?”

“If my mom told one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I was three years old I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.”

“I guessed his name was Face of Horror. I wondered how long it had taken his mom to think of that. Bob? No. Sam? No. How about Face of Horror?”

“Are you kidding?" She looked at me as if I'd just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red."What's the problem now?" I demanded."Me, go with you to the...the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?""Who's going to see you?" But my face was burning now, too. Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated. "Fine," I told her. "I'll do it myself." But when I started down the side of the pool, she followed me, muttering about how boys always messed things up.”

“If you’re listening to this, congratulations! You survived Doomsday.I’d like to apologize straightaway for any inconvenience the end of the world may have caused you. The earthquakes, rebellions, riots,tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, and of course the giant snake who swallowed the sun—I’m afraid most of that was our fault. Carter and I decided we should at least explain how it happened.”

“But not like this: not withthe house just an afterimage, and my mom a spirit, and my dad...recycled.""Carter Kane, Chapter 41”