Quotes from Wendelin Van Draanen

I've flown kites before and I know – sometimes they're gone forever, and sometimes they're just waiting in the middle of the road for you to rescue them. Kites can be lucky or they can be ornery. I've had both kinds, and a lucky kite is definitely worth chasing for.

It's funny how you can think you know someone pretty well, and then something happens or they do something that makes you understand that you didn't really know them at all.

As much as thinking this upsets me, I'm starting to see that I need the merry-go-round much more than it needs me, and in the end my choice is to hop back on or get left in the dust.

Julie always tried to stand beside me, or talk to me, or in some other way mortify me.

Turn down a chance to feel magic for fear of a little dirt?

Maybe it was how you looked at it. Maybe there were things I saw as ugly that other people thought were beautiful.

But every once in a while you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.

You told us over and over that you don't think you could live without books, but the ironic thing is, you'd probably die before you'd think to rip pages out of one to start a fire. Am I right? Well, get over it already. Better to be warm then well-read.

And every time I saw her, she seemed more beautiful. She just seemed to glow. I'm not talking like a hundred-watt bulb; she just had this warmth to her. Maybe it came from climbing that tree. Maybe it came from singing to chickens. Maybe it came from whacking at two-by-fours and dreaming about perpetual motion. I don't know. All I know is that compared to her, everybody else seemed so ordinary. I had flipped.

I operate under the assumption that people don't notice the good in me. That's just how things always seem to play out. I get blamed, while con-artist kids like Venus, and Camille, and Gemma get believed. But the rescue lady noticed. In the background, just observing, she noticed.

Sometimes the things we really want are right in front of us. We just don't see them.

I knew we weren't rich, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

If you were in love with her, that would be one thing. Love is something to be afraid of, but this, this is embarrassing.

And now I was seeing that there was something really cool about that family. All of them. They were just...real. And who were we? There was something spinning wickedly out of control inside this house. It was like seeing inside the Baker's world had opened up windows into our own, and the view was not a pretty one. Where had all this stuff come from? And why hadn't I ever seen it before.

Either people like running or they don't. Either people get it or they don't. And if they don't, they just think people who like it are crazy. Which is okay. That makes us even.

I tried to convince the kids at the bus stop to climb up with me, even a little ways, but all of them said they didn't want to get dirty. Turn down a chance to feel magic for fear of a little dirt? I couldn't believe it.

One's character is set at an early age, son. The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life. He was quiet for a minute then dropped the curtain and said, I hate to see you swim out so far you can't swim back.

It's amazing how two thin pieces of clothing can hold such deep memories. Laughter, pain, victory, defeat, friendship, fatigue, elation… they're all there, but only to the person who's worn the uniform

There's no winning arguments with your parents, so why get all pumped up over them? It is way better to dive down and get out of the way than it is to get clobbered by some parental tidal wave.

Bryce, I asked you to conquer your fear, but all you did was give in to it. If you were in love with her, that would be one thing. Love is something to be afraid of, but this, this is embarassing. So she talks too much, so she's too enthused about every little thing, so what? Get in, get your question answered, and get out. Stand up to her, for cryin' out loud!

Get beyond his eyes and his smile and the sheen of his hair—look at what's really there.

Don't sum up person based on what you see, or what you don't understand; get to know them.

Actually now I'm remembering that the goodbye chow isn't spelled that way. It's ciao or something weird like that. It's Italian, right? But I'm not an Italian gypsy, I'm a hungry gypsy. So spelling it chow makes total sense.)

Surely, I thought, a few bushes and some dilapidated wood couldn't stop someone's best and brightest blessing! Surely not!