Quotes from Brandon Mull

Stop yelling at me," Seth demanded. Or what? "Or I'll throw rocks at you.

Rex had me feeling cactus fruit. Stuck me pretty good. I'm fine, though." Ronda shook her head. "For such a nice guy, he can be a real knucklehead.

As the animal trundled toward him, Seth backed away. Weren't animals supposed to flee from humans? Maybe it had rabies. Or maybe it just hadn't seen him. After all, he was wearing a camouflage shirt.

You are an impudent young man." "And you live with a tree stump

Are you a witch?" "A man with a brave tongue should support his words with courageous actions." "This seems like something a witch would do.

Mummy has an errand for you!

rule is no peeking, I won't even consider it." "If we find a need for your special immunity, we'll make use of it," Grandpa promised. "If you find a need," Seth muttered. "I bet you won't be looking very hard. Say, Coulter, how did you know

He had helped her out of a difficult trap. He had been willing to sacrifice his own life for her Amber Leopard, even when she had turned a blind eye to his people. She could tolerate his impertinence, she supposed. Just this one time.

The startled man backed away, hoe raised protectively

meaning and purpose of life hinged on what he chose to love and who he chose to become, the answer became clear. His heart already knew he should

intentions than ability when it came to coloring inside the lines. And

Was life like that? You could look ahead to the future or back at the past, but the present moved too quickly to absorb. Maybe sometimes. Not today. Today they were driving along an endless two-lane highway through the forested hills of Connecticut. "Why

The man threw down his hoe and ran.

Welcome to Australia," Seth announced in his best local accent, gesturing at their barren surroundings. After surveying the area for a moment, he frowned. "I expected more koalas.

Seth reached forward for the crackers. Dad, driving, asked for some Almond Roca. Last Christmas he had decided that Almond Roca was his favorite candy and that he should have some on hand all year long. Nearly six months later he was still honoring his resolution. "Do

Kendra returned her attention to the frantic parade of trees. Her parents were leaving on a seventeen-day Scandinavian cruise with all the aunts and uncles on her mother's side. They were all going for free. Not because they'd won a contest. They were going on a cruise because Kendra's grandparents had asphyxiated. Grandma

her life at Zzyzx to save the world. If she was needed again

Rex noticed Kendra and waved her over, his smile wider than usual. His curly hair, thick mustache, and lightly tinted glasses meant he always looked like he was wearing a corny disguise. When Kendra got close, she could smell that, as usual, he had gone heavy on the Old Spice.

Seth rolled off the beanbag and stood up. "What's he like?" "He's smart," Kendra said. "He said I'm fairykind." Seth cocked his head. "Very kind?" "Fairy . . . kind. The fairies shared their magic with me." "Are

They all migrated to the front door. Dad and Dale carried the larger bags. Seth held a smaller duffel bag and a cereal box. The cereal box was his emergency kit. It was full of odds and ends he thought would come in handy for an adventure—rubber bands, a compass, granola bars, coins, a squirt gun, a magnifying glass, plastic handcuffs, string, a whistle. "This

Devin stood, turning toward the sound as Kunaya bolted in the other direction, her meal unfinished. He put his hand to his sword but didn't draw it as a girl stepped out from the trees, leading a horse by the reins. She looked a little younger than him, but her bearing was confident, and she spoke with the poise of the educated upper class. "Cats are awfully

Instead of responding, he started looking more intently for the other corner pieces. Kendra could tell the comment had gotten to him. She decided not to tease him any further. The fact that he seemed scared of the lady he had met in the woods legitimized his story a lot. Seth had never scared easily. This was the kid who had jumped off the roof under the misguided assumption that a garbage bag would work like a parachute. The kid who had put the head of a live snake in his mouth on a dare. They

huevos rancheros.

Expect to win. Maybe we'll only live another day. Maybe another fifty years. But whenever we die, go out bravely.