Quotes from Maureen Johnson

We're going to die," Keith said, the moment he was gone. "This man is a serial killer. We're going to die, and he's going to bury us in his garden and build a shed on us.

All right. Normal rules apply." "Right." The man walked off, leaving us. "What are the normal rules?" I asked. "He walks away and has a tea break and doesn't ask any questions.

What are you?" I asked. "I'm the Ghost of the Night Before Exams." "And how long did it take you to come up with that?" Jazza asked. "I'm a busy man," he replied.

I had one class in the morning, the mysteriously named "Further Maths". It was two hours long and so deeply frightening that I think I went into a trance.

A pause while my mother made high-pitched sisterly devotions of gratitude.

It was like the entire world was colluding to make me feel insane, and it was doing a really good job.

Did you hear?" he asked. "They found another body around nine this morning. It's the Ripper, definitely." "Good morning," I replied. "Morning. Listen to this. The second victim.

I had always assumed the weekend was a holy tradition, respected by good people everywhere. Not so at Wexford.

No one in history had ever done less and yet been so wrong.

The English play hockey in any weather. Thunder, lightening, plague of locusts...nothing can stop the hockey. Do not fight the hockey, for the hockey will win.

The funny thing about stop signs is that they're also start signs.

My final word: don't follow your dreams . . . chase them. With a stick, or a shovel, or whatever you have handy. Get that [bleep]ing dream!

Fear can't hurt you," she said. "When it washes over you, give it no power. It's a snake with no venom. Remember that. That knowledge can save you.

I've heard people on panels say, 'You must have a Web site. You need to tweet. Repeat the title of your book constantly,' and I just want to say, 'Shut up. Everything you're saying is wrong.' People will know instantly if your only motivation for tweeting is to sell books.

'Harry Potter' achieved a very special act of actual magic: it made it completely acceptable for an adult to carry around, read and enjoy a children's book.

We study there a lot because... what other choice does society give us, right? It's Starbucks or death, sometimes.

It was almost funny. Life seemed downright accidental in its brevity, and death a punch line to a lousy joke.

My rule is: the second you find yourself doing something you hate, quit doing it.

Lies are a tremendous karmic setback. Keep it up and you'll come back in the next life as something without a spine. You're not fine. And you don't have to be fine.

I guess life is full of maybes.

Once again, her parents' problems had run through her life like a piece of heavy equipment, smashing everything in their way.

She had always thought applying to college would be exciting. Living away from home, meeting so many new people, Learning new things, making a few poor life desicisons.

One person's crazy is another person's sane, I guess.

The kids I talk to are readers, and the craziest, the most dedicated readers you will ever see.