The great blessing and great cruelty of youth is that there seems to be time enough.

Fierce was her needle, and she wore it like a sword.

Her heart ached as though a knife had quietly slipped between her ribs.

At the snowy summit of all these things, however, is the fact that you simply cannot go about locking your siblings in towers when they misbehave. It is unseemly and betrays a sad lack of creativity.

What is the world but a boxing ring where fools and devils put up their fists?

Children make prayers so thoughtlessly, building them up like sand castles—and they are always surprised when suddenly the castle becomes real, and the iron gate grinds shut.

A library is never complete. That’s the joy of it. We are always seeking one more book to add to our collection.