Every book should begin with attractive endpapers. Preferably in a dark colour: dark red or dark blue, depending on the binding. When you open the book it's like going to the theatre. First you see the curtain. Then it's pulled aside and the show begins.

My dear Elinor, you were obviously born into the wrong story,” said Dustfinger at last.

a book always keeps something of its owner between its pages.

He wants to be grown-up. How different dreams can be! Nature will soon grant your wish.

They're all cruel,' he said. 'The world I come from, the world you come from, and this one, too. Maybe the people don't see the cruelty in your world right away, it's better hidden, but it's there all the same.

Every reader knows about the feeling that characters in books seem more real than real people.

I don't like to eat the same dish every day, so I read very different things.