Nudge threw her arms around my neck. 'I love you Max! I love all of us too!' Yeah, me too,' Said the Gasman. 'I don't care if we have our house, or a cliff ledge, or a cardboard box. Home is wherever we all are, together.

What test?" Asked Nudge. "Max, you're incorruptible." "Only by power." I said. "You haven't tried chocolate yet.

You're my best friend, my first and only love, and the most beautiful girl I've ever seen

There you have it: our lives in a nutshell. Emphasis on nut.

Did I want a dog? No. Did I need a dog? Also no. We were six kids running for our lives, not knowing where our next meal was coming from. Could we afford to feed a dog? Wait for it—no.

Time for bed.” I held my fist out. One by one, my flock stacked theirs on top, and then we headed up into the trees to sleep the sleep of the innocent. Well, okay, maybe not so innocent. But the sleep of the much less guilty than others, for sure.

Life can be like walking on a high wire. Falling seems a tiny misstep away.