Amanda took the torn page from Maniac. To her, it was the broken wing of a bird, a pet out in the rain.

Today the mockingbird does not sound very happy. It sounds if it is coming apart. As of the very heart of itself-its song-is breaking into pieces and flying off in a hundred directions.

I'm that way, goofy as it sounds. Sometimes I don't want things to happen-I'm talking about good things, even wonderful things-because once they happen, I can't look forward to them anymore. But there's an upside, too. Once a wonderful thing is over, I'm not all that sad because then I can start thinking about it, reliving and reliving it in the virtual world in my head.

Peer pressure is just that: pressure.

She laughed, and the desert sang.

Every child's bedroom is as important as a telescope orbiting the planet earth or a philosopher's study.

Letter from Mr. B: Why does a back scratch feel better coming from somebody else than if you do it yourself?