Additionally, Liesl and Po is the embodiment of what writing has always been for me at its purest and most basic--not a paycheck, certainly; not an idea, even; and not an escape. Actually, it is the opposite of an escape; it is a way back in, a way to enter and make sense of a world that occasionally seems harsh and terrible and mystifying. (From the "Author's Note" at the end).

But if you do believe, then you already know all about magic.

It's funny how you can know your friends so well, but you still end up playing the same games with them.

Music, I think, he makes me feel like music

...if you are one tardy away from missing out on a big competition, you should probably make your coffee at home.

For a split second, he had looked almost like my Alex again.

Snapshots, moments, mere seconds: as fragile and beautiful and hopeless as a single butterfly, flapping on against a gathering wind.