From a good book, I want to be taken to the very edge. I want a glimpse into that outer darkness.

..and only sticks and stones can break my bones.

...and I went into the garden and lay down and looked at the stars in the sky and made myself negligible.

I think good books have to make a few people angry.

I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking. It has four moods. Happy, sad, cross and concentrating. Also, dogs are faithful and they do not tell lies because they cannot talk.

If kids like a picture book, they're going to read it at least 50 times. Read anything that often, and even minor imperfections start to feel like gravel in the bed.

Jane Austen was writing about boring people with desperately limited lives. We forget this because we've seen too many of her books on screen.