"You can eff off, too," I say, except I don't say eff, I say what 'eff' stands for.

Shout for libraries. Shout for the young readers who use them.

It’s a trick Ben taught me to help settle my Noise. You close yer eyes and as clearly and calmly as you can you tell yerself who you are, cuz that’s what gets lost in all that Noise.

This is what war does. Right here, in my hands. This is war.

People say they want freedom, but what they really want is freedom from worry. If I take care of their problems, they don't mind being told what to do.

Her accent's funny, different from mine, different from anyone in Prentisstown's. Her lips make different kinds of outlines for the letters, like they're swooping down on them from above, pushing them into shape, telling them what to say. In Prentisstown, everyone talks like they're sneaking up on their words, ready to club them from behind.

I wish I had a hundred years, she said, very quietly. A hundred years I could give to you.