And no answer when we sent our message. Something like, "Hello, welcome to Earth. Hope you enjoy your stay. Please don't kill us.

How oft do they rescue or ruin us, through whimsy or design or a combination of both, the adults to whom we entrust our care!

There are things that are too terrible to remember, and there are things that are almost too wonderful to recall.

That's a stupid question,' said Malachi. 'Because he didn't warn him. He didn't warn anyone.' 'No, it's a philosophical question,' Kearns corrected him. 'Which makes it useless, not stupid.

I didn't save you," he whispers, lips tickling my eyelashes. "You saved me.

Yes, my dear child, monsters are real. I happen to have one hanging in my basement.

My first favourite book was Are You My Mother? A picture book about a lost bird. After that my favourites changed almost yearly. I loved everything by Roald Dahl, but my favourite was probably Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A librarian gave me a first edition of that book, which I treasure.