A life is made up of a great number of small incidents, and a small number of great ones.

When you're writing a book, it's rather like going on a very long walk, across valleys and mountains and things [...] The highest mountain on the walk is obviously the end of the book, because it's got to be the best view of all, when everything comes together and you can look back and see that everything you've done all ties up. But it's a very, very long, slow process.

I want an Oompa-Loompa!' screamed Veruca.

You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of.

A little magic can take you a long way.

You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.

I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn't be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.