There was that special smell made up of paper, ink, and dust; the busy hush; the endless luxury of thousands of unread books. Best of all was the eager itch of anticipation as you went out the door with your arms loaded down with books.

It's such a wonderful feeling to watch a child discover that reading is a marvelous adventure rather than a chore. I know that many writers for children say they do not write specifically with a child audience in mind ... This isn't true for me. I am very aware of my audience. Sometimes I can almost see them out there reacting as I write. Sometimes I think, 'Oh, you're going to like this part.

Belief in mysteries, any manner of mysteries, is the only lasting luxury in life.

Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley.

We all invite our own devils, and we must exorcise our own.

Eleven would have been the best time. Eleven is just about the best age for almost everything.

Nothing's real unless you want it to be, and anything can be real if you want it to enough; so real doesn't really mean anything.