Truth in Fiction Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

I felt the way you do the instant before you leap into the deep end of a pool.
You're on your way somewhere else. You're not there yet. But you know there's no turning back. Jackson p.5


You can be mad at someone and still love them with all your heart.  Dad p.98

My parents didn't have any work scheduled that day, so we headed to the public library to kill time and wash up. Jackson p.106

We stayed at the library most of the day. The librarian in the children's department even shared her sandwich with Robin and me. She had Ritz crackers, too, and she gave all of those to Robin.

After that, Robin decided that she was going to be a librarian when she grew up. If the animal scientist thing doesn't work out, I might become a librarian too.  Jackson p.107

I knew he was there and that was enough .
Sometimes that's all you really need from a friend.

Truth in Fiction - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

It is never too late to be what you might have been ~ George Eliot

With such an opening I should have known that I would fall totally and completely in love with The One and Only Ivan.

Me being me, I would have to disagree with the use of the word 'never", but I generally agree with the premise of the above statement . If I didn't, I wouldn't have entered library school after 16 years as a classroom teacher, joined the Peace Corps (twice), or joined the blogging community.

"There's a difference, " Stella says gently, 

"between ' can't remember' and 'won't remember.'"

 "Memories are precious," Stella adds. "They help tell us who we are'

There is indeed a difference between can't and won't. Sometimes we won't remember because we can't deal with what the events in our past say about ourselves and others. Memories are indeed precious and are to be treasured. Memories are not who we are, nor are past events all that we are, but memories do help tell us who we are.

"They think I'm too old to cause trouble, " Stella says.

 "Old age," she says "is a powerful disguise."

This is SO true and it just made me laugh. HARD. It is truly amazing how some people, communities, institutions,  underestimate old people. Truth be told old people cause the most trouble in my experience.