#MGCarousel Book Quotes – Page 27 – Middle Grade Carousel

Left Vacant

"At the far end of the lawn stood the Windsor mansion. The house had obviously been left vacant for some years, and in that time it seemed to have become one with the landscape. Weeds swallowed the base. Ivy choked the walls and windows. The roof was sagging and covered in black moss. But strangest of all was the tree." —The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

The Path

Jinx by Sage Blackwood

Leaving the path was wrong. The path and the clearings of the Urwald belonged, just barely, to people. Everything else belonged to the trees.
Jinx by Sage Blackwood

The Grip of Winter

"On the main island of Japan spring was around the corner, and in some places the plum trees were already in bloom. At this time of the year, Matsuzo thought wistfully, he would normally be writing poems to the fragrant while blossoms. But the land was still in the grip of winter here in the north, and he would be digging ditches." —The Coming of the Bear by Lensey Namioka

Not the Same

The tree was enormous and looked very, very old. Most trees cast an air of quiet dignity over their surroundings. This one did not. Most trees invite you to climb up into their canopy. This one did not. Most trees make you want to carve your initials into the trunk. This one did not. To stand in the shadow of this tree was to feel a chill run through your whole body.
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

A True Friend

"It is not often

Family Secret

When children at school talked about the Vivienne Small books, Tuesday never said “My mom wrote them,” even though she sometimes felt she would burst with the effort of keeping it a secret.
Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks

Face Facts

"I got to thinking—what would our stories be like? What would an author write about us? Let's face facts: We may be the most boring twelve-year olds on the planet." —Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen

Nonsense

"I did not like nonsense stories; I wanted narrative to unfold with some degree of logic, much as life should. Although often it did not."

New Notebook

Mulrox and the Malcognitos by Kerelyn Smith

Trolzor, the barkeep, had given Mulrox the notebook as a surprise a few months ago. The tiny book was wrapped in purple fabric and, on the front, was a toad outlined in gold. It was so lovely he hesitated each time before writing in it, afraid to screw it up with his messy ideas.
Mulrox and the Malcognitos by Kerelyn Smith

Your Voice

"I don't know if you realize it, Felix, but you have a strong writing voice. You write clearly, and you have good ideas and you express them in a way that makes me feel like a particular person is speaking to me, and you use solid, concrete details that make what you're saying come alive. That's what I mean by a strong writing voice." —Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker