Quote – Page 4 – Middle Grade Carousel

Blue Leather

At the far end of the last row of shelves I found a strange pair of shoes. Well, not really all that strange—they were sitting beside two somethings made of black and white feathers, which could not possibly fit human feet— but they caught my attention nonetheless. They were a rich azure blue, and made from very soft, thick leather. They had no laces, but slipped over the foot to reach a little way up the front and back of the ankle. The heels were low, the soles were made of some stiffer dark gold leather, and the interiors were lined with white silk. They were much too fancy for my needs, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from them all the same.
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Seven-League Boots

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The seven-league boots were not in the cupboard. Sophie could not believe it at first. She turned everything out. And there was nothing but ordinary buckets, brooms, and the other velvet cloak. “Drat the man!” Sophie exclaimed. Howl had obviously made sure she would not follow him anywhere again.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

High Tech High-Tops

Jack and the Geniuses in the Deep Blue Sea by Bill Nye & Gregory Mone

“Did you hear that?” I asked. “The woman’s voice?”
Matt stared down at my high-tops. “Your shoes,” he said.
Since when was he interested in style? “I was going to wear nicer ones, but Ava said—”
“No, Jack, the voice is coming from your shoes. You got those at the lab, right?” I nodded. “They’re weight-loss sneakers. They count your steps and encourage you to move instead of sitting on your butt. There are little speakers near the ankles.”
Jack and the Geniuses in the Deep Blue Sea by Bill Nye & Gregory Mone

Criminal Activity

“What’d you do?” one of the campers asked him.
At first Stanley didn’t know what he meant.
“They sent you here for a reason.”
“Oh,” he realized. “I stole a pair of sneakers.”
Holes by Louis Sachar

Fantastic Creatures

Dogie’s surfboards were like works of art. Splashed across their rainbow-colored decks were air-brushed paintings of waterfalls and sea dragons and a host of other fantastic creatures. Her favorite painting was a winged horse that looked like part horse and part comet, with its long tail blazing down the length of the board.
Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Wondrous Things

The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

Rovender leaned in close to her. “Eva Nine, I have traveled to many lands and seen many wondrous things. A creature such as you, I have never seen.”
The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

Grand Estate

Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty

In the distance, the pointed towers and slate-covered rooftops of the grand Biltmore Estate rose from the darkness of the surrounding forest. The pale gray limestone walls were adorned with gargoyles of mythical beasts and fine sculptures of the warriors of old.
Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty

Ten Mile Radius

“What I do know is that all round here, in a radius of ten miles or more, is strange. And special. And Jocelyn was in charge of it. And he was trying to hand the responsibility to you.”
Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

An Impossible Thing

A faerie without flight was like a hornet with no sting, or a mermaid without a tail. It was an impossible thing, and yet it had happened—to Grit.
The Wingsnatchers by Sarah Jean Horwitz

A Murder

The Maloneys' Magical Weatherbox by Nigel Quinlan

“…books and books and more books, flapping like crows—a murder of books—went flying all over the road.”
The Maloneys’ Magical Weatherbox by Nigel Quinlan