"They had to hurry, but she had to hurry slowly, in order not to make a sound." (Chapter 1, p. 5).

"The recovering alcoholics hated to see or smell beer cans left by the recovering smokers and gamblers; the recovering smokers could not stand cigarette butts left by the recovering drunks; and, the recovering over-eaters hated to see candy wrappers left by the recovering drinkers, smokers, and gamblers."(Chapter 1, p. 6).

"Probably the old mother was right now working on her plot to make Brigitte so sad and lonely that she would go back to France and stop being Lucky's Guardian." (Chapter 2, p. 11).

"It is wrong to have snakes in dryers! This is not something that would ever happen in France. California is not a civilized country!" (Chapter 8, p. 54).

"The sky arched up forever, nothing but a sheet of blue, hiding zillions of stars and planets and galaxies that were up...