"Dad was doing his best not to explode laughing. Big puffs of smoke were coming out of his nose and mouth as he tried to squeeze his laughs down. Finally he put his head on his arms and leaned against the car's hood and howled." p. 14

"Mr. Alums might as well have tied me up to a pole and said, 'Ready, aim, fire!"' p. 24

"After my arm quit hurting from his punch I went back to the alley behind Mitchell's to take another look at the dead bird but it was gone. Right in the spot where the bird had crashed By had dug a little grave, and on top of the grave there were two Popsicle sticks tied together in a cross." p. 84

"Byron stepped into the living room with a real mean scowl on his face. Not only had Dad cut all of Byron's hair...