How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Arrietty saw him scurry across the sunlit floor. Swiftly he ran—as a mouse runs or a blown dry leaf—and suddenly she saw him as "small." "But," she told herself, "he isn't small. He's a head taller than mother…" (7.28)
Arrietty always looked up to her parents—they were definitely the biggest things in her sheltered world. But now, upstairs, she sees just how small they really are.
Quote #2
"That's what grows the moss," thought Arrietty as she sped back to her father, "all the water we empty through the grating…" (8.20)
Arrietty would definitely win first prize at the science fair. And her willingness to explore and try to figure out unanswered questions is also a major factor in her coming of age throughout the novel.
Quote #3
Arrietty froze. "So this is it," she thought, "the worst and most terrible thing of all: I have been 'seen'! Whatever happened to Eggletina will now, almost certainly, happen to me!"
There was a pause and Arrietty, her heart pounding in her ears, heard the breath again drawn swiftly into the vast lungs. (9.3-4)
A huge part about coming of age is facing the unknown and making decisions about it for yourself. That's just what Arrietty is starting to do here.