How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"If you’re going to play with me, you’re going to play by the rules," Gram said. "You’re big enough, aren’t you, to play by the real rules." (1.136)
Appealing to a kid’s desire to seem mature is a pretty smart way of teaching him stuff, or at least of getting him to be slightly less annoying. That is, unless that kid is Dicey, who has no desire to be mature.
Quote #2
Dicey was feeling edgy and not really like herself. Probably, she told herself, it was all these changes that were permanent. (1.163)
Among the things that can make you edgy: waiting to be adopted, missing your mom, trying to keep little kids in line so you won’t get kicked out of your new home, and realizing you can’t wear T-shirts without a bra anymore.
Quote #3
You could even, she realized, have a conflict between somebody and himself: and that was an interesting idea. (2.10)
Maybe Dicey relates to this moment in English class because she's experiencing a bit of a conflict with herself, too. For one, Dicey can see that growing up is good because you can do things like sail off by yourself in a boat. But it’s also pretty awful, what with the bras and boys and stuff. So half of her feels one way, and half of her feels the other.
Quote #4
Dicey wished she didn’t understand. She wished she could still be like Sammy, concerned only about whether or not he’d have as much steak as he wanted, already forgetting the worry since everything was all right again. (3.231)
Here we get a hint about why Dicey's so reluctant to grow up. She likes to keep things simple, to be without worries, and to pig out on steak. The good news is, when you're an adult, you can still totally pig out on steak. You just have to buy it with your own dough.
Quote #5
"I’ll tell you what I think," Dicey said, to help Gram. "You can decide if you think there’s stuff I should know more about […] I think that even though I know how it works, sex—I don’t know how it feels." (4.275)
This is such a huge thing for Dicey to admit to Gram, and it’s a moment when we see her doing some hardcore reaching out. Sure, we're betting there's some major blushing going on in this conversation, but hey, at least they're having it. What's family if not gritting your teeth through an awkward conversation every now and then?
Quote #6
Dicey looked out over the tall marsh grasses, blowing in the wind. If the wind blew, the grasses had to bend with it. She wondered how they felt about that. "It’s just," she said to her grandmother, "I have the feeling that I know who I am, only I’m not anymore." (4.281)
Dicey’s being blown around too—by school, by family, by her hormones—and she has to bend whether she likes it or not. See, Dicey has a pretty good idea of what she once was—big sister, caretaker, getter of things done. But now that Gram's there to accomplish those tasks, she's having trouble figuring out where she fits. She'll have to define a new role for herself, and that's easier said than done.
Quote #7
She remembered Sammy’s sturdy brown legs walking, all that long summer long, keeping up with the bigger kids. And she remembered Sammy, memory going backward, like flipping through a photograph album, until she came to a vague picture of the little baby Momma brought home from the hospital. (5.68)
Have you ever tried looking at a younger sibling (or cousin, or lifelong friend) and age-regressing them in your memory? Give it a try, and see just how trippy it is.
Quote #8
"I mean, I’ve known you for two months, and you never got close to asking me if anybody ever French-kissed me."
"Cripes," Dicey said, "why should I want to know that?" (8.246-247)
Good question, Dicey. While most girls her age are nosy, Dicey just likes to go with the flow and keep her head down. But we're betting that once she and Mina get closer, she'll start to ask all kinds of questions. Curiouser and curiouser.
Quote #9
"I’m—too young for dances. I’m only in eighth grade. I don’t want to go to dances. And all. Besides," she added desperately, "high school boys don’t take out eighth-graders." (9.92)
We're impressed with Dicey's honesty here. She resists the peer pressure and sticks to what she's comfortable with. Sure, she may not be ready for a dance now, but give it a year, and we bet she'll be itching to boogie.