How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Line)
Quote #1
After that, nobody asked that question anymore. But I had heard Mama and a neighbor talking about Trevor's daddy, how he was a white man who lived across the highway. (1.32)
Ooh, talk about a touchy subject. Trevor obviously has a lot of issues from his daddy leaving—and being a white man—and he's willing to beat up anyone who even brings up the subject.
Quote #2
The years passed and the sadness went away too. Mama laughed more and hugged us all the time. She and Daddy headed back to their church, and slowly, our house became the new kind of normal. (7.11)
Families don't always stay exactly the same—for instance, Frannie's family undergoes a change when her mama loses a baby, but they all rebuild together. With love and support, you can come back from anything and create a "new normal."
Quote #3
"Then why are you sleeping in the daytime?" I moved a little bit closer to her. Her body felt warm.
"Because your mama gets tired sometimes—dealing with all you kids." (7.24-25)
Frannie doesn't know it yet, but by "all you kids" her mama is referring to the baby she's pregnant with. Frannie and Sean have been at school all day, after all.
Quote #4
Daddy laughed, walking into the apartment with both of us hanging on to him.
"I guess I need to go away more often," he said, signing at the same time. Sean grinned and shook his head. Daddy drove a truck for Interstate Moving and he had been away since Wednesday—moving some family's stuff to Indiana. Now it was Friday. His goneness felt like forever sometimes. (8.23-24)
Frannie and Sean aren't yet the kind of teenagers who roll their eyes and sigh when their father comes into the room. Instead, they miss him terribly when he's gone, and pile on him like a bunch of puppies.
Quote #5
I ran my form through my rice, feeling all kinds of stupid feelings. I was the baby who had made it. It was sad, but each time one of the other babies didn't make it, it seemed clear to me that I was the one who was supposed to be the baby in the family. (8.79)
Maybe it's a bit selfish of Frannie to resent the new baby growing in her mama's stomach, but she can't help but feel like her spot in the family is now threatened. She's always been the miracle baby.
Quote #6
But later on, when Sean came out of the gym all sweaty and pulling on his coat, I was still thinking about the Jesus Boy and his daddy.
You're always following me, Sean signed.
You like it, I signed back. (10.93-95)
Frannie's pulling a classic annoying little sister move. Of course she's going to show up and watch Sean play basketball with his friends and embarrass him. It's a good thing that he actually likes her.
Quote #7
Jesus Boy stood there. He had a long red string of licorice wrapped around his finger. "Why do you want to fight me, Trevor?" he said, then put the licorice in his mouth and chewed slowly, not taking his eyes off of him. "Is it because I have a daddy? And you don't?" (14.33)
Oh, snap. Jesus Boy knows to hit Trevor where it hurts—by bringing up his family issues. He knows that bringing up Trevor's daddy is a surefire way to make him feel awful and small.
Quote #8
"Girl, you must have lost your mind," Mama said. "If you don't get back out there and take off those boots, you better! And get some paper towels and wipe up that trail you trying to leave through my house."
I smiled, hugged her, and went back down the hall. (17.2-3)
Well, that's probably the only time that a kid has ever been happy to be scolded by her mother… Frannie is just thrilled to have her mama back to normal; she doesn't care if it means that she'll have to wipe up after herself when she comes home.
Quote #9
And she's feeling good right now, I signed, glaring at Sean. That's what matters.
Sean tapped his head with his hand and made a face at me, which basically translated into I see that, stupid.
I didn't care. Mama was cooking, we were having chicken and mashed potatoes and greens… (17.34-36)
Mama being healthy, happy, and in the kitchen is enough to put Frannie in a fantastic mood. Even the usual teasing from her big brother can't burst her bubble—everything is just swell.
Quote #10
I thought about the way all our mamas and daddies must have looked at us when we were babies—all new to the world, all squishy-faced and spider-fingered, and them loving us anyway. I thought about my own mama—the way she smiled at me sometimes like she couldn't believe I was her daughter. (18.27)
Okay, so maybe the kids were wrong about everyone being so different—especially about people like Jesus Boy who are of a different race. When Ms. Johnson has them write about their similarities, Frannie realizes that no matter what, they all came from families that loved them.