How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
She said the problem was that my lips tightened like a clenched fist and the air couldn't get through. The more I tried to say words that started with a B and P the tighter my lips would close up on me.
My plan for practicing the drills was to try to say a hard word just before I threw a paper on a porch. (2.19-20)
Getting over his stutter might require quite a bit of work. Victor wants to learn everything from the speech therapist so that he can stop stuttering and talk like his peers. He'll even do the annoying drills to get to that point.
Quote #2
Mr. Spiro used words in strange ways but it was easy enough to tell what he was talking about. He made what he said sound important like he was talking to a grown-up. I liked him double when I knew I wouldn't have to try to say Ninety-five cents again.
He put his books down on a table near the door and was careful to keep them open to where his fingers had been marking his place. (3.53-54)
From the very first meeting, Victor can tell that Mr. Spiro is the kind of dude who just loves reading and learning. He's always soaking up more information, and this comes through in the way that he talks.
Quote #3
Firstly, let me guess that you are probably a little embarrassed by what just occurred. No need, Young Traveler. We all have our deficits but no ledger will be tallied here. (3.92)
Mr. Spiro doesn't make Victor feel weird about his stutter or the fact that he passed out. Instead he just calls him a Young Traveler and tells him that everyone has their own problems and that it's better to focus on the good in people.
Quote #4
Talking is hard for me but listening and looking when you know things aren't the way they should be can be hard on me too. (4.89)
Victor has a hard time talking, but it's also hard for him to see things that are going wrong and to not be able to do anything about them. Now that he's older, he's starting to see the injustices in the world, and it sure does bother him.
Quote #5
I liked the way Mr. Spiro didn't beat around the bush. Answering the question without any extra words and talking to me like I was a grown-up. He could have just said Lucky Guess but Mr. Spiro seemed like a guy who respected a kid enough not to lie or give a short answer. (5.42)
The nice thing about Mr. Spiro is that he doesn't talk to Victor like he's a dumb little kid. Instead he talks to him like an adult and listens to what he has to say. That's how he keeps the conversation going.
Quote #6
Mr. Spiro smiled another new kind of smile.
Tis rude of me to go out of the country but it's a favorite quote of mine that rings more true in the original French. It translates: Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts. (5.71-72)
Mr. Spiro also introduces Victor to all sorts of cool philosophical thinkers. He tells Victor the things that they've said about all the big topics in life—like language, love, and how knowledge helps you to grow.
Quote #7
Mr. Spiro started back into his house.
Thank you for your excellent service and good conversation, my young Candide. We have a date next Friday when we will continue to cultivate our garden. (5.110-111)
Being around Mr. Spiro isn't just a way to kill time; it's also how Victor grows his knowledge and critical thinking skills. They really are "cultivating" a garden of the mind.
Quote #8
Mr. Spiro had something in mind besides just a money tip when he started giving me the pieces of a dollar with the words. I couldn't figure out what the two words had to do with each other but Rat would be home in two weeks and I would have all four pieces of the puzzle by then. I thought about us working on the puzzle together and how much fun that would be.(6.66)
Getting the corners of the dollar bill from Mr. Spiro one week at a time is fun because Victor can slowly put together the puzzle. He knows that Mr. Spiro wants him to think long and hard about the words on the dollar bill and to come to his own conclusions about what it all means.
Quote #9
I had worked on a list of questions for Mr. Spiro all week in my room. I didn't want to forget anything important so I had typed the three questions on a clean piece of notebook paper.
- Why do most grown-ups treat me like I'm not a real human being?
- When does a kid become a grown-up?
- What can I do to be smart like you? (8.41-42)
Victor isn't kidding around when he says that he wants to learn a lot from Mr. Spiro. He starts coming to the old man's house with a list of questions he wants answered—and they're some pretty meaty questions, too.
Quote #10
What's in the s-s-s-s-books?
With all the good questions I could have asked that was about the dumbest one I could come up with.
All the world and more. (8.112-114)
Instead of giving Victor an obvious answer about what's in the books (pages and words), Mr. Spiro gives him a true answer—the books contain the world. And they really do because they allow the reader to learn about other places, things, and people.