How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Normally she would shout hello, but over the past year a strange feeling had come inching into Miri, and now she was more likely to hide from him than flick pebbles at his backside. (1.48)
Awkward. Miri and Peder have reached puberty—which means that they're not likely to treat each other just like best friends anymore. And since they're both harboring crushes, they're also going to act weird and avoidant around each other. Kind of counterproductive, don't you think?
Quote #2
Once, words had been invisible to Miri, as unknown and uninteresting as the movements of a spider inside a rock wall. Now they appeared all around her… (5.1)
Miri was skeptical about going to school, but she finds that whole new worlds and stories are opening up to her. Maybe growing up isn't about learning that you know everything; maybe it's about finding that you have so much left to learn…
Quote #3
She longed to see some of the world they were learning about and find in it a place of her own, yet she was afraid to give up her mountain. No solution she could imagine would make everything just right. (8.4)
Growing up means having to make tough decisions sometimes. Miri wants to see more of the world and find her own place in it, but she doesn't want to leave behind her family and home. What's a girl to do?
Quote #4
She would have talked and teased and laughed with him, but his sudden appearance had startled her, and she did not know if she could keep up her carefree facade. Her gaze fell on the ground, her heart beating faster than the drums. (11.10)
Miri and Peder are constantly dancing around each other (literally) now that they're teens. It's time for them to step up and actually be honest with each other about their feelings—otherwise they'll just keep having these excruciatingly awkward run-ins.
Quote #5
His expression was distant, as if he were remembering. "I miss all the time we had when we were younger, don't you? It'd be nice to go exploring the peak again, maybe on rest days." (11.81)
Peder doesn't actually want to go back to the days when they were younger; he just wants to be able to hang out with Miri all the time again. But this time, things will be different. They'll be older and harboring some secret affections for each other.
Quote #6
Miri rose. "I have something to say."
Her father raised his brows but did not speak, and Os indicated that she go ahead. Miri hummed her throat clear. (11.112-113)
All this time Miri has seen herself as a weak child, but in going to the academy, she finds that she does have something to offer to the other villagers. She can use her newfound knowledge to help the village prosper.
Quote #7
Before the academy, Miri never had cause to wonder if a person was head smart or not. It seemed everyone was clever at something [...] Now, smart meant to Miri the talent to think around a new problem and to learn new things. (12.64)
All this school stuff has Miri thinking about intelligence and capacity in a different way. Now she sees that her sister Marda is really smart. If only she had the opportunity to learn how to read and write like Miri did…
Quote #8
"I used to think that was the whole world," said Esa, sitting beside Miri with Britta and Frid. Esa's eyes sought out the swells and slopes of the mountains dimming from green to gray on the northern horizon. "Now I feel so small, perched up here on our isolated mountain." (14.7)
Learning about the rest of the kingdom has left the girls feeling like they've seen so little of the world. Like Miri, the other girls thought that Mount Eskel was all that existed, but now they feel as if there is so much more they do not know.
Quote #9
She would not test her father's pain and ask to work in the quarry again. She would find her own place. And sitting under a tree with Marda as she read her first page felt like the best place in the world. Miri wondered how she could make that good feeling last. (15.25)
Growing up means learning her limitations and the countless opportunities available. Miri may not be a quarry worker in the future, but there are other things that she can do that will suit her interests better. She just has to find them.
Quote #10
She chanted to herself to give her limbs courage and reasons to move. She was the academy princess. She was her ma alive again. Peder had heard her call and come in the night. Her pa would be out there, his arms strong enough to crush bandits like rubble rock. Olana and Knut were locked away, and there was no one else. (22.12)
Miri may not feel ready, but it's now her responsibility to herd all of the girls out of the academy and away from the bandits—now isn't the time to second guess herself or think that she's too small or weak. She's got this—she just has to buck up and do it.