How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Although he was only eleven years old, he was quite used to figuring things out for himself. (1.1)
Reynie's been on his own for most of his life. Sure he's got Miss Perumal at the beginning of the book, but the orphanage director only brought her in after Reynie had finished all of the school's textbooks. On his own. So Reynie is a great example of an autodidact. An auto-what? Autodidact. Someone who's self taught. You know, like Beatrix Potter, Benjamin Franklin and a slew of other well-known people.
Quote #2
As Reynie had already completed all the textbooks on his own, even those for high school students, the orphanage director had assigned him a special tutor while the other children went to class. (1.3)
Reynie reads like crazy, and we all pretty much know that reading is a great way to get an education—about anything. Clearly Trenton Lee Stewart is a big fan of books, but here's a question we have for you: is there a difference between reading a book the way Reynie has likely read all of his and reading a book on an e-reader? Or listening to an audiobook? Or watching a film adaptation of a book? Do people acquire the same knowledge no matter how they take in the contents of books? And finally, what do you think Stewart would think about this topic?
Quote #3
Reynie was in the reading room again, the only place in the orphanage where he could be assured of solitude (no one else ever ventured into it) and freedom from persecution. (1.10)
This is sad for multiple reasons. First because Reynie has to squirrel himself away somewhere to avoid being teased and taunted by his classmates, and second because it means none of the other students at the orphanage ever go into the reading room, which implies that none of them are big fans of reading. Do you think the Stonetown Orphanage is way different from most schools in this way? Or do you think people's interest in reading is really decreasing?