How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The books didn't have directions for an alarm in a lunchbox, but I learned enough about batteries and switches and insulated wires, so I think I can figure it out. (46.4)
Leigh knows nothing about electricity in the beginning, but the desire to keep his lunch safe motivates him to learn how to make an alarm. He's tried several things by this point: writing a fake name on his lunch bag, getting angry, and eating his lunch in the morning. Nothing worked, so he moves on to the next thing.
Quote #8
I never did find out who the thief was, and now that I stop to think about it, I am glad. (51.2)
The pilfered lunch problem bothers Leigh for most of the story, and he tries many different solutions. The important thing is that he keeps at the problem until it's solved. Sometimes, though, the solution isn't what is expected, as Leigh says here; he gives up wanting to know the identity of the thief. His perseverance solves two problems: no more stolen lunches and growing out of a childish wish for revenge.
Quote #9
"How did you find Bandit?" I asked.
"By asking every day over my CB," he said. "I finally got an answer from a trucker who said he picked up a dog in a snowstorm in the Sierra, a dog that was still riding with him. Last week we turned up in the same line at a weigh scale" (60.10-11)
Maybe Dad has grown up a bit after all. He didn't give up looking for Bandit, and his persistence paid off.