How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I was relieved, but I also felt like a weenie. When I'd seen where my kite was trapped, I was sure it was a goner. Not Juli. She scrambled up and got it down in no time. Man, it was embarrassing.
So I made a mental picture of how high she climbed, and the next day I set off to outdo her by at least two branches. I made it past the crook, up a few limbs, and then—just to see how I was doing—I looked down.
Mis-take! It felt like I was on top of the Empire State building without a bungee. I tried looking up to where my kite had been, but it was hopeless. I was indeed a tree-climbing weenie. (3.16-18)
Bryce does not like climbing trees, and when he fails to get as high as Juli, he ends up calling himself a "tree-climbing weenie." Do you think this is a fair title for this guy? We're wondering if Bryce isn't giving himself enough credit. After all—he did try to climb the tree. Even though fear brought him back down, at least he took a go at it in the first place.
Quote #2
It was a long way up, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I shinnied up the trunk, took a shortcut across the slide, and started climbing. Champ kept a good eye on me, barking me along, and soon I was higher than I'd ever been. But still the kite seemed forever away. […]
Then I looked down. Down at Bryce. And suddenly I got dizzy and weak in the knees. It was miles off the ground! Bryce shouted, "Can you reach it?" (4.23, 29)
When Juli first climbs the sycamore tree, she feels just a wee bit scared—but even when she's scared, she also shows a big batch of courage. Check out how she jumps right into climbing the sycamore. In fact, she doesn't even get scared until she's part of the way up. And does that fear stop our courageous leading lady? No way. She just keeps going.
Quote #3
When I had the kite free, I needed a minute to rest. To recover before starting down. So instead of looking at the ground below me, I held on tight and looked out. Out across the rooftops.
That's when the fear of being up so high began to lift, and in its place came the most amazing feeling that I was flying. Just soaring above the earth, sailing among the clouds.
Then I began to notice how wonderful the breeze smelled. It smelled like…sunshine. Like sunshine and wild grass and pomegranates and rain! I couldn't stop breathing it in, filling my lungs again and again with the sweetest smell I'd ever known. (4.32-34)
Even though Juli had a bit of fear when climbing the tree, all that falls away when she sees the view. Did you notice how much Juli's description of her feelings changes as she climbs the tree? She goes from "fear" to feeling like she's "flying." Now that's a pretty great prize for bravely climbing a tree.