How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
It wasn't just the yard. It was my dad's truck, my mother's car, the family bike that was more rust than steel, and the fact that when we did buy something new, it always seemed to come from a second-time-around store. Plus, we never went on vacation. Ever.
Why was that? My father was the hardest-working man in the world, and my mother worked for TempService doing secretarial jobs whenever she could. What was all that hard work about if this is where it got you? (8.6-7)
Juli knows that her parents work super har, but she also knows that they aren't reaping oodles of rewards as a result. Instead their money is tight. Even though Juli doesn't care about money or having new things, she still wants to understand the value of hard work. And the question she asks here sure is a doozy. What do you think the answer is? What is all this hard work about? And is it worth it for the Baker family?
Quote #8
But then I remembered my mother's words from the night before. Surely, I thought, a few bushes and some dilapidated wood couldn't stop someone's best and brightest blessing! Surely not!
And with that, I picked up the clippers and got to work. (8.58-59)
Juli is hard at work cleaning up her front yard. And this project is seriously huge—there are bushes to prune, a fence to build, and grass to plant. But when Juli feels discouraged, she doesn't let that keep her down; instead she uses her mom's encouragement to get her going again.
Quote #9
How do I show her that I'm not the guy she thinks I am? How do I erase everything I've done and start over?
Maybe I can't. Maybe it just can not be done. But if I've learned one thing from Juli Baker, it's that I've got to put my whole heart and soul into it and try. (13.196-197)
Bryce has turned a corner. This whole book, Juli has been the go-getter gal who perseveres to the end, but now Bryce is taking a page out of the Juli-book. He decides to prove to her that he's a new guy—and he's going to try and try and try until he succeeds. It's pretty cool that Bryce realizes that he's learned this lesson from Juli herself. What do you think of this? How has Juli taught Bryce to try his hardest?