How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
His face was pure white, as if his mother had powdered her baby on the wrong end. But to Shirley, at this moment, he was the handsomest boy in all of Brooklyn. (4.11)
Joseph isn't the cutest boy, which Shirley notes to herself, but who cares about looks? He reaches out to her and invites her to play stickball. In her mind, trying to befriend her makes him pretty darn adorable.
Quote #5
She laughed along when someone missed. She cheered along when someone scored. Always a second too late, a second too long. Yet none of the gang noticed. They seemed not to see her at all. (4.19)
After playing pretty poorly in stickball, Shirley tries to join the larger group, but though she does what they do, no one pays any attention to her. They are excluding the new girl, not bringing her into their circle. It's like Shirley doesn't exist to them. Poor kid.
Quote #6
At home, she locked herself in the bathroom. Tiptoe on the toilet seat, she peered into the mirror, trying to blow bubbles with her Juicy Fruit gum. Even the first graders blew bubbles as big as full moons. Hers were no bigger than a button. Jaws aching, she tried again and again. She had to do something right. Had to. (4.20)
In another attempt to fit in, Shirley tries to make herself more like the other kids. She wants to learn to blow a bubble like the other students, but so far her efforts aren't working. The more she tries to make herself like other kids, the more Shirley doesn't appreciate her own differences. After all, they are what make her special.