How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Not that I cared what people thought about my appearance. But even if I wasn't pretty in an obvious way, if my hair was just-barely-blond instead of a golden yellow, if my eyes were gray instead of blue, even if I was as scrawny as a bundle of twigs, there was no doubt in my mind I looked at least twelve and a half. (1.14)
Jamie's appearance isn't very important in the book, but we've included it here to tell us how she views herself. Notice she doesn't talk about her beauty or physical features very much. That's because she's not all that interested in the way she looks, and instead, she wants to play outside with the boys.
Quote #2
More than once the Colonel had told me that if I had been a boy, I would have been a star football player on any team you'd care to name. Well, maybe he didn't say it in those words, but that's what he meant. (2.4)
Whether Jamie likes it or not, her relationship with her dad is different than TJ's because she's a girl. She knows it, and Hollister tells her as much, too. Sometimes it seems like she wishes she were a boy because then she could do all the stuff she loves to do without people getting all up in arms.
Quote #3
"I'm starting eighth grade in September, which is hardly a little girl, and I read Time magazine," I argued. "I know plenty about war." (2.37)
After her mom says she doesn't know anything about the war because she's just a little girl, Jamie won't stand for it. So what? She might be a girl, but she's informed and she has an opinion. She's not going anywhere either. Luckily, Jamie throws shade on this idea that girls can't know much about what's really going down.