How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I was only fourteen. He talked to me like the parent I never had. He said I could go to school or learn a trade, but I would have to be absolutely perfect. If I wasn't, he would drop me off the Mile-High MacIlwaine. He was joking. I think. Anyhow, he also told me about Resthaven." (22.56)
When Myanda shares with Tendai that she met the General, he's shocked. What's more? His dad helped her get in line. We only get a brief glimpse of her story in passing, but it's clear that she, too, needed to find her way at fourteen. Now Tendai is about that age and stumbling along his way, too.
Quote #8
The one thing that had been drummed into all their heads from the moment they were able to understand was that you never seriously argued with elders. You could needle them or complain—Rita was an expert at this—but you didn't go too far. And the older an elder was, the more careful you were. (30.43)
Tendai knows that there are rules about these sorts of things. It's not just about respecting your folks; you also have to hold your tongue and listen to other people who are older, too. Maybe that's because they're older and wiser and can teach you a bunch of stuff.
Quote #9
Tendai swallowed. So much time had passed! He saw himself on his last birthday, a spoiled, ignorant child. He had got a model village kit and toy spear. Tendai flushed with embarrassment. Had he really been such a baby? And when he blew out the candles on the cake, hadn't he made a wish? I want an adventure. (36.27)
We get to see dramatic changes in Tendai's life over the course of the book, and not just in his location. Here, we can tell that he's grown up a lot. He's no longer the spoiled, selfish little know-it-all we meet when the book begins. Instead he's matured a bit and thinks about stuff before he acts.