How we cite our quotes: (Section.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Sal's night-light was so bright that the yellow walls in her room glowed like the inside of a jack-o'-lantern and had an instant calming effect on Billy. The only visible part of Sal among her pillows, the Drop Sisters, and her messy blanket was her snarl of dark curls, but it was a familiar snarl and Billy's heart slowed down; his breathing steadied. (3.4.1)
Billy has been mad at his sister a lot, but sometimes she can also be the best. Did you notice that she doesn't even have to do anything here to calm Billy down? After he's freaked himself out by imagining a monster under his bed, Billy goes in search of Sal and just seeing her makes him feel way better. Aw.
Quote #8
He hoped that Mama and Papa did go away overnight again for a long time. When they were both gone, the air in the house was harder to breathe, somehow. (3.5.40)
When Billy's parents drive to Chicago for the night, he and Sal are bumming hard. Sal chooses to cry her way through the early evening, but Billy lets us know he misses his parents in a totally different way: by saying that it's harder to breathe when his parents are gone. Pretty powerful description, right?
Quote #9
"The poem can be about a parent or a brother or a sister or a grandma or an uncle or someone who helps your family like a good friend, because all families are different." Billy took a breath. (4.1.15)
When Billy has to pick a family member to write his poem about, he's got quite a few people to choose from. Plus, Ms. Silver says that family is actually a pretty flexible term, because every family has its own distinct look. So that means Billy has even more to think about when choosing his special family member. How do you think the Millers are different from other families? And how are they the same?