Katherine Applegate > Quotes

“I fear for those innocent people. They're like butterflies on an anvil, waiting for a hammer to come down.”
― Katherine Applegate

“His look of shock confirmed, as did the red blood flowing, that I had cut him. But it wasn't yet fatal. He wouldn't die of the cut I'd inflicted. No. He'd die when I felt, coursing through me, all the pain and rage of finding my family slaughtered because of this evil man. He'd die when I looked into his wide, horrified eyes and cried, "For the dairnes!" I grabbed the hilt firmly in both hands, and I plunged the Light of Nedarra through his heart.”
― Katherine Applegate, The Only

“Probably I shoulda been named Bruiser or Bamm-Bamm or Bandit, but Bob’s what I got and Bob’ll do me just fine. Julia named me. Long time ago.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Bob

“We were clinging to our mother, my sister and I, when the humans killed her. They shot my father next. Then they chopped off their hands, their feet, their heads.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

“Visser Three thinks he has won our long, private war. But I've left a little surprise behind.”
― Katherine Applegate, The Andalite Chronicles

“A reader brought to my attention that the old saying "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance." had been attributed to me erroneously. In fact, this is a lovely African proverb that is referenced by Kek, the narrator in Home of the Brave, as something his mother used to say.”
― Katherine Applegate

“I didn’t ask any more hard questions after that. Somehow I just knew my parents didn’t want to give me hard answers.”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“That was the first time I realized people don’t always like to hear the truth.”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“paddles.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Bob

“I’m trying something new. I call it ‘the grumpies.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ruby

“You’re not responsible for getting sick, Tom. And you’re not responsible for my getting laid off.” My mom threw her hands in the air. “Oh, what’s the point? I’m going to bed.”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“Once someone tries to take life away from you, that's when you really start to care about it”
― Katherine Applegate, The Mayflower Project

“I think maybe I'll like
living here in America, I say to Ganwar

Yeah, that's what I thought too,
But you'll never really feel like an American,
Ganwar say. You'll see.

Why? I ask.

Ganwar shrugs.
Because they won't let you.”
― Katherine Applegate

“George”
― Katherine Applegate, Ivan & Friends 2-Book Collection: The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob

“Crenshaw”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“whined”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw Chapter Sampler

“I hope they will have stories
at my school.
If they don't know how,
perhaps I can teach them.
It isn't such a hard thing.
All you must do is say
Once there was...
and then let your hoping find the words.”
― Katherine Applegate, Home of the Brave

“voice.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Family

“instance.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ruby

“We talked about talking. (We had been interrupting Ms. Diz a lot).
She said that when someone is talking, you listen with your ears.
And save your questions for the end.
Then you use your mouth.
Even if you see something that is a miracle.
Like a squirrel with a blue Matchbox car in his mouth.
Which I saw yesterday.
You are not allowed to jump up and scream, 'MS. DIZ I SEE A SQUIRREL WITH A MATCHBOX CAR IN HIS MOUTH OR MAYBE IT'S AN SUV!! I AM NOT KIDDING MS. DIZ!!”
― Katherine Applegate, Never Swipe a Bully's Bear

“I missed my bed. I missed my books and Legos. I even missed my bathtub. Those were the facts.”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“Are you done?” Prince Jake asked me. “Yes. I am fully human.” The sound delighted me. It’s an amazing talent, this ability to make complex sounds. “Human. Mun. Hyew-mun. Human. Huh-yew-mun.” “Um, Ax? Don’t do that, okay?” Prince Jake said. “What? What-tuh?” “That. Where you play with every sound like it’s a new toy.” “Yes, my prince. Not a toy. Toy! Toytoytoytoy . . .”
― Katherine Applegate, The Alien

“Three of my walls are glass. One of them is cracked, and a small piece, about the size of my hand, is missing from its bottom corner. I made the hole with a baseball bat Mack gave me for my sixth birthday. After that he took the bat away, but he let me keep the baseball that came with it.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

“visitors”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

“dachshunds,”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“Goofy was eating her cereal.”
― Katherine Applegate, Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs

“Ivan has a terrible memory.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

“We are like a cow and a goat,
wanting to be friends
but wondering if it
can ever be.”
― Katherine Applegate, Home of the Brave

“If you run out of cereal and your stomach’s still growling, you can always try chewing a piece of gum to distract yourself. Stuck behind your ear is a good hiding place if you want to use your gum again. Even if the flavor is gone your teeth get a workout.”
― Katherine Applegate, Crenshaw

“Elephant hide is thick as bark on an ancient tree, but a claw-stick can pierce it like a leaf. Once Stella saw a trainer hit a bull elephant with a claw-stick. A bull is like a silverback, noble, contained, calm like a cobra is calm. When the claw-stick caught in the bull’s flesh, he tossed the trainer into the air with his tusk. The man flew, Stella said, like an ugly bird. She never saw the bull again.”
― Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan & Bob ebook collection