There are hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves in a crooked and lopsided way, as if sewn together by a careless craftsman. Kate DiCamillo More Quotes by Kate DiCamillo More Quotes From Kate DiCamillo It is a bad thing to have love and nowhere to put it. Kate DiCamillo bad-things There," she said. She rocked him back and forth. "There, you foolish, beautiful boy who wants to change the world. There, there. And who could keep from loving you? Who could keep from loving a boy so brave and true? Kate DiCamillo loving-you beautiful boys What was it like...to have someone who knew you would always return and who welcomed you with open arms? Kate DiCamillo open-arms arms return Have you, in truth, ever seen something so heartbreakingly lovely? What are we to make of a world where stars shine bright in the midst of so much darkness and gloom? Kate DiCamillo shine-bright stars shining In my stories for children, I sometimes show a hard, harsh, dangerous world. I'm going to show you the way it is, but I'm going to also tell you that there's every reason to hope. Kate DiCamillo dangerous-world stories children This is the danger of loving: No matter how powerful you are, no matter how many kingdoms you rule, you cannot stop those you love from dying. Kate DiCamillo powerful dying kingdoms He was reading from the beginning so that he could get to the end, where the reader was assured that the knight and the fair maiden lived together happily ever after. Kate DiCamillo knights reading together Hands down, the biggest thrill is to get a letter from a kid saying, I loved your book. Will you write me another one? Kate DiCamillo writing kids book Once there was a princess who was very beautiful. She shone bright as the stars on a moonless night. But what difference did it make that she was beautiful? None. No difference." Why did it make no difference?" asked Abilene. Because," said Pellegrina, "She was a princess who loved no one and cared nothing for love, even though there were many who loved her. Kate DiCamillo princess stars beautiful Reader, you must know that an interesting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform. Kate DiCamillo fate men interesting He was weeping. Although 'weeping' really is to small a word for the activity the kind had undertaken. Tears were cascading from his eyes. A small puddle had formed at his feet. I am not exaggerating. The king, it seemed, was intent on crying himself a river. Kate DiCamillo eye kings rivers Despereaux marveled at his own bravery. He admired his own defiance. And then, reader, he fainted. Kate DiCamillo defiance reader bravery I read my books out loud to myself because of the demands of the story and demands of language. Kate DiCamillo demand stories book At the thought of being eaten by rats, Despereaux forgot about being brave. He forgot about not being a disappointment. He felt himself heading into another faint. But his mother, who had an excellent sense of dramatic timing, beat him to it; she executed a beautiful, flawless swoon, landing right at Despereaux's feet. Kate DiCamillo disappointment mother beautiful At least Lester had the decency to weep at his act of perfidy. Reader, do you know what 'perfidy' means? I have a feeling you do, based on the scene that unfolded here. But you should look up the word in your dictionary, just to be sure. Kate DiCamillo feelings mean looks Love, as we have already discussed, is a powerful, wonderful, ridiculous thing, capable of moving mountains. And spools of thread. Kate DiCamillo mountain powerful moving The draft that finally goes to my editor doesn't get into her hands until I have read it out loud innumerable times - sometimes into a tape recorder - to make sure that it sounds right. Kate DiCamillo editors sound hands Farewell” is not the word that you would like to hear from your mother as you are being led to the dungeon by 2 oversize mice in black hoods. Words that you would like to hear are “Take me instead, I will go to the dungeon in my sons place.” There is a great deal of comfort in those words. Kate DiCamillo farewell mother son [He] had the soul of a poet, and because of this, he liked very much to consider questions that had no answers. Kate DiCamillo poet soul answers You are down there alone, the stars seemed to say to him. And we are up here, in our constellations, together. Kate DiCamillo constellations stars together
