Quotes (5) - Beyond the Valley of Thorns

“And then I heard a different noise. A strange noise. It was a faint, almost unnoticeable, knocking.

Knock, knock, knock.

I looked all around, then stood up with the book in my hand and leaned out the window to listen for the sound again.

Knock, knock, knock.

Louder now, but not form outside. I turned and faced the shelves of books and remained very still.

Knock, knock, knock.

The book I held slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor with a pop. I remained motionless, not even breathing.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound was coming from behind my chair, from the other side of the secret door.”

-pg. 10, Beyond the Valley of Thorns

This quote added more suspense each time with the "knock, knock, knock" until the last sentence. It quickly grabbed my attention. I wanted to find out who's behind the secret door, and why. It's well written and used to grab the readers' attention.

“’Murphy the brave, at your disposal!’ said the squirrel on my back.”

-pg. 34, Beyond the Valley of Thorns

Somehow, I imagined Murphy, the lively squirrel that cannot sit still for one minute, to be jumping up and down instead of just saying it on Alexa's back since Murphy must be very hyper to talk to Alexa again! Patrick Carman added a bit of humor into the words that Murphy said. It seems like Murphy wants to be a little special helper to Alexa!

“’It’s your decision, Alexa,’ said John. ‘Either way, we have to be moving along. We can’t stay here any longer.’

My hand instinctively went to the leather pouch around my neck, and I felt the Jocasta hidden inside. The last Jocasta. It was in my possession, and Warvold wanted it taken somewhere for some purpose. If I returned to Bridewell, that something would be left unfinished, with terrible consequences I couldn’t begin to understand.

‘Lead the way,’ I said to John.”

-pg. 41, Beyond the Valley of Thorns

Patrick Carman puts a series tone to the paragraphs above. It's a very difficult for Alexa to make as her decision would leads to unknown paths. I can understand that since I, too, have experienced those times. The author describes Alexa's thoughts in such way that I feel Alexa is the "chosen one". The words "The last Jocasta" emphasize how special she is to be the owner of an item that is extremely significant.

“‘There is one way that almost always works,” said Yipes, and then he knelt down next to Murphy and looked at us as if he were about to do something underhanded.

‘How is the nut?’ he asked.

‘Fine, thank you,’ said Murphy, though Yipes only heard him squeaking.

‘I’m so glad you’re enjoying it.’

Just then Yipes tapped Murphy upon the head, ran his hand along his back, and grabbed hold of his tail.

There is one thing a squirrel cannot stand, and Yipes had just perpetrated it on our little friend. Instinct will send a squirrel caught by the tail into a fit of biting scratching, and screaming, and Yipes was well aware of this. He quickly moved out in to the open, away from the bushes, and began swimming Murphy in circles over his head, which kept the sharp teeth from whipping around and finding his forearm. All the while Murphy was screaming his head off, and though this was not the loudest sound one might hear, a hawk has exceptional hearing (not to mention outstanding sight), and Squire dived into the ravine looking for a trapped squirrel almost immediately.

As soon as Squire started for us, Yipes stopped spinning Murphy, crouched near the ground, and let go of his tail. Murphy rolled several times and landed punch-drunk on his feet in the wide open. He wobbled back and forth and then fell on his side, the twirling having dizzied his mind.”

-pg. 76-77, Beyond the Valley of Thorns

I find this quote so hilarious that I had to chuckle. Murphy being so innocent yet tortured by Yipes so badly. When the author describes Yipes swinging Murphy, I imagine Murphy's teeth jutting out. And when he finally reached the ground, I think of stars around his head, and his eyes going in circles. However, without Patrick Carman's vivid description of the events, the event might as well be dull.

“Armon sat down among us and gathered his thoughts to speak a final time about the tins of the past. While he considered what to say, I watched the night sky with its countless stars and its moon, and I wondered about the universe and all that had been created, why the stars and the moon rose at night and the sun in the day, how vast it must be, how I could never understand the infinite measure of its size.”

-pg. 101, Beyond the Valley of Thorns

This paragraph shows Alexa's curiosity of the strange land and the history of where she travels now. It also leads the reader to really ponder about how big The Land of Elyon is. I thought of two possibilities:

1. Everything is controlled by Elyon, the creater of The Land of Elyon

2. The Land of Elyon is just like the Earth with itself rotating around the Sun, and moons rotating around the Land of Elyon.

Quotes (3) - The Tenth City

“No sooner had the words left his mouth than the winds became more violent, the waves crashing against the ship and pushing it toward the cliffs. Rain came tumbling out of the sky like no rain I’d ever seen before. It felt as though the sky above us had waited for our arrival and held on to more and more water, month after month, only to drop it all on the Warwick Beacon.

There was a sound then, a roaring from the east, and we all turned to see what it was. Through the driving rain we all saw the wind coming straight at us. We could see it off in the distance lifting the water into great waves. The storm didn’t creep up on our boat like a cat will sneak up on a mouse. It leaped on top of us all at once without warning, and we began to tumble on the waves toward the cliffs.”

-pg. 18, The Tenth City

This quote showed how violent the waves of the Lonely Sea were. Patrick Carman wrote the first paragraph in such a way that shows Alexa being very frightened. The metaphor Carman used was also helpful for visualizing what happened to the Warwick Beacon. It allowed me to imagine a giant tiger leaping on its pray: the Warwick Beacon.

“Armon looked over his shoulder at us and found Murphy and me hoping for some reassurance that he could scale the cliffs. He sighed mightily and looked at his own hands in the weak light of the crevice – we all looked at them. I leaned over and put my hand against his, then Murphy ran down my arm and put his paw on the back of my hand – my hand so much bigger than Murphy’s paw, Armon’s hand that much bigger still than mine.

‘If I had hands that big I could do it,’ said Murphy, and for some reason Armon thought this was very funny, and he began to laugh. He stretched out his arms and his back rumbled and cracked against my chest.

-pg. 32, The Tenth City

Patrick Carman's writing made me wonder if Murphy would've liked to have a larger size instead being a tiny squirrel. As a squirrel, Murphy must be an excellent climber. In the quote, "If I had hands that big I could do it", it emphasizes on the "I". To me, I think Murphy wants to do something significant for once, and not be an noticeable little squirrel.

“‘Someone is coming, Alexa. The animals are stirring.”

I listened along with Ander and heard the faint sound of something approaching from the woods. A moment later, Odessa came into the clearing. I was happy to see her.

‘Odessa!’ I said.

Ander sniffed at the air, his big head bouncing back and forth as he stretched his nose out from side to side. As I watched Odessa slowly approach us, I glanced around the grove and noticed something peculiar. All the animals had gone away, leaving bare stones strewn with dirt and leaves. Only Ander remained.

‘There is something foul in the air,’ said Ander. I smelled it as well, the terrible odor of rotting flesh.

Odessa crept forward a few more steps, and then I heard the sound of beings crashing through the trees from every direction, moving fast. I could see their heads bobbing through the trees, their swollen shoulders knocking down limbs as they came, the black cloaks, and the hideous faces.

The ogres were upon us, closing in from all sides.

‘Odessa, how could you?’ said Ander. He was astounded at the sight of these creatures, and we both knew without hesitation that Odessa had led them to this sacred place, …

-pg. 133-134, The Tenth City

Carman creates a serious tone, along with a depressing mood. The friend of Alexa Daley and others had just betrayed them and brought the orges to where they all were. I was extremely astonished! At the same time, I was also afraid of what might happen to Alexa and her companions. Grindall would not just simply let them go, but instead torture them until he got his hands on the last Jocasta, and destroys the Tenth City. Patrick Carman reels the readers in and let them, too, "feel" the unbelievable situation that Alexa and her friends were facing.