“I started to sing. Yes, sing. "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy. Yankee Doodle Do or die." I let go of Henry and Caroline and started marching, like I was the leader of a parade. "An old old something something la… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share
“My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.” The idea being if you thought and dreamed about the way you wanted your life to be -- if you just envisioned it long enough, it would come into being. But as hard as I had… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share
“And then I saw Niko. He had sunk down to his knees and had his face in his hands. I went over to him.… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“There I saw Chloe, freshly bathed, wrapped in a towel, eating fun-size butterfingers one after another like a chain smoker and watching me like… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“Your mother hollers that you're going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not- you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner. Only, if it's… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share
“We were a good team. I was glad we had decided to work on being friends. She was holding up her end of the… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“The cries of the other kids got louder: “The bus is on fire!” “It’s going to explode!” and “We’re going to die!” And I… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“Sometimes, when you'd least expect it, the grief would chop your legs out from under you.” — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“All right," Jake said, clapping his hands. "Which one of you little punks is gonna teach me how to play Chutes and Ladders?” — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“I guess I could go and get a bunch of knives from the Kitchen aisles and throw them at the intruders. So lame. I… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share Image
“I started to sing. Yes, sing. "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy. Yankee Doodle Do or die." I let go of Henry and Caroline and started marching, like I was the leader of a parade. "An old old something something la la la, born on the Fourth of July." So maybe I didn't know the words, exactly. Alex joined in. Astrid,… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share
“Night came and fell hard. Not like God drawing a blanket over our land But like someone snuffing a candle. Sudden and total. Out—just like that. Now we are waiting. Waiting in the dark To see if someone Will switch on the light. We can cower, We can fear, We can get lost together or Get lost alone. But the… — Emmy Laybourne Copy Share
