Commonplace book is defined as a book of literary passages, quotations and occasional thoughts. Many people keep such a journal that they use to record favorite passages from the books they are reading. Here are some of our favorites. Please send us your favorite book passages and we’ll consider adding them to the page.
From The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly:
“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.”
From Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling:
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” –Albus Dumbledore
From Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak:
“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!”
From Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams:
Ingrid popped some waffles into the toaster, mixed up a nice blend of maple syrup and melted butter for filling up those tiny waffle squares. Waffles were a brilliant invention. She whipped up some hot cocoa to go with them.
Eating happily away in the breakfast nook, light rain fogging up those lovely windows on three sides, Ingrid made a mental list of great inventions, the ones that changed the world. Waffles, for sure. Pillows. Snow days. Gift wrapping. Theater curt–
From Wizards of the Game by David Lubar:
I stayed on the computer until I got booted off. Not by a power surge, but the old-fashioned way–by Mom pointing out it was time for bed.
“You have school tomorrow,” she reminded me, as if there was a kid on the planet who didn’t know when Monday was about to pounce. You could almost feel it creeping around the globe on Sunday evening, devouring Europe and then swimming eagerly west.”
From The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen:
If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers, who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the the rest that can’t be in books.
The book needs you.
From The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman:
Maybe sometimes we don’t do the right thing because the wrong thing looks more dangerous, and we don’t want to look scared, so we go and do the wrong thing just because it’s dangerous. We’re more concerned with not looking scared than with judging right. It’s very hard.
From The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne:
Although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.
