Rebecca Stead Quotes

American - Writer Born: January 16, 1968

I'm always thinking about identity. And the middle-school years are a time of exploring questions about who you are and who you want to be. For the first time, you see the world in a broader sense. Rebecca Stead

Time, Identity, World, Thinking, You

I felt vulnerable and very much between friends. I remember walking down the hallway and thinking I had no way of knowing what was coming, literally. This wasn't because I had some horrific bullying story, but because of a steady drip of negativity. Rebecca Stead

Bullying, Walking, Thinking, Story, Down

I would never look a gift horse in the mouth. I've had some lovely homemade earrings and, recently, a wall hanging made in the style of Georges Seurat. Rebecca Stead

Style, Gift, Horse, Look, Mouth, Never

In so many ways, being a literary agent is an irresistible job to me. Not only does it involve all the things I love - being an advocate for others, problem solving, and going to meetings - yes, that's true, I love meetings, though everyone says it's bizarre! - but most importantly, I love working with people whose writing excites me. Rebecca Stead

Love, Job, People, Me, Writing, Problem

I never had a favourite book! I liked all kinds of things - science fiction, so I read Heinlen and Ray Bradbury, and I also liked reading about kids like myself, so I read Judy Blume and Norma Klein and Paula Danzinger and a lot of other writers. I also read James Herriot! Rebecca Stead

Science, Myself, Book, Reading, Never

I think things hit me very hard, and I wish I had allowed things to roll off my back a little bit more. Rebecca Stead

Me, Think, Wish, Back, I Wish, Hard

I read a whole lot as a child, and, of course, I still read children's books. Rebecca Stead

Children, Child, Books, Still, Read, Lot

I personally find the ideas that girls need to cover their shoulders in school a little bit strange... when we're telling girls, you know, 'You have to cover your shoulders because otherwise you're a distraction to other people in your class,' probably something is wrong. Rebecca Stead

School, People, Ideas, You, Know, Need

I think we must all feel that there are people out there who know things about our young selves, you know, our early, early lives, that no one else can ever know. Rebecca Stead

People, Think, You, Know, Early, Feel

During the week,I'm really focused on writing and output. Sunday is a day when I really try not to write at all. Rebecca Stead

Day, Writing, Sunday, Try, Focused

A lot of my ideas for books come from newspaper articles. But I don't like to be actively looking for ideas. Rebecca Stead

Looking, Ideas, Newspaper, Like, Books

My kids really like food, and they like to cook, so it's a lot of fun to shop with them. Rebecca Stead

Food, Fun, Like, Cook, Kids, Really

On Sunday, I think the most important thing for me is to just turn my brain off. The idea of not trying is the key, because that's where you're relaxed enough to let your brain make new connections. Rebecca Stead

Me, Brain, Sunday, Connections, Think

I think of 'Liar & Spy' as completely different and actually not at all like a 'When You Reach Me'-type story. I feel like 'Liar & Spy' has a much quieter, more emotional revelation. Rebecca Stead

Liar, Story, Think, Reach, You, Feel

There's this trouble with books for me because I'm terrible at thinking of titles. The truth is, even with the titles that I've landed on in the end, they always feel wrong. I think it's because of this whole problem of having to package your book in a certain way. Rebecca Stead

Truth, Truth Is, Book, Thinking, Think

I try to remember what it was like to be a kid in New York. I lived in different parts of my childhood in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, where 'When You Reach Me' is set, and also in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. Rebecca Stead

Childhood, Me, New York, Remember, You

I like the idea of a world, even within a big giant city, where you're not anonymous. You have an identity, and that's an identity that's known just sort of by shopkeepers. I felt that as a kid, and I loved it. Rebecca Stead

Identity, World, City, Loved, You, Kid

Mostly what I try to do is build emotion. Only I'd prefer not to do it by telling you about emotion but by pushing that emotion down. Rebecca Stead

You, Down, Try, Build, Emotion, Only

From age nine, my friends and I were on the streets, walking home, going to each other's houses, going to the store. I really wanted to write about that: the independence that's a little bit scary but also a really positive thing in a lot of ways. Rebecca Stead

Positive, Home, Age, Walking, Friends

There was a boy in my building who was my best friend when I was growing up. There was also a mysterious person on my corner who we called the Laughing Man. Rebecca Stead

Best, Best Friend, Man, Friend, Building

'Middle school' is used as shorthand for a time when things change. It's a time a lot of kids feel like they don't even have one good friend. Rebecca Stead

Change, Time, Good, Friend, School, Feel

We're allowed as adults to create a life that we like. Kids don't have that freedom. Rebecca Stead

Life, Freedom, Create, Like, Kids

I've met seven homeschooling families through many, many extracurricular activities such as fencing. I don't have a point of view of homeschooling. For some families, homeschooling works. Rebecca Stead

View, Point Of View, Through, Point, Met

I am basically in awe of every family's ability to make decisions for their kids. Rebecca Stead

Family, I Am, Decisions, Ability, Awe

Probably because I really love this bookmaking and storytelling world, I'd been thinking for years about the possibility of becoming a literary agent. Rebecca Stead

Love, World, Thinking, Storytelling

Anyone who's familiar with my writing schedule knows that there is always plenty of time between books for me! Rebecca Stead

Time, Me, Writing, Schedule, Always

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