
Rebecca's stories are like that. Every detail, every word, is an important part of the whole story. There is nothing extraneous.
When I reach the story's conclusion, all of the ideas and images fit together to create a literary work of art.
That's what I like about her books.
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

1. VW Bug
"Bug-Buggy ZOO-buggy!"
2. Cinnamon Toast
"You can't say 'cinnamon toast' and not want cinnamon toast."
3. Pedometer
"Exactly ten thousand steps."
4. Comments
"Eighty-eight comments...scroll down."
5. Stranger
"Sometimes I feel like a stranger to myself too."
7. Apollo11
"Of course they knew."
9. Valentine's Day
"Happy Valentine's Day"... "Yeah, you said that already."
8. Put a pin in it
"I think that when you don't know, you should wait until you do....put a pin in it."
6. Friends
"There was no black line separating Colorado from Utah. There was no black line separating friendship from whatever might come next."