Coraline wondered why so few of the adults she had met made any sense.
“One day, little Caroline, when they are all ready, everyone in the whole world will see the wonders of my mouse circus. You ask me why you cannot see it now. Is that what you asked me?”
Sharper than a serpent's tooth,” she said, “is a daughter's ingratitude. Still, the proudest spirit can be broken, with love.