In which book does a character take a shortcut through his mother's favorite rosebush to get a five second jump on his oldest brother?

In which book does a author start the tale with "Many years ago" because he doesn't know what "Once upon a time" really means?

In which book does a character dream of becoming a doctor?

In which book was a character's brother a total jock, a high school superstar, at any sport with a ball?

In which book does a character hurl a toy soldier into the woods?

In which book does a character say there was more tension than love between him and his dad?

In which book does a character's dad keep an apple cider jug filled with loose change in the basement?

In which book does a character say that the years when he shared a passion for baseball with his dad were gone?

In which book does a character run three blocks to the fire station to get an ambulance?

In which book does a character get 50 cents deducted from his allowance for the rest of the year and get grounded for a week?

In which book does a character skid to a stop at the edge of the road just as the car sped away in a pelting spray of gravel?

In which book does a mom make her family's favorite soup, corn chowder?

In which book is the construction supervisor a tall woman with blazing-red hair, who wears expensive custom-tailored suits, and high-heeled shoes?

In which book does a building have a dome with ten wedge-shaped high-definition video screens as bright as the ones in TImes Square?

In which book does a character find a photo of his dad at ten or eleven, with one arm draped around a dog?

In which book does a character say, "I got you some supplies" and nod over to a spiral notebook, a beat-up thermos, and a bunch of stubby pencils?

In which book do restaurants show the changes in a neighborhood?

In which book does a mother walk in with a cardboard box that she found in a character's father's closet?

In which book does a dad say that his eyes saw something he wishes they'd never seen?

In which book does a dad say he was climbing on the rocks, expecting to find a wolf, lion, or bear?

In which book does a parent say that going away was the right thing to do?

In which book do audio-animatronic goslings honk songs, nursery thymes, and sounds?

In which book does a dad say "crocagator" and his son corrects him saying, "You mean alligator"?

In which book does a character have a lot of good memories and two bad memories of his mother?

In which book does a character find an atlas on the bookshelf and decide to cut across foothills instead of following the highway?

In which book does a third child in the family get the hand-me-down rug, books, and computer?

In which book does a character want to go see a creature before anybody else does?

In which book did a character try to memorize the name of every player on the team?

In which book does a character pack a bracelet because it is the smallest item belonging to his mom?

In which book does a character score two lucky finds under the sink: duct tape and heavy duty garbage bags?

In which book does a character dump his book bag upside down onto his bed to find the book he was supposed to do a book report on?

In which book does a shopkeeper always recount a story about his past adventures when a character visits?

In which book does a character get in trouble by tying the window shade cord to a boy's pants?

In which book does a character tell a friend on the bus to turn her PSP 3000 over to get the bonus code in the freeze-frame?

In which book are older siblings eating the last of the good Toaster Tarts, leaving a character the ones that taste like the box?

In which book was a character only sixteen days old when rescued?

In which book was a character dash through the house grabbing a pot, a pan, some rope, an old broom, and a garbage can lid?

In which book did the benefactor for a buiding grow up with nine brothers and sisters crammed in a tiny apartment?

In which book is a car shaped like a large red boot on wheels with thick black boot sole for a bumper?

In which book does a character say that a creature is most likely cold-blooded and slow once the sun goes down?

In which book does a friend invite a character over to her house to play Scrabble?

In which book does a character hear the first tree shudder and fall in the distance and then hear his mom calling him to come inside?

In which book does a character put a big X over the name her teacher wrote on her paper and then write her nickname on the paper?

In which book does a friend say that there will only be red dirt roads and hillbilly kids in a new town?

In which book does a black mountain cut into the sky like a jagged piece of rough metal?

In which book is a late August day the kind Dad said you could taste when the city smells linger in your mouth and nose?

In which book does a character wonder if there are any squirrel sandwiches in the lunch boxes under the desks?

In which book does a family have a bowl with a blue rabbit painted on it and containing two copper coins?

In which book does a character think that "death is a fly that stopped buzzing when the swatter hit it"?

In which book does a character list her favorite three activities as "soccer, ballet, and fighting"?

In which book can a mother hide all evidence that a character existed in three seconds?

In which book does a character remember that his brother teased "You ain't getting that wish" when the characters accidentally blew out one of his birthday candles before he even remembered to make a wish?

In which book do a teacher's eyes dart back and forth across a paper and her neck gets splotchy red and the corners of her mouth twitch?

In which book do creatures turn themselves into water and become the four great rivers of the land?

In which book does a character glance at the clock and is disappointed that she missed 11:11?

In which book does a character ask if his brothers ever had to hide?

In which book does a kid send laser thoughts "Do not sit next to me" zipping around the bus hoping that no one will sit with her?

In which book does a character swallow her complaints and keep working because her parents are working patiently with their backs bent?

In which book is a town a sorry sight with no malls, movie theaters, or even a Chinese restaurant?

In which book does a house hang off the side of the mountain with a tiny porch on stilts?

In which book does the father say that stories cost us nothing and the mother says that they gain us nothing as well?

In which book does a fish say that most fish talk but yo have to be willing to listen?

In which book do characters have a whole passel of cats sleeping on the porch, sunning on the windowsills, and swatting bees out in the garden?

In which book does a character wonder why coffee cake is called coffee cake even though there isn't a drop of coffee in it?

In which book do children speak like adults instead of 10-12 year olds?

In which book does a library stop lending books in 1970 and is now a research collection?

In which book does a person say that giving a package to children doesn't feel right?

In which book does a character question why he has model cars when he had never been able to sit in a real car?

In which book does a character know that kids are rotten, not sweet as Necco Wafers?

In which book does a man say that folds in the Dust Bowl wouldn't have so much trouble if they'd move near some water?

In which book does a character ask her grandmother to tell her a story but her mother says that she played outside too long with her puppy?

In which book does a man say that he doesn't think President Roosevelt will get us out of the Depression?

In which book does a teacher read a letter from a white man saying that on the twenty-third of May people must move West?

In which book does a character's mother always let him have the first piece of apple pie?

In which book does a character say that her parents think they are wasting time talking and telling stories?

In which book does a character think that life is more like the Disney Cartoon, The Three Little Pigs, because a big bad wolf is always trying to blow your house down?

In which book does a character wonder why people always talk about where they are from ad think it is the swellest place ever?