Elizabeth Honey Quotes

“Kids love 47 Stella Street. It is like dreams come true. Frank lives at 47. He’s six. His Dad, Rob, is a junk dealer. Their house is a big old rambling, tumbled-down, fixed-up, crazy place.”

The newcomers turn the recently deceased Aunt Lillie’s loving home into a stark, barren domicile; are nasty to the other residents; and seem to have mysterious business and social dealings.

“We still didn’t know who was going to live there. Donna who’s really friendly, and can talk to anyone, talked to the builders all the time but they didn’t want to talk about the owner.”

“I’m the tallest girt in our school. I’m not the oldest or the cleverest or the prettiest or the funniest but I sure am the tallest which nobody can deny.”

“I don’t mind being tall because my best friend is most unusual too when you first meet him. And I like being unusual together. Besides unusual people turn out to be usual when you get to know them.”

This Australian import is narrated by 12-year-old Henni Octon. The residents of her street are a unique mix of people who have developed a strong sense of community. They are upset about the arrival of new neighbors who don’t fit in with this eclectic, warm group.

“If a board falls off the wall Rob nails a sign over the hole. A window got broken once and he replaced it with a milk bar window. He fixes things in his own way.”

“Once upon a time (this is true though) Rob knocked on Old Auntie Lillie’s door and she didn’t answer so he went inside and there she was lying on the kitchen floor with her hands clasped like Snow White’s and her sweet half-smile on her face.”

Soon, it also becomes clear that they are up to no good. After much spying and some consulting of the library shelves, Henni and her friends prove that the Phonies, as they are now called, are money launderers.

“Frank’s mum, Donna, loves gardening. She plants something in every piece of junk that can hold even so much as an egg cup of soil. Petunias bloom from the back of a merry-go-round swan, sweet peas climb up from a rocket.”