I jam my feet in the rungs and cling tightly, trying to catch my breath. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

I try to calm myself down off the edge. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mom tries to talk again, but all we get is more squeaks. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Tyrion tried to shout bade "Here! Here, I'm here, help me!" A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

“I must have gotten that one fifty times. It’s the final ‘The Verse’ in the Old Testament, I’m trying to tell you. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to love you, but right now I wish you weren’t my sister, either. Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

Having a quiet hour before we leave for Berne, I’ll try to tell you what has happened, for some of it is very important, as you will see. Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z

I lie on my bed, trying to make sense out of chaos, examining the mystery ashtray that holds the remains of my life. Challenger Deep 2015-04-15T00:00:00Z

I was trying to get my hair to do this front frizz thing that I saw in a fashion magazine I pinched from Miss Anderson. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

Some of the Hob women tried to teach her to no avail. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

I stared at Grady, trying to process what he was saying. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

Odysseus began to talk, to test the swineherd, trying to put it in his head to take his cloak off and lend it, or else urge the others to. The Odyssey 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ivy tried to act excited about it, but all she could think about was how easy it was for Layla to tell her that. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I tried lifting my head to see what they were doing. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

The twins thought they had been trying hard, and Jackson in particular, feeling he was still in disgrace in the Tallis household, thought he might begin to rehabilitate himself by pleasing Briony. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

She tried to keep a straight face as she continued, “Black sheep are the ones black people count when they tryna get to sleep.” As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

“Companera Perez and I will be selecting a few of you to come with us to ensure that you are not trying to take Cuba’s riches with you.” The Red Umbrella 2010-04-25T00:00:00Z

So our reasons might be stupid, but it’s still going on, and who am I to try to change things? The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

I tried to say that like I believed it. Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z

I tried to shush Vonetta, who thought she was winning our disagreement. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

The mud, covered by a shallow layer of liquid slime, seemed to try to grab them and pull them down with each step. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

When I failed he was always severe, insisting I try over and over again. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

“And you just walk in here and nail it on the first try!” Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

Red lunged at me, trying to grab it away, but his own father held him back. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Kate said quietly, “I’m trying to hold on, Mother. I didn’t know anyone could be so good. I’m afraid if I say anything too quickly or come too close to you, I’ll break to pieces.” East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

“But it’s Amy’s house. They live across the street. You know them,” I said, trying not to whine. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

In particular, numerous white American psychologists have been trying for decades to demonstrate that black Americans of African origins are innately less intelligent than white Americans of European origins. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

"But you haven't seen it yet. To-morrow, if I get a good bull, I will try and show it to you." The Sun Also Rises 1926-10-22T00:00:00Z

He turned the ingot out and tried to lose himself again in his tasks; but the thought of Gebu, like the ache of a tooth, was hard to lose. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

I tried to imagine Jesus, then, in the body of Brother Fowles. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

No man can say that the Government could have done more to try to keep open the way for an honorable and equitable settlement of the dispute between Germany and Poland. Words Like Loaded Pistols 2011-10-20T00:00:00Z

There aren’t assigned seats, so I usually just try to find a seat in the back where no one will bother me. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

If he refused to believe, and wanted to break his neck trying, then he could try until the sun refused to shine; they would never let him enter. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

I kept trying to get into this story but I couldn’t stop hearing them. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z

I smooth out the tiny piece of paper and try hard to be neat. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

“I never meant to cheat off Abigail. I was trying to cheat off Noah. How was I supposed to know he puts down the wrong answers on purpose? I thought he was this big genius.” Ungifted 2012-08-21T00:00:00Z

Having had no success at warning the nuns about the flood, Malcolm tried with his teachers. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

When I noticed two children desperately fighting in the water, one trying to strangle the other, I implored the lady: “Please, don’t throw' any more coins!” Night 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

Even after Papa’s hand grew cold, and Carmen understood that some things get taken away, no matter how hard you try to hold on to them. I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 2019-09-03T00:00:00Z

Harry could tell he was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Moody was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they had balled themselves into fists. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

Was he trying to make Harry look like a fool, so Cho would like hi m even more by comparison? Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

Harry smiled grimly to himself at the thought of what Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would say if he tried to discuss his career in wizardry with them. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

Hours pass, and lunch comes and goes, as they try to come up with a realistic plan for taking the Nut. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

I breathe deeply, trying to slow my heart. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

As the services progressed night after night, my mother tried to persuade me to join, to save my soul at last, to become a member of a responsible community church. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

He poked about with a bit of stick, that itself was wave-worn and whitened and a vagrant, and tried to control the motions of the scavengers. Lord of the Flies 1954-09-17T00:00:00Z

I try to hold myself still, but my legs start to give. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

They had tried to have a kid for years; then Tariq ended up putting his energy into adopting a blue-nose pit bull from the local shelter. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I call out, trying to get him to follow. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

I wonder if all moms do this—try to make the terrifying seem mundane. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

He had tried to light a cigarette and one by one the matches in his box fizzled out. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

This was a big mistake—probably the very response that Ferdinand had been trying to provoke, so that he could represent the Protestants as unruly troublemakers. The Scientists 2003-10-21T00:00:00Z

Then, trying to watch in all directions at once, she withdrew a few cautious steps from the tree against which she had been leaning. I, Robot 1950-12-02T00:00:00Z

I try to hide my disappointment; it was kind of Judith to bring this for me, and I don’t want to seem more petulant than I already did earlier in the meeting. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

Here’s what I think: we’ve all spent so much time trying to make August think he’s normal that he actually thinks he is normal. Wonder 2012-02-14T00:00:00Z

Although his panicked gang scattered after that ridiculous failure, Booth hoped to try again. Chasing Lincoln's Killer 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Hey, let's get up at the crack of dawn. We'll try it out down on the beach! Just you and me, right? Before all the little tourists stake out every square inch, right?” Black Swan Green 2006-04-10T00:00:00Z

I tried to roll away, but he was on me now. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

The slave-girl tries to speak through her gag, but it’s knotted too tightly. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

With my distress growing every moment, I looked around, trying to get some sense of my whereabouts. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

And then when his big sister tried to run to him, they didn’t even let her go to him. Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

After they had passed, Daryl tried to act like he was about to follow them and try to rap to them. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

‘Yes, yes, we heard the name once. But what does the name matter to us? Master says he must get in. So we must try some way. There is no other way to try, no.’ The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

It never went away in folk music, so whenever composers were trying to sound rustic, earthy or homesick for their native countryside, you could expect them to dip back into the modal well for inspiration. The Story of Music 2012-12-25T00:00:00Z

“That was the most embarrassing, shameful display I’ve ever seen from a pro player. You tried to throw that game on purpose.” Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

That’s how I found myself racing through the streets of Key West, trying out the route. Full of Beans 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

They certainly were good hard workers—except when Dorcas tried too hard to be elegant. Johnny Tremain 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had no idea how she might react if he tried to rush her. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

As she got close, I thought I was going to cop a whack on the bum, but when she reached me Sister Marie Patrice just grabbed my arms and tried to pull me out. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

Together they held the outer rim of the door and jerked it open, then rammed it against those trying to break in. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

The young mouse tried to wrench himself free. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

“I’d find that hard to believe,” I said, inching closer, trying to distract him, “considering you care so little about me. If this situation had been reversed, you wouldn’t have come running, would you have?” The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I try to connect the branch to a tree. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

“Okay, Baba, wait a minute, I’m trying to type everything you’re saying.” Lucky Broken Girl 2017-04-11T00:00:00Z

And they said I had to try to understand. Orbiting Jupiter 2015-10-06T00:00:00Z

The dog pulled against it, trying to get to the pool. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z

“He's trying to confuse. He's slippery. Watch out!” Fahrenheit 451 1953-01-01T00:00:00Z

One of the younger boys tried to pull him down to earth, but Vetch merely drifted up a little higher, out of reach, and sat calmly smiling on the air. A Wizard of Earthsea 1968-11-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to smile back, but the smile was unconvincing. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

Then she turned the channel and tried the on-off button again. The Wednesday Wars 2007-05-21T00:00:00Z

They tried the sentence again, reading together out loud: “‘For the most wild yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief.’” Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

“Did you try to run away?” she asked point-blank. Shooting Kabul 2010-06-22T00:00:00Z

“You mean you’re getting out on that balcony in front of fifty thousand crazy crackpots and try to talk sense to them—on a balcony like a medieval dictator?” I, Robot 1950-12-02T00:00:00Z

“If he tried to come to us, where is he? It was two days ago that he left here, and no one’s seen him since. He knew the way to — ” Matt’s brother interrupted her. Gathering Blue 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh . . . my . . . God!” she panted, and grabbed at my body as I tried to wiggle away. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

I rub my free hand against my jeans, trying stupidly to wipe away the clamminess and fear. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

It was funny: it didn’t even cross my mind to stall or try to get out of the work. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I sort of shake my head and try again. Liar & Spy 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

She could summon up those memories by trying really hard. The Devil's Arithmetic 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to stop thinking about it, which is easier on weekdays when I’m distracted by school stuff like Zeno of Elea, lit mag, and the dirty looks I still get from Tim Huber’s friends. Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

She is doing that on purpose, he thought as he tried to force his own smile away from his wide, damp jaws. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

I study him, to see if he’s trying to cover his conversation with Rhiannon. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

Masha always tried to get Galya to distract her in the air on the way to a mission, to take her mind off the hard and terrifying work that lay ahead. A Thousand Sisters 2019-01-22T00:00:00Z

I tried to imagine him in his orange jumpsuit, holding the phone. From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z

She tries to kiss at me again, but there’s only so much that a guy can take. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Soon they were on top of Mark, a dozen or more, punching and kicking and seemingly trying to rip him apart. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

He inserted a nickel but when he tried to pull the lever he found that the machine was jammed. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

I began to laugh, too, because my uncle was trying to say something and he was so possessed with laughter that he couldn’t say a complete word without launching into another fit of laughter. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

Might as well try and make this as painless as possible. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

She didn’t try to use her hands to stop a man’s heart. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Jason was still trying to wrap his mind around Nico’s past. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

For a time Lee tried to stimulate Adam to awareness, but Lee was a busy man. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

At no time did he try to reinterest me in myoglobin. Double Helix 1968-02-27T00:00:00Z

In response, Elizabeth threw her arms around her father’s neck and said, “I will try to be all my brother was.” Votes for Women! 2018-02-13T00:00:00Z

Would I have tried my hardest to run away if Mengele singled me out? The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

My right leg was twisted beneath me and when I tried to move, it felt as if sharp needles were shooting all up and down my leg. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

I tried frantically to keep it—I might as well have tried to imprison a cloud. Nectar in a Sieve 1954-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Just a moment, Bast,” Kvothe said as he tried to catch the stupefied mercenary’s attention. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

There was a certain method in the Count’s inquiries, so I shall try to put them down in sequence; the knowledge may somehow or some time be useful to me. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z

I try to think about the distance between solid things; the color of the atmosphere. Landscape with Invisible Hand 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I feel the spell from Michah's kisses lifting away, and my skin tries desperately to cling to it. What the Night Sings 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

My mother tried to teach me, but she sucked at it, too. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

Wherever my eyes turned they saw stricken, frightened black faces trying vainly to cope with a civilization that they did not understand. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

There’s room for me on the sofa, but I don’t want my mother to try to touch me again. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to swallow the snowball in my throat. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

“A week’s not nearly enough time for a good quilt. But for five hundred dollars, I’m dang sure going to try.” Hope Springs 2021-08-10T00:00:00Z

Because if you’re trying to make honest money and not just dealing drugs, people are always trying to take what you’ve got. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Jon tried a practice cut.He was clumsy and uncomfortable with his left hand, yet even so the steel seemed to flow through the air, as if it had a will of its own. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

On one occasion, 13-04 took me aside and requested that I try to coaIher to sing the songs in private, and record them in my memory. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

Moving against the flow, and now trying to edge round this same corner, was a column of armored cars, the paintwork untouched by battle, heading south into the German advance. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

Sleepily he tried to reckon the times and stages of their journey, but his memory was drowsy and uncertain. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to will herself back to sleep, convinced that Claire would never write back. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

I try to capture the calm demeanor my mother assumes when handling particularly bad cases. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

He looked like someone trying to feed a vulture broken in the road. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

It was impossible to speak and be understood, and no one tried. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

She tried to make it sound like a curse, too. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

If she’d of bent down in that dress, her bosoms would of looked like two puppies trying to climb over a fence. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

“I’ve never spoken to you until today,” he said, trying to find something to say. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

‘I am not going to try and guess,’ said Frodo smiling. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

I worked my way around the crowd, trying not to, be too obvious about it. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

My mind clung to those two words as I tried calling for her again. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

Cesar, a Doberman pinscher guard dog that had a soft spot for me, started barking and tugging at my diapers, trying to drag me off the road. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

It took me a couple tries to get going, but I finally gagged up my tale. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

We're not trying to put any other clubs down, but we appreciate your comments. Watch Us Rise 2019-02-12T00:00:00Z

“I’m not trying to blame you, Gilly. It’s just that I need, we all need, your cooperation if any kind of arrangement is to work out.” The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z

Marcus grunts in surprise, losing his footing, and I untangle myself and try to scramble to my feet. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

I was trying to think of some way to vocalize this epiphany when Judy came back with the drinks. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

I close my eyes and try to stop my chin from quivering. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

“Understood,” I tell him, trying to hide the sinking disappointment in my gut. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

He tried to kick the warrior, but his hoof clanged off his captor’s armor. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

Annabeth tried to hide it, but I could almost see her mind working on the possibilities, maybe starting to hope. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

I tried to slow the scene down, to relive it frame by frame. Tangerine 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Now imagine trying to estimate the size of the triangle by inscribing little rectangles inside the triangle. Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea 2000-02-07T00:00:00Z

We know from a contemporary source that Chardin painted the youth “carefully from life and...tried hard to give him an ingenuous air.” History of Art, Volume 1 1962-01-01T00:00:00Z

The feed was trying to mop up my headache. Feed 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You slept almost a full day,” he said, trying another smile. The Chosen 1967-04-28T00:00:00Z

I tried to scoot down in my chair and hide behind the person that was in front of me, hoping Ms. G had forgotten I was there. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

Her arms were super muscled; I tried not to stare, but I’d never seen a woman with arms like that. Maybe He Just Likes You 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

I caught myself midword, tried again, nauseous with a terror I couldn’t name: “Yes. I’m fine. Thank you, but really, I’m fine.” The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

Deucalion was forced to agree that she was right, but he tried to think out what might lie behind the words and suddenly he saw their meaning. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sometimes when you try to be too smooth, you really end up blowing it. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

I shook my head thinking of Perilee’s trouble trying to trade in town. Hattie Big Sky 2006-09-26T00:00:00Z

Then he turned away, drew his sleeve over his nose, and got up, and stamped about, trying to whistle, and saying between the efforts: ‘Where’s that dratted creature?’ The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

Then she urged them to “please try again.” Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics 2016-01-05T00:00:00Z

He shifted his eyes from mine, and I already knew what was coming, but I still tried to stall. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

Reyna’s eyes stayed on Frank, like she was trying to guess his weight. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

“Are you trying to get me killed, Mary Anne?” The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to think of a way to ask the thing I can't ask him. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

And Ana’s mom wanted her to try out, too. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

“Tomorrow night. I’ll... come up with a better way. Let’s just try again and...” The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

He tried to look at them, but he couldn’t keep it up and had to look away. The Cricket in Times Square 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to hide behind Liz, hoping she wouldn’t notice me. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

There are no intoxicated guys trying to grab her. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

I half expected to see Chubs and Zu outside trying to rig the vending machines into burping up whatever snacks they had left. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

He tried to think of the German word for wasp but couldn’t. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z

I jump a few hurdles, run a 50 and a 100—I don’t think I’m much of a sprinter—try to high-jump, and foul out a bunch of times on the long jump. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

This time he didn’t even try for the bowl. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

She was coping with medical appointments and surgeries and at the same time trying to care for her mother, who was also fighting an aggressive cancer that was, the doctors insisted, completely unrelated to Suzanne’s. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

She tried smaller shops — bookshops, stationery stores, gift boutiques. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Can’t wait to try the cake,” his father said with a smirk. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

I try to think of this as a good sign. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

But as they tried to trim the thread — A-Fu thought it would look neater if the end didn’t dangle — they discovered that the borrowed line could not be cut. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon 2009-07-01T00:00:00Z

She wasn’t exactly trying to fill slots either. The 57 Bus 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

“Why are you letting me try it on?” Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

The dwarfs didn’t try very hard to lose him, which made Leo suspicious. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

I tried to keep my cool, because I was all the way clear on what the punishment would be if I did something stupid. Ghost 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

It was like picking her way through the wildest part of the Wood in the dark, for people stood in her way and stared at her as she tried to pass them. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to separate the actual words from the sound of Alice’s voice as she had spoken them. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

I asked, trying to make my voice steady. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

She hoped Annabeth could guess what was going on and didn’t try to send another party ashore. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

Sometimes, I would walk around the room and look at each of these things and try to remember exactly the day she had given them to me. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

He knew how government worked, how vicious politics was, and how people with special interests tried to influence and manipulate lawmakers with words or favors. Ambushed! 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

Rowan had, in fact, tried to find her, but by the time Citra entered the rotunda, Rowan had already been set upon by unexpected admirers. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

Carla uses all her persuasive powers trying to convince me not to leave home. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

It’s just the two of them, so I try to convince myself that it’s not too scary. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

It was funny, and for the rest of the trip they tried to get me back for what I had done, but they failed. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

Track batons are slippery, especially if your palms are itchy when you’re trying to grab one. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

He pushed it a little further, trying to be smooth. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

I try to block out memories of the fun we had there last year. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

I tried it once and nearly decapitated myself. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

“I’m just trying to get myself used to all of this.” The Haunting of Hill House 1959-10-01T00:00:00Z

She tries to peek into the trash, but I push her back toward her and Mama’s bed. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

“No, I wouldn’t want to bother you with that. I’ll try to make one myself.” The Book of Three 1964-03-12T00:00:00Z

I tried to be grateful but could not. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Stop!” said Werfel, grabbing the guard and trying to pull him away. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z

They had all tried, and they had lost, and they were going to have to make the best of it with Cousin Eunice. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying to wrap my mind around this, wondering if I had misheard her. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

On another occasion, when she had not yet given up the idea of saving her for the world, she had tried to get her interested in basic domestic affairs. One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

Dylan and Elsie dare me to try Banshee I-Scream, which seems like plain old ice cream to me until the urge to shout my lungs out takes over after the third bite. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

I try to remain calm, but the body conspires against that, tries to drown me in distortion. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

I tried to swallow again, but my throat was huge. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

The things we play are mostly Grace’s ideas, because if we try to play anything she doesn’t like she says she has a headache and goes home, or else tells us to go home. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z

"Oh. Good looks," Satchmo said, trying to snap himself out of it or at least pretend he was never snapped into it. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

We sat on our heels for a while, looking in different directions, trying to locate what was making the sound. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

Mostly she tried not to think about the meat. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

I tried stretching my neck to see if I could spot the granddaughter sitting in the usual spot, the front row, or as Robbie Ray called it, the good seats. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

I’m trying out some good old-fashioned Bloch pointe shoes this time. The Sea in Winter 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

His client the next day could be a fast-food CEO trying to deal with an E. colt outbreak. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

He tried to move, but his feet seemed stuck to the ground. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

He couldn’t quite forget that the last time Dobby had tried to “help” him, he had ended up with no bones in his right arm. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

The boy tried to hand him the pistol but he wouldnt take it. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

I could tell from his face that I’d hurt him, because he really was only trying to help. Please Ignore Vera Dietz 2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

If there’s a more helpless feeling than trying to reach someone you love who’s trapped underground, I don’t know it. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

“And, Abbey, promise me that you’ll try to keep your brother from getting into more trouble.” Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z

She decided she would rather be shot dead trying to escape than be burned alive. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

I tried not to stare but you end up thinking, How did somebody get all the cuts to line up so perfect like that? The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

George tries his best to gently unravel the sheet, to get busy with his part of the rescue, but Lark refuses to budge from her cocoon. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

Rafik tried to set his watch by a giant clock on the wall. Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

‘The most direct route,’ Eurymachus said, ‘would be due east from here, across the Straits of Corinth. But if they try to go that way -’ ‘Enough,’ Antinous snapped. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Tally climbed the hill toward the trio of buildings, trying to take in the view through the eyeholes of her mask. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

When they caught sight of us, though, they got excited and went to trying to get off the ground again. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to pick which shrubbery planted near the side of the structure might benefit from some alternative methods of watering. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

“If we’re going to start by trying to fix the blame on one another, I’m leaving.” I, Robot 1950-12-02T00:00:00Z

I stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

Sierra tried to turn her head, but Bennie tugged her back. Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

I try to keep my thoughts on Eden, on the money I need to collect before it's too late, but I start thinking up new ways to mess with the Republic's war campaign instead. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

He tried to take it from my hand. The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

My third thought was just an echo of my first thought, that pressing charges was a bad idea, but there was no point in trying to talk my mother out of it. All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

All the games I used to play, to try to convince myself that Bas didn’t die alone. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

I give a shout and try to bolt upright. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

Matt tried to imagine what she was doing, but he knew nothing about convents. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to swallow away the lump in my throat, but all that did was move the lump down to my heart. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

“You don’t try to kill a poor old woman whose only crime is decency. You don’t drag her off to live in a moral sewer.” The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

Alaric held one ghostly hand to his chest, a concerned look on his face as he stared into the distance as if he were trying to remember. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

“The more you can disbelieve the things your illness tries to make you believe, the sooner you’ll be well enough to go home.” Challenger Deep 2015-04-15T00:00:00Z

He dipped right, and tried to flick the puck to the corner above my opposite shoulder, but I snapped my head and blocked it off my face mask. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

“Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he’s really imprisoned—” “The giants are trying to lure us,” Annabeth said. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

I was trying as hard as I could, and in the back of my mind was a growing sense of mortification. Blink 2005-01-11T00:00:00Z

I tried to read Grandma’s face, but I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking. From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z

Shin tried again and again to push the cart, but it was too heavy for the emaciated boy to budge. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

I play with the boys as much as I can now, trying to memorize the smell of their freshly sham- pooed hair. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

My brain is trying to keep up with everything, to put out fires, to think of ways to tell my parents that Finch is not this lying, deceitful boy they seem to think he is. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

He had been enjoying a reign of terror since they brought him to Detroit, trying to take big chunks out of the grooms, and no one wanted to go within a pitchfork’s length of him. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’ve come to see Mrs. Pelham,” I said, trying not to sound as uncertain as I felt. Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

She took the line and hook down to the creek and tried to catch breakfast. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Come on now,” I say, trying to pluck his arms free. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

I strain my eyelids open and try to breathe the tears back in my head. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Natalie winced and finished in a hurried mumble, “At least, there’s nothing wrong that she isn’t trying to fix.” The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

I think about saying something to her, but I’m too busy trying to calm my nerves over Stephanie’s stupid behind. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

“They’re running a bunch of tests and trying to determine why he’s been getting dizzy. But they’re pretty sure it’s his heart again.” Amina's Song 2021-03-09T00:00:00Z

If he got rejected at Chicago, would he muster the confidence to try again, perhaps at a slightly less selective school like Loyola or DePaul or the U of I? Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried her knife on the surface; it made no impression at all. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

“That’s a local history museum that’s been around forever. This is a brand-new thing. Don’t try to make it the same.” The Miseducation of Cameron Post 2012-02-07T00:00:00Z

He tried to side-step, tried to parry, tried to somehow escape the doom that was now inevitable. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

With my eyes still closed, I tried to picture that billboard again. Hope Springs 2021-08-10T00:00:00Z

I try to hang on to it, but before long Marlena has replaced her. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

I tried to speak with a thick tongue. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Shall we try to sit up, just a little?” she asks. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

Will Matilde try to make me go back to our parents? The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hamilton tried to reassure him that his sensitivities on this score were excessive, that if he did choose to run for a third term, he would win in a walk. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation 2000-10-17T00:00:00Z

I try to multiply them by six million. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

Vonetta tried to act like she hadn’t heard and kept coloring the Pin Power. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

“It was about to fall,” Luna whispered, trying to make sense of what she had been seeing. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

As we stop to rest and drink water, I try to work out a solution. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

I started working on it, trying to focus hard so I could get rid of other thoughts. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

That night, Thomas spends half an hour standing outside my door, trying out a dozen different kinds of apologies. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

When he tried again, she refused him again. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

When you’re ten years old, like me, some of the time no matter how excited you are, or no matter how hard you try, you just can’t help falling asleep in the car. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

The second day she lifted her hand to flip open a book of poems by Emily Dickinson, trying an experiment. Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

It made no difference what I tried; I couldn’t fool them. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

They tried to stay awake one night but fell asleep when clouds covered the moon. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I spent that first class trying to concentrate on the lessons, wondering whom I should ask for the best notes to catch up for all the lectures I had missed. I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

Gwenforte looks at Michelangelo's big fingers curiously and then tries to lick them. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

Once, he remembered guiltily, he tried to use it to cheat in school. Son 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

It made me want to try harder to make her happy. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

He’s trying to get out of it with a doctor’s certificate and a letter from Opekta. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

I try to tell her it's part of the life, but she gets this closed-up look on her face, so I figure it's best not to say anything. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

The disintegration was awful to see, but worse was the feel of the powder—its starchy slipperiness as she tried to collect it by handfuls. Sula 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

It takes a bunch of tries but I finally catch him while Viola takes out her medipak-of-wonders. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

He recalls sleeping for maybe twelve hours, then stirring and trying to sit. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

It only gave her nightmares, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t get rid of it. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

I tried to stay out of his way, but one day we were both in the warehouse. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

‘I . . . what? Why would you want a son of Hades in the same room with people you’re trying to heal? Why would anyone want that?’ Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

“I do remember. A mother jaguar did this to me. I tried to play with her cubs.” The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z

Then she advised him strongly to try to find out something about his father’s fate. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

She grabs my hand, trying to stop me. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

I try to think of the attack simulation, and what it did to the Abnegation. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

Manchee’s barking at the wood to try to help it along. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

“The thinnest one in the world,” he replied brightly; “but if you have any questions, I suggest you try the thin man, on the other side of the house.” The Phantom Tollbooth 1961-09-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to tell about the deer, but somehow he just couldn’t. The Birchbark House 1999-07-21T00:00:00Z

But just as the kid who was It was finishing counting, the door opened and someone else tried to get in. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to look natural but I never knew what to do with my hands. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

Brother Luke dripped oil into the lock before trying to open the door. The Door in the Wall 1949-01-03T00:00:00Z

He also lifted weights, rode horses, hiked, ran, swam, rowed, and tried all different types of sports. Death on the River of Doubt 2017-01-03T00:00:00Z

But, of course, that was like trying to not think about getting kicked in the balls right as you’re watching that foot make contact. Winger 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

His eyebrows tense, and he looks over at me, trying to find a way in. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

I tried to draw their expressions simply by hearing the conversation but not seeing their faces. Between Shades of Gray 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

Riddle had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore’s, as though trying to catch one of them lying. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

He could tell Calypso was trying not to laugh, but she was shaking with the effort. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

At first people said, “Thank God, this will dry things out”; and then they began to curse the wind; and finally they tried to get their cars, trucks, and horses unstuck. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

You pull yours out and try to slap mine. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

It was the cry of a wild animal trying to pry its mangled leg free from the bear trap. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

He breathed deeply, trying to find a trace of the locust-blossom perfume, but all he smelled was the white clay plaster, as timeless as the cliffs where it came from. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

“Let’s stop the treatments. Stop spending the money. Stop trying. Then what, Will?” Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

He knew that Woundwort, with all the advantage of weight, would jump and try to close with him. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to show her fury through her eyes, but he just smiled at her. When Dimple Met Rishi 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

Jam tried to imagine a smaller him, if he had that voice then, that laugh. Pet 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

When Muller first tried exposing flies to X-rays, he killed them all. The Gene 2016-06-02T00:00:00Z

He even tried to box up some of my medical books. Between Shades of Gray 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

He tries the door without even seeing me. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

She hadn’t asked for a spare hand— hadn’t wanted one—and now he was trying to shove the responsibility off on her. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to ignore the voice in my head that’s saying, Well, look at you, all smooth and such. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

Suppose I just lay wounded, trying to fake it, and some Cong came to take the watch? Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I tried to tell her about that Belle once, but Camellia never likes to listen, Mother." The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

The tears came unbidden, but I didn’t try to stop them. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

“I think I have to,” Mary said, trying to be accurate. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

You could figure out anything about a person if you just tried hard enough. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

If you still can't get over, then quickly as quickly as possible take off your shirt and pants and shoes, and try again. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

She understands immediately, the way he’s trying to replay the moment they had, where they were having fun, where he felt powerful, because she wanted him and he was all casual about it. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

I didn’t think the Sixers would be foolish enough to try to barricade all 512 instances of the white house. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

Sweat poured down Bull’s face and Ben caught an elbow under the left eye when he tried to block one of Bull’s hook shots. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

I walked to the back door, trying to remember how much money was in the tin box hidden under my bed. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z

I try to hold Charlie back when we hear the front door unlock, but it’s no use. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

He sat on my bed and looked around like he was trying to figure out if anything had changed since the summer, which was the last time he’d been home. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

He tried to hold the steering wheel with his arm stub while turning off the switch key and moving every lever his hand could find. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

I swallow and try not to let fear consume me. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

While they tried things on I merely watched and critiqued, not in the mood to shop for myself, though I did need new shoes. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

I tried sitting up and answering but she wasn’t in the room. Feed 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

“This is beyond my conjure, I’m thinking. I’ll try, though. Just not here. I need Old Familiar for this. Let’s go.” Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

Tired of trying to be a generous host. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z

He tried once formally to pray, but there was no one there and no words came, and over and over he said to himself, Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

He, Ron, and Hermione retreated down the side street, groping their way along the wall, trying not to make a sound. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

The animals crowded around it, trying to imagine its purpose. The Wild Robot 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

His mind tried to deny it, but he knew what he’d just seen. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Something rustled as I tried to make sense of everything, and a small circular door I hadn’t noticed opened across the room. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

I sat there, trying to figure out what to do about the BATHROOM. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Trailing a few steps behind Gale, I try to collect myself before I’m thrown into what’s sure to be another relentless Mockingjay session. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

I tried to figure out what campesino family lived there, but I couldn’t say I had ever met them. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Horses who lose their riders during races almost always try to win anyway, charging to the lead and sometimes bucking with pleasure as they pass the last opponent. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Also, if Dad gets caught because he tries to contact us, that will be okay. Turtles All the Way Down 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

Thomas didn’t remember anything like that, but if it was all true, the world they were trying to get back to didn’t sound so good. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

I suggest, trying hard to sound light, bright, happy. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

I try to let the secondhand music and the distant blazing suns and the far-off happiness fill me, but it is not enough. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

His lips pressed together; the skin around them twitched, as if he were trying to speak but couldn’t. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

Tateh would talk to her in the store and try to act like it was casual; then on Friday nights, the Sabbath, Mr. Rabbi would go out. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

Helen tried to turn and see what had happened, but her neck locked with fear. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

I grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away, but she shook me off. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

I ask, trying to sound only mildly interested. The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

He took a deep breath, like he was trying hard not to freak out. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

I try to smile back, but my mouth refuses to make the shape. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

I tried to forget that she was in the house at this moment, perhaps looking down on me from one of the windows. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

Mother thumbed through her cookbook and planned our Sunday dinner while Viola tried to lead me down the tricky path of pastry-dough making. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z

I tried to barrel through folks who were standing in the doorway to the Serenity Suite—“Excuse me! Pardon me!”—but there were too many people trying to get into, or out of, the room. Each Little Bird That Sings 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

I ran over to a purple dress and tried to pull it down off its hanger. Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Instead she tried to tell him of her own childhood, and it was as though they each spoke a totally different language. The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z

I find it hard to believe that he never even tried, to make a move. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

She gripped The Gold-Bug tightly in her hand and tried to think of it as a baton in a relay she was desperately trying to win. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

He put one foot on a higher step so he was bent under the slant of the door and tried to rise. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

She always had to try so much harder than the twins to feel pretty. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

I tried to invent or imagine such a stout, snappy phrase. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

We just sit and we drink and try not to listen. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

I go back to the same page, then try to make sense of it. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to annoy you,” she said. A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z

Helmuth weighs this answer, tries hard to determine if reading a banned book could harm another person. The Boy Who Dared 2008-02-01T00:00:00Z

The silence hung heavy over us as I tried to think of something to say. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

Abuelo was a quiet man who walked with his head down, as if he had lost something long ago and was still trying to find it. When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z

“You just need to practice,” said Hermione, who had approached them noiselessly from behind and had stood watching anxiously as Harry tried to enlarge and reduce the spider. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

I probably wouldn’t even be here, on the run from a group home, trying to get to Mexico. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

She’s crying, and no doubt he’s trying to explain that he is not an unfaithful, disloyal jerk. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to grab something to stop my fall, but my hands clutched only air. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

“Don’t try to pass yourself off as one.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Darius has been wanting to come see me, but we still had boxes and I was still trying to make sense of it all. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

“Next time, just try to blend in with everyone else and you’ll be fine,” my mom offered. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

In confidence, the old man tells me that he gave all thirteen sons the same name to try to outwit the regime. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I started boiling water for pasta, my mind still trying to take it all in. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

She had wide chestnut eyes that everyone stared into, trying to understand what went on in that pretty head. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

Against instinct he tries to imagine life without his father, a world in which his father does not exist. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to squeeze my nose, but I pulled away. Crash 1996-03-19T00:00:00Z

I tried to rub the knots out of the muscles but that only exhausted me. Adrift 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Eh, you try protecting an entire world from itself.” The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

“Let’s hire that lawyer and let’s apply pressure. But let’s not say anything negative about the team’s plan to raise money. They’re just trying to help.” The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

He gives me a curious look, and I can see him trying to stay calm. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

But although his outstretched fingers were only a few inches away, try as he might he couldn’t reach it. Stormbreaker 2000-09-04T00:00:00Z

I figured she got tired of trying to get me to talk. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

So I spent the entire Christmas vacation trying to track Zlata down. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

She had to focus and try to find a way out of here. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

I stand at the cockpit’s controls, trying everything I know, but the shuttle doesn’t respond. The Last Cuentista 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

“Do you realize I’ve been trying to get your mother for an hour and a half and the line’s been busy?” The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z

She went line by line, and tried to reorganize the words in her head. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

I don’t know why, but her words make me tear up, and I have to take several moments trying not to cry. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

“That’s a little too much. You know my situation. I don’t have anything. Please try and come down.” Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

I close my eyes, try to stop my mind from wandering, but it is skipping from memory to memory. Betty Before X 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

I think that from now on I will try to forget the bad. Beast Rider 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

“What are you trying to do with your poems?” Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

I twisted my blanket in my hands and clenched my teeth, trying to shut out the low rumble of conversation punctuated by coarse laughter and quiet, hopeless sobbing from below. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Sometimes they came after me, waking me up from my sleep when they tried to jam their rough hands in my pajamas. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

Amari’s arms and face were lashed and sliced as she huddled with Afi in the bottom of the boat, trying to get away from the sailors’ ferocity. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

It’s as good a way as any to try and get some solid answers out of her. Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to find my grandmother. She’s out there, all alone, up on her roof. I need to get to her, I need...” I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 2011-04-01T00:00:00Z

“You mean ... go mutt? Well, if I feel that coming on, I’ll try to get back here,” he assures me. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Meeks tried to blink, but he couldn’t open his eyes anymore. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

If he tried to open any of the apps, it would freeze, and he’d have to restart it. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I did not try to hide the fact that I’d eavesdropped or that I was still watching his every move. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

He was trying hard not to sound like the disappointed father. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z

He did not try any more magic, but simply stood there staring at it intently, as though something extremely interesting was written on it. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

I tried to remember what I knew about Calypso from the old myths. The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

I try to grab for it, but I’m too slow and it’s too far down. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

I began screaming as I tried to wrangle my hands free. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z

But he understood at last what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

It made me mad just to think about some other dog’s trying to take Bell’s place. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

He’s probably trying to think of a polite way to tell me I’ve lost my mind—that I can’t move to California to be closer to him. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I was back in court for the fourth time trying to win the release of the two men. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

No matter how hard Kaira tried to sound sarcastic when she used that name, he always took it as a compliment. Small Steps 2006-01-10T00:00:00Z

Melissa tried on half a dozen outfits in a whirlwind. George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z

Jonathan, trying to understand what was happening, saw the men shift about. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

I get a recess feeling in my stomach and try not to think about the Eagle Scout project that never got to exist. Mockingbird 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

He looked at her as if trying to guess whether she would understand what he was about to say. The Golden Compass 1995-07-01T00:00:00Z

Still struggling to get my breath back, I wrapped a leg over the branch and tried to get my bearings. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

Annabeth noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

“Sometimes you can try something real hard,” she said, “but you just can’t get it all by yourself.” Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z

This was quite a speech to wake up to, and Edward lay on his back trying to absorb it. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane 2006-03-30T00:00:00Z

For several seconds there was silence as a dozen pairs of eyes frantically darted back and forth trying to pick up the outlines of the three metal objects. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

Not that Mami is the only one I try talking to. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

Harold was barely even trying to move by the last game. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

"Your husband's infecting New York City with his plagues. I'm trying to stop him." City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

I try to make eye contact with him now, but he seems to be intentionally avoiding my gaze as he polishes his knife with the edge of his shirt. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

My hands were trembling, but I didn’t try to pinch myself this time. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

Harry kicked out wildly, trying to push himself back to the surface, but merely propelled himself into the rocky side of the pool. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

Emily tried to look busy at work on the Maltese Falcon cipher. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

Columbia was so skeptical of it that it took Wunderman several years to persuade them to let him try it. The Tipping Point 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to take the blossom but it fell to the sheet. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

So I tried to play along with the ding ding- a-ding ride cymbal thing that always works for jazz and immediately got the beat all turned around and messed up. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Also, if anyone out there ever wants to experience the ultimate in crippling guilt, I recommend that you try beating a bald, bloated five-year-old cancer patient at a board game. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

I focused on trying to untangle whatever mental block he had thrown on me. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

My brother and some other Dinka boys saw what happened and tried to chase the lions away. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried the garage, the parlor, and the family room. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

He tries not psyching himself into thinking Delilah is calling and his heart races when he reads her name. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

“I saw it in an Arab movie once! It’s like the tongue is trying to fly!” Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

Matthias bravely tried to quell the panic that welled up inside him. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

I take the label from her and study it, trying to think up something to tell her. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

He stood, trembling; he tried to talk and his words would not come. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

I knew he was mad but trying not to show it. Auggie & Me 2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

When he went to shake their hands and tried to look Schmidt in the eye, even Stub McMillin found that he risked getting a crick in his neck. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

I don’t want to, but it’s so much easier than drawing attention to myself by trying to go against the swarm of eighth graders headed in one direction. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

She jerked at my shirt, trying to pull it up. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I held my breath, trying not to make any noise. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

It takes him a couple of tries to get the words out. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

“Look, I guess I’ll try to make it, but I’m really busy right now.” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

When native met newcomer, both groups tried to benefit, as people will. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

“Loud and clear. I was just trying to make the point that it’s worth the risk. If someone’s going to die every night anyway, we might as well use it to our advantage.” The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

I am trying to keep myself very small and very contained. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

For a time he tried to pretend, as children do with their toys. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to convince my parents to go to the Fourth of July fireworks on the National Mall, but my mom said we could just watch it on TV. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z

To try to throw them off my plan, I told them that, yes, maybe I would be willing to marry this man the next year. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried gallantly to produce a generation of Darwins who could spell, unlike their famous father. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Frightened, the camarada swung at it with his ax, trying to kill it. Death on the River of Doubt 2017-01-03T00:00:00Z

I tried to ask him where we were going, but he said he wanted to surprise me. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to seem excited—but who am I kidding? The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

He wanted a way out of the memory, so I tried to help, asking, “Can you show me odds like that?” Worth 1998-06-01T00:00:00Z

Ash struggled in her stepmother's grip, trying to twist away from her. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Your hair is getting so long. Have you ever tried a messy bun?” Goodbye Stranger 2015-08-04T00:00:00Z

I asked her, and then I realized how dumb my question was, so I tried a different approach: “Parlez-vousfrangais?” Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

Sansa tried to look forlorn and abandoned as other heroes of the Battle of the Blackwater were sum-moned forth to receive their rewards. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

“I ride my bike all the time, and you don’t, so try to keep up.” Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

She’ll think I was just trying to get out of going to her house in the morning. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

He had been trying to find the secret reservoirs of the thread viruses for years. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

It’s as though she’s trying to tell me what she wanted me to do. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

“If she caught you going out the door, what could she do? It would be like an ant trying to stop a flood.” Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

The ache that had cramped his belly the past few days was worse, and when he tried to rise, he lost his balance for a second, his muscles trembling. Pax 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to keep the panic out of my voice. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

Just last week, she had tried setting me up with Raizel Ackermann on the first floor, in a dinner that had exploded into a heated argument over anarchism. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

I tried to keep my face neutral as I walked down the hallway through the living room and to the kitchen, all backward. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Alex wonders briefly if they volunteered for the assignment, but he’s trying to get his emotions back under control, and that’s not going to help. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

She tries to hide it with a trembling smile. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

I am trying to draw this woman, with a piece of charcoal. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z

Toby tried not to look at her, a weird politeness considering their new familiarity. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

It's too close to dawn to bother trying to get back to sleep. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

Because all of a sudden, even more people will try to justify what happened to me, and it’ll get so loud that I may start thinking that I deserved it to begin with. On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

I try to be quick and beat Bo out the door, but with every step I take, he’s on my heels. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

Since Leo had found that Archimedes sphere, he’d been trying out a lot of “new installations.” The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

I took hold of his hind legs and tried to pull him loose. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

No one, it seemed, was sure where Nuer land ended and Dinka land began, so each tribe tried to lay claim to the areas richest in water. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

“The correct answer, Maria,” said Mrs. Rappaport, trying not to smile too, “is that light waves travel faster than sound waves.” In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson 1984-10-12T00:00:00Z

Like us competing alongside each other would somehow ruin the point I was trying to make. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

Otherwise I could only tell them to have hope and try to hold on to those who'd listen. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

Killdeer ran around in all the fields, screeching, whistling, trying to lead you away from their eggs. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“And you tried to take it from me. Tried to tear my own heritage away.” Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

I try not to think about what will happen when my parents discover I’m gone. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

“Count Threpe, actually. He plays here all the time, has for years. Great patron of the arts. He stopped trying for his pipes years ago. Now he just plays. Everyone loves him.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

I let my head fall back on the seat and tried not to think about anything but mountains. The Honest Truth 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Hadn’t he, almost within sight of the village, tried to trample me with his horse! Bless Me, Ultima 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

Some leaned forward, trying to watch what Somkit was doing, but his brown fingers worked too fast to follow. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

Whether the man would think you were moving in on him, trying to take him over. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z

I didn’t much care to try the Rocky Mountain oysters, though. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

A few days before my first exam, I was in my room studying, trying to focus on one word at a time, when the doorbell rang. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z

Tinker Bell braced her arms against his fingers and tried desperately to free her second wing. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

Sensing the agent’s belligerent energy, my mom stood next to me and tried to deescalate the situation by calmly asking the security officer what the problem was. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

You saved my life, she tried to tell him. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

He said we were delightful, and if there’s one way to show how much you’re not trying to make believe you’re not behind the times, it’s to go around saying people are delightful. The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z

I tried and failed to imagine her, this woman who could after so many years renounce altogether her husband, break the bond that must surely have existed despite his long absences. Nectar in a Sieve 1954-01-01T00:00:00Z

Emilie moved forward, trying to follow the guards taking the body into the yard. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

“Could you please stop looking at me like you’re trying to figure out which part of my face to bite first?” Odd One Out 2018-08-09T00:00:00Z

I try to picture my mom pulling herself out of bed to make me a smoothie because I’m tired in the morning. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

“How can I not? Besides, I try not to want things I can’t have.” Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I try to call up old girl friends on the telephone late at night, after my wife has gone to bed. Slaughterhouse-Five 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

I lift the box and try to look like a messenger boy making a delivery and no one says a word. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

I go through mv awful, achingly familiar ritual of trying to remember exactly what I did. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I have tried to tell him that I am not his mother,” said the robot. The Wild Robot 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

I am not from this world, little girl, it said, and I am tired of trying to make my ways fit into this one. Pet 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

I reach up, trying to pry his hands away from my head one finger at a time. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

She was only extemporizing but a stirring warmth flowed from her as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z

Mom had us kids come along so she could try to slip some of the cash to us first. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

“I don't want you to be naive. What kind of a mother would I be if I didn't try to teach my daughter about the world?” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

This was the start of a period that blurs as I try to recall it. Stargirl 2000-08-08T00:00:00Z

He ran back to the lower storey and tried the door. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

She had inherited a story that was strewn with corpses and clotted with enmity, and was only trying to stay alive in it. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

He was trying to fit a white cap over my dark Persian curls, but it kept slipping off. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

So for the next hour I did what Dad had advised, and I just tried. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

To die or not to die, that was the question, and Clevinger grew limp trying to answer it. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

I tried to remain calm as I turned to the two women and really looked at them for the first time. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

An Yi tried to say something, but I wouldn’t let her. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to block him out and focus on the buds on the trees, the smell of leaves, and the sounds of birds, but he’s so annoying that it’s almost impossible. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

He tried imagining meeting other Holy Beings, from the Warrior Twins era, from the Changing Woman era, from the First Coyote era. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

That same night, trying to get to sleep in an overnight, I kept thinking about something that had happened to me a few days earlier. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

She laughs so hard that she makes those funny little snorts when she tries to breathe in. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He never caught any of the birds, yet he would keep trying until his tongue hung out of his mouth. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

My mom is still trying to fix me. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

Okay, dancers, let’s try this again, but on the beat this time,” says Miss Jovy, a little panicky. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

I squirmed and tried to find a point to steady my gaze, but my eyes blurred. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

The people who tried to define us as “other” had been doing so for years already. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

Harry paused, trying to see where the spiders were going, but everything outside his little sphere of light was pitch-black. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

As he tries to melt into the background, the other students laugh. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 2016-07-31T00:00:00Z

I could see a couple of grown-ups moving around looking lost, trying to pick things up, then the smoke would cover them, and then the bulb would flicker out and they’d disappear. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’m not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

He shut his heart and tried to stifle all feeling in him. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

I try to shove him off, my hands slapping at his arms, and he punches me again, this time in the ribs. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z

“I'm not sure,” Dicey tried to keep her voice normal. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

All he’d do was stand there and wiggle his tail and try to lick me in the face. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

“As a matter of fact, most cops are good. I worked with a lot of great guys, really trying to make a difference. You need to know that they’re not all wolves.” All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

I roll off the table and sit on the bench for a second, and Kim follows me and sits next to me, and I can tell we’re both trying to look innocent and failing. Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

Prosper opened his mouth and tried to say something, but Hornet wouldn't let him. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

I was too tired to try to make this thing between Vonetta and Fern wilt away. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

He gave the sword another fruitless tug, tried and failed to mount the fat pony, gave up, and cried, “On foot then, good sirs and gentle lady! On! On!” Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

“Are you trying to say I’m still not good at them?” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

The African members of the expedition, who liked termites, had pushed Gene to try them, too, and finally he did. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

They tried to trip me up so they could prove I was not my father’s son, but they did not succeed. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z

Milton lifted his face, trying to get a whiff of fresh air. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

Anyway, I told her about the whole money situation, and even about how I had tried to quit drum lessons. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Momma’s trying to work me to death today, too. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z

There isn’t enough time to think about the significance of what we’re going to try to do: stop a revolution, save the experiments, change the Bureau forever. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

Guy bent down by a small clump of old mushrooms, near the boy’s feet, trying to get a better look at the plant. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

Montaigne was impatient with such an argument: did they try to sail East and end up going West? The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

I ask, trying to keep my voice even. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

I grab a ropy branch and clutch it while I try to descend, but the mud slips under my feet and I end up hauling myself back up. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

“The nursery mamas will be there at dawn and they’ll help you. But in the meantime, just keep trying.” Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to catch her eye, pointing to my closed mouth, hoping she’d get the message. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Poppy tried to phone the police in Ramallah, but the phone line was blank. Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

I kept reaching out to touch it, trying to make it steady. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

She tried rubbing her thumb against it like she’d just watched him do to make the flame appear, but she couldn’t make it work. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

“Every student can only appear in one act. Dr. Throckmorton doesn’t want anybody trying to impress the Excelsior judges by appearing onstage two or three different times.” Shine! 2019-11-05T00:00:00Z

I tried again to look, and this time he let me. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to tell him I would follow this path and make him proud, but no words could find their way past the lump that suddenly lodged in my throat like a huge boulder. The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z

I was unhappy about it, imagining the girls and me trying to smile through blowing snow or frigid winds, Barack trying to appear invigorated instead of chilled. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

For more advanced groups, try dividing into three parts, with the melody in one part and sung ostinati in the other groups. Music and the Child 2016-06-14T00:00:00Z

Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

“I’ve always wanted to try Tavern on the Green,” I say. What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

“You two never try to understand each other,” my father says. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

But I have to do that if I want to try to help: I need to see what is going on with my own eyes. My Life with the Chimpanzees 1988-03-01T00:00:00Z

I tried several of them before realizing they didn’t actually taste like cherries. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

I kept my eyes closed, trying to recall the sound and movement of train on track that could make you feel lonely sometimes and peaceful at others. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z

Maybe Luke Dodson sent him to try and get me to go to church again. Free Lunch 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

“So many times I tried to walk to my father’s palace ” She pointed to a large black castle in the distance. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

Some rocked back and forth, trying to erase the terrible memories of the past few hours. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

And I’d better not try to get out of this, he said. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

If, instead of trying to intimidate your young brother, you would emulate him and use that mind of yours, perhaps you’d find things much easier. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

The first time he’d seen her after the war she’d tried, he recalled, to be amiable, but he had not been capable of accepting this. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

A mile thick to start with, the Ice here rises and thickens, trying to flow over the mountains and choke the fire-mouths with silence. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

This rejection was a gift from your grandparents, who never tried to console me with ideas of an afterlife and were skeptical of preordained American glory. Between the World and Me 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z

Then they wrapped themselves warmly, not only in the fur-cloaks of the Elves, but in their own blankets as well, and tried to go to sleep. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

I wrote down thoughts and memories, trying to find my way back. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

I can understand why a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for that is one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

I tried eating other things, but they felt wrong in my mouth. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

“Being a mother is like trying to hold a wolf by the ears,” Gram said. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

They held the women in a circle while they tried to catch the children who had scattered in all directions when they saw the police coming. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

Despite our efforts to shoo them away, the local children spend hours staring at the bonobos and trying to get them to wake up. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

“Let’s all calm down and try to think logically,” she says. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

I watched her trying to think what Diego would say about me telling a girl my business like that. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

He jumped down quickly, and holding the lantern near the ground, tried to see under the porch. Sounder 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’m not trying to make this a downer, understand. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

I tried not to overreact anytime they reported making a new friend, though inwardly I was jubilant. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

I tried to think of something decent to say, something meaningful and right, but nothing came to me. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

He also tried to remember some good stories to relate as he sheared the sheep. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was like I was trying to memorize her. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

He looked pretty good until he saw me watching him, then he tried to showboat. Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z

Dicey leaned back in her seat and tried to make herself relax. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

My hair is still disarranged, although I tried to improve it with a few pretty pins. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

I try to get the words out before the light changes. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

I might not have understood a great many things about the world, I might have only had a fourth grader’s education, but I could tell when someone was trying to fish around for information. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I didn’t really understand the lesson Pa was trying to teach us about disappointment, but I knew he wanted us to forget all about the concert and the Jackson Five. P.S. Be Eleven 2013-05-21T00:00:00Z

He left the plastic to cure overnight and went home for a couple of hours to try to get some sleep. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

His speeches were at times so fiery and full of passion that every year the principal would try to make Tapia the gym teacher, in hopes of cutting down Tapia’s influence over us. Bodega Dreams 2000-03-14T00:00:00Z

We were never burned, although once I might have been when I was so terrified I tried to jump onto the stove to remove the possibility of its remaining a threat. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

She politely refused, the same way she shrugged off the people trying to sell hair products at the mall. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

“I always meant to try and spend more time–” He stops. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

I try to believe my excuses and make them reasonable, but my heart is filled with fear. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

They tried to make her lie down on a cot but she kept wanting to get up because she was shaking so hard. The Egypt Game 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

When Octavian learned of Cleopatra’s actions, he tried to reassure her. Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen 2009-02-03T00:00:00Z

I stared at the knotted roots of the trees on the creek bank, trying hard not to look like I’d just been called adorable. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z

I try to sound firm, like I’m not idly reassuring him, but I am. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z

She tried the bell again, after some time, and then leaned over the concrete banister to ask a woman leaving the building next door if she knew where the Dumfrey women were. Jazz 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

Lacey emerged from Ben’s shoulder still looking sad and distracted, but she tried to smile as Radar and Ben swapped tales of corsage purchasing. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

"Okay," I say trying not to sound too disappointed. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

Within a few minutes, they had all helped clear the table, Rebecca urging them not to stay and try to help with the dishes. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

He was probably only trying to seem polite. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

Dell cleared his throat and tried to steady his voice as he finished with: "Because this is life. And these things just happen .. ." Wow. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron’s grip. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

I am looking at all the buildings, trying to spot the one that looks like the building in the picture. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“It wasn’t him. I think my mom was trying to keep the house quiet.” Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

I take a step back and tug, trying to wrench free of his grasp. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

“Richard was trying to meet with them, looking to broker a deal.” Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

There was no time to try for another fish. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, any more than telling you to try it in every lock you come across. I could always make you a copy, if you’d like.” Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

When I looked at her, I’d just try to skip over her hair. Homesick 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try fighting, but that punch from the sheriff has me seeing stars and I’m no match for two grown men. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

I try to imagine assembling this meal myself back home. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

The kidnapper tried to pull the briefcase out, but it wouldn’t fit through the swinging door. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“If it’s the same one, I tried to memorize it. You mean that one that starts, ‘Alas that one whose darnthly joy . Travels with Charley in Search of America 1962-01-01T00:00:00Z

Doc approached me while I was trying to lift the full bucket. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

She did not try to make him open the window because it was July. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

“I dumped him,” I tried to say, but who knows if anyone could hear me. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

“No, Hermione, I know it was an accident. You were trying to get us out of there alive, and you were incredible. I’d be dead if you hadn’t been there to help me.” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

Perhaps, so long as people tried to possess things separately from each other, even honour and souls, there would be wars for ever. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

It has already conquered my home life, now it’s trying to destroy the Freedom Writers, too. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

She forced a tiny, awkward smile, trying to reassure him, but Alex could tell something was up. Eleven 2014-01-06T00:00:00Z

He tried to protect himself, but Zigzag's fists slammed off his arms and pounded his face into the ground. Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z

As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was really listening for my truck. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

He tried to get him to drink some water. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

I was so mad that I tried to say something, but all that came out was “Heyahhhh!” Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Did a teacher ever stand up there and say, “This is what makes a fire ...” He shook his head, tried to focus his thoughts. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mama tries to smile, but it’s causing her quite a bit of effort. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

In my head I try to concentrate on all the different parts of my body in case he’s already done something to me with a knife. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

By the end of fifth period, I’m still so busy thinking about it that I don’t even notice Austin barreling through the doorway into the computer lab right as I’m trying to get out. How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z

“Even so, there’s no way. It must have been ...” I tried to calculate how much heat he would have had to move, but stalled out, not knowing where to begin. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

And still I sit in my room, trying to concoct a way out of this place. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

I try to leave the room, but she doesn’t move from the door. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

Tariq and Brick used to take care of their sisters together—Tariq even used to try to tell me Brick wasn't so bad when you got to know him. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

He makes faces when his mom tries to talk with his teachers. Ghost Boys 2018-04-17T00:00:00Z

Now we were trying so hard to catch all the language, not to miss a word, that we were surprised when at the height of her rage the woman stopped short. Homesick 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Annabeth gazed around the hut, trying to imagine how many eons Damasen had been exiled here—slaying the drakon, collecting its bones and hide and meat, knowing it would attack again the next day. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

Pollard was sure that if Woolf let War Admiral challenge him, Seabiscuit would run faster and try harder than if Woolf tried to hold the lead alone. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Wayne tries to look into his characters from every possible angle: up close, from a distance, how others see him, whether he sees himself realistically or believes his own lies. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

I am trying not to think of endings. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

“Nice try, Veronica Mars, but I have no clue what you’re talking about.” We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

First, they tried to find him on their own. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Let’s try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?” Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z

We try to make the death worse every time. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“I could try it on the Instructions” he said. The City of Ember 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

Unable to do so, she tried to pawn the colt off as a polo pony. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

He glanced once at her to make sure she wasn’t looking then strode to the blankets and wriggled in behind her, still trying to keep his distance. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“So,” she begins, “you know that Michael and I tried out for the summer production at the Cape Playhouse, right?” Shouting at the Rain 2019-05-07T00:00:00Z

“But he didn’t want to...” she said, trying to remember it exactly. The Golden Compass 1995-07-01T00:00:00Z

“No one’s going to try and kill you until we’ve sorted a few things out,” said Lupin. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

I try to pull back subtly, but it’s no use—his arm is locked around me. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

I put the manuscript away and tried to sleep. Black Like Me 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

Finally she set the mug on the coffee table and hugged me so tightly that I thought she was trying to break my spine. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

He sat up again and tried for another belch, but with below-par results. Nine Stories 1953-04-06T00:00:00Z

I tried to change the topic, but when my mom had a problem child on her mind she was hard to distract. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

Which I do, especially after what he tried to do to poor Loretta, who was only trying to help. Freak The Mighty 1993-10-01T00:00:00Z

“You tried her locker, but that was empty. Then you beat up Dr. Kent to see what he knew.” Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

“I am tired of trying to hold things together that cannot be held,” Celia says when he approaches her. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

He tried straightening his spectacles once more before pulling them off in frustration and shoving them into his shirt pocket. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

George knew that Mom was trying to help. George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z

The only place I didn’t try to go was the old house. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Leo stuttered, trying to shake his fist and hoist up his pants at the same time. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

Just then another person tried to sidle through. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

Faro, not used to being led, had a hard time at first—he kept trying to run and each time was brought up short. Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

How everyone is given the same opportunities to succeed if they’re willing to try. Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z

I tried a hymn, but halfway through it I had to stop. Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

And this time he didn’t try to kiss me like he had every night. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

I try to get to my feet, further tangling myself in the bushes. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

When she tried to land at Elmtree she misjudged the amount of runway she was going to need. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

But I find a quiet spot and try to assess what they might be. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Who were all these people roaming the world trying to kill him? Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I don’t know,” I said, trying to keep my voice to a soft murmur. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

At the same time, he tried not to hope too much. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

They hadn’t realized that by trying to take the job, May would be driven mad, plagued with fits in which her eyes would glow green and she would have shattered glimpses of her child’s future. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

“No operations,” Yossarian said, opening his eyes and trying to sit up. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

Mastering himself again, he tried to prise the locket apart with his fingers, then attempted the charm Hermione had used to open Regulus’s bedroom door. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

“Anyway. He was trying to put his background photo to a picture of you. From school.” Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

But then I could just return to the tomb and try again. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

Grandma had her great stone face on, but Mrs. Weidenbach tried to make the best of things. A Long Way from Chicago 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

Dill tried to smile as his father approached. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

Again, Jonathan told himself that he had to try and escape. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

I lay in the grass with my eyes on the door, trying to imagine what he was thinking. Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

“And you’d better not try to get out of this,” he said. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

The Geats jumped up in panic and fought with each other trying to find their swords and spears. Beowulf: A New Telling 1968-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We leave it to you in good shape; try to have it in better shape when we return.” One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

I kept thinking of all that had happened, trying to make sense of what had occurred, of how I had become a wolf’s head. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

“Mama thinks you eat like a pig, Daddy. She’s just trying to help you develop good table manners,” Karen said. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Now focus on what you’re trying to hit, and nothing else.” Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

Delia pulled her ratty tennis shoes off her feet and beat them against each other, trying to loosen the clumps of dirt from their soles. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

“Yeah but...where we gonna get that? My grandpa ain’t trying to give up nothing else. If he even has it...” Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

Tally thought of Peris, and tried to remember the way he used to look back when he was Nose. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

His glasses hung around his neck, and when he lifted them to his eyes, they slid around his temples, as if he were trying to put them on someone else in the dark. Tuesdays with Morrie 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

He walked over to the door and tried the handle. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

Her father insisted she try it for one term before she could quit. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Grandfather tried to help, but his left arm wouldn’t listen to him. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

As Cecilia and Leon approached, they heard the voice again—it was their mother trying to be stern. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

No one had tried to take his sword, at least. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

Everyone was too busy trying to make Key West shine like a new penny. Full of Beans 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

"Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you." The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

He paused and tried not to think about what had happened to that manuscript, about the flames that must have charred it quickly. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

How often have I tried to find it! Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

Demetrius’s little brother also tried to desert in his fourth year at Blackcliff, when he was only ten. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

It was just me running down the hall, making terrible sounds as I tried to breathe and cry at the same time, looking for Leticia. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

“I’d call them big openings,” Thomas said, trying to counter his discomfort with sarcasm and disappointed that it wasn’t working. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

"I would highly suggest you not try that again," she snaps. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

I could almost see her mind working to try to set things right so she could keep going in her meticulous way. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

People excitedly rush the vehicles, trying to see if he is inside one of them, checking all the back windows. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

But what if I had never tried to come? The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to understand why you’re so committed to acting like someone you’re not, considering you just told that little girl in there that greatness means being true to yourself.” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

He watched, trying not to betray a flicker of surprise or alarm, as a portly man appeared within the flames, spinning as fast as a top. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

She’d won the lottery, she said, and she believed someone was trying to kill her because white folks had been coming around asking questions about her life in Clover and her family, especially Henrietta. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

The lights came on just as I peeped farther around the curtain and saw Aunt Loma trying to push through the crowd to get to our folks. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

Meggie tried to remember whether his voice was one of those she had heard in Elinor’s library, but she wasn’t sure. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

I swallowed and looked down at my sneakers, trying not to think about Newcharlie going to jail and me going to Aunt Cecile's. Miracle's Boys 2000-04-23T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to follow. I do my best,” I said. Grendel 1971-01-01T00:00:00Z

Bedi Ma'am tries to pull apart the fighting boys as I bury my nose in the jasmine flowers. Born Behind Bars 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z

She must have been, because she wasn’t trying to regain control in the class. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

They talk with pleasure and ease, but I can’t hear what they say To be honest, I try not to. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

I was still gasping when I tried to begin again in a more even voice: “Listen, Ted, sorry ... I think the best thing is for you to come over after work.” The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

Would he have said that he was trying to stop the spread of whatever the hell he thought I stood for? Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Tom is trying to quieten her, he’s ignoring Anna, so it falls to me to take hold of her. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Quickly she refolded it, but when she tried to tuck it back into the shopping bag, the bag collapsed altogether. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

After trying it, the conquistadors ditched their steel breastplates and helmets wholesale and dressed like Inka infantry when they fought. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

I tried to go tell on By, but all I could do was sit on the next-to-the-last step and hold my ear as tears jumped out of my eyes. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

When we walked in the door on the first day, she wore an Albert Einstein wig and tried to explain that time moves at different speeds depending on how fast you’re traveling. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

He would try to get in touch with her. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

“She’s always going on to Max about doing whatever you say, as if it’s just because of that and not Max trying to save us. It’s not fair...” The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Startled, she tried to pull away, but Theon held her tight by the hair. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

I press my palms over my eyes, trying to push back the tears that are about to drown out my vision. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

And once you have found America, if you were trying to get to Asia, then the search will begin for ways round it. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

I tried to get up, but all three girls started kicking me. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

Whenever he could, he always tried to stand right next to her, and then marvel at how tall and straight she was, like a fine young horse, he’d say in Korean, admiringly. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

We held still, none of us daring to breathe, waiting for someone to try to come through again, but an hour passed, and then another, and another, and no one came back. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

“You can’t just go to the police. They may try to lock up Brady for being part of this.” Red Kayak 2004-09-23T00:00:00Z

“Thanks for doing this. I tried to convince my friends, but they said it’s a waste of time.” Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

I could hear noises from the bathroom upstairs: Jeffrey vomiting and my mom trying to soothe him. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to catch my breath as I wipe the dampness from my eyes. On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

Then I try to cover for myself, and prolong my time with her. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

I spent the day thinking sullen thoughts, trying to ignore the sound of his voice and occasionally remembering the way Denna had looked last night with the moon reflecting off the water behind her. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

He tried to sit up, but Sophie said, “Lie down. Let the blood back in your brain.” The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

They formed a snarling mob, armed with branches, rocks, even shopping carts, and tried to encircle the chariot. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

Suddenly I got really sleepy and warm, from the scotch I guess, and leaned against the album stack, just trying to rest my eyes for a minute. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

I walk away from the stand, trying not to picture the kind of explosion that would have killed forty people. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“Good for you. We always try to save the world. But sometimes the world doesn’t want to be saved.” Schooled 2000-02-29T00:00:00Z

Baba was still shrouded in the same strange silence during breakfast, and this time Neel couldn’t bring himself to try to break it. Tiger Boy 2015-10-01T00:00:00Z

Ophie had tried to help her, and the result had been a vicious slap without any kind of warning. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

"He tried to put his tongue in my mouth," Catelyn had confessed to her sister afterward, when they were alone. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

Billy staggered off with his duffel bag, and then he stood on the station platform next to the porter, trying to wake up. Slaughterhouse-Five 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

Cole quit trying to think of answers with his head, and instead, let his feelings answer. Touching Spirit Bear 2001-01-09T00:00:00Z

I was trying to read, but my vision kept blurring. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

I was always thinking of Dante, always trying to figure him out, always wondering why it was that we were friends and why it seemed to matter so much. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

I tried to act so calm when Ms. Gruwell called me; I didn’t want to sound too eager. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

I run after, laughing and trying to keep up. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

How many times had I tried walking away from Miles? Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

I looked into that face, trying to plumb its secret, but it told me nothing. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

I shifted on the seat, trying to discreetly rearrange the folds of my skirt under a very tired rump. Hattie Big Sky 2006-09-26T00:00:00Z

The rest of the team was trying to hide their laughter as Simpson got up, wiping his nose and looking for blood. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

These diseases must have been the evolutionary survivors of far more pathogens that tried to make the jump to us from animals—and mostly failed. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

We Koreans have reinvented the idea of luck as mostly bad, and try to do everything we can to prevent it. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I can’t imagine why a policeman would try to arrest you. A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

When he finished sewing Mama’s sack, she tried it just like Papa. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of the ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised at school, by teachers and classmates alike. The Bluest Eye 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

I pick the book back up but I don't say anything more about how hopeless it is, me trying to write stuff down, because I don't want to set off the telemetry. Freak The Mighty 1993-10-01T00:00:00Z

It was a blustery day in January as the family sat together at breakfast, trying to keep warm under layers of clothing. Shooting Kabul 2010-06-22T00:00:00Z

I spent a few minutes trying in vain to cut one of them free of its pedestal with a laser welding torch before calling it quits. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

I wasn’t laughing, and I was trying my best not to lose my temper. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I try to hold my hope down, but it keeps popping up again. Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried the other apartments on the floor, but the doors were either flung open or locked; everyone had either fled the fire or was out. Forged by Fire 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

She began shoving pans around on the stovetop angrily, trying to make room, not sure what she was going to cook. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

“When they attacked, they weren’t trying to kill us. They were shooting us with these,” I say. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

Spurge shrieked and pranced desperately, trying to avoid wounds. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z

“I have some stuff I need hauled to my building site, and I’m trying to find help. It shouldn’t take too long,” I say. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

“Just try to keep up,” I told him. Bronx Masquerade 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

So it was only now, lost to the world and everyone I knew, that I had the courage to try it out. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

Hornet had bravely tried not to look too worried as she waved good-bye. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

Ekon stared at his hands, as though trying to find the words, before he spoke. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He tried to pull himself up onto the ice, but his left hand went through and he almost went under. Orbiting Jupiter 2015-10-06T00:00:00Z

He walks right up to my face, trying to intimidate me with his size and bulk and terrible bad breath. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

As the man neared each car, he yanked upward so that it opened its mouth into a wide grin, feet pinwheel- ing as it tried to find the ground. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

He stayed up at night, trying to figure out what it is in the delivery of a tennis serve that primes his judgment. Blink 2005-01-11T00:00:00Z

“Truth be told, I don’t think your mama’s even tried it on. Best not to tell anyone about this.” Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

The water rises over the rock and tries to push it, but it can’t. Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish 2018-08-21T00:00:00Z

"But you've always wanted to explore the outside, no? You're a big boy now. You need to go to a bigger school. And they're trying to find your relatives. Don't you want to meet them?" Born Behind Bars 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z

She tried to dig her fingers in, but I was still a champion son. Everything Sad Is Untrue 2020-08-25T00:00:00Z

I tried very hard to be good that year. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

It’s a miracle the fire department doesn’t try to hose me down every autumn. Wishtree 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

“Shame is a word people use to try to control you.” The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

I try to roll the window down, but it won’t roll down. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

I lingered in the hallway, trembling, looking at Granny, trying to speak but only moving my lips. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

But they come to school and many of them try to be halfway respectful while they’re here. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Jonathan tried to listen, hoping to hear words that would make some sense, but finding very few. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

After a while, just to get my mind off getting pneumonia and all, I took out my dough and tried to count it in the lousy light from the street lamp. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

Hesitantly, he explained how he had tried to escape the island and how he was mauled trying to kill the Spirit Bear. Touching Spirit Bear 2001-01-09T00:00:00Z

They tried to distract her by banging the bottom of the vessel and by waving at her. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

He does ask the most important one, though it tries to choke him on its way out of his throat: “Is G’ma gonna be okay, Dad?” Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

She tried to explain to them how it worked, but at the first mention of shifts and tilts their attention began to wander. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I tried to imagine walking from room to room, sleeping in the large bed without an annoying roommate, or strolling along the seawall to see the manatees. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

“He’d probably blast us through the door if we wake him at the crack of dawn; he’ll think we’re trying to attack him while he’s asleep. Let’s give it till break.” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

“Oh, of course,” I reply, trying to hide my disappointment behind something that I hope sounds upbeat. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Scipio kept smiling at him, trying to reassure him, but it didn’t help much. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Maxim,” I whispered, “what are you saying, what are you trying to tell me?” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

But I talked on, trying to smash through the walls of her unconsciousness. Grendel 1971-01-01T00:00:00Z

Use as many words as you can that seem appropriate, and try to think of some that aren't listed above. Understanding Basic Music Theory 2018-01-28T00:00:00Z

Duke looked at her and tried to read what happened without asking. 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

I swallowed hard and tried unsuccessfully to keep the pleading from my voice. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

She tried to wriggle free, but his grasp was iron. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

A photographer in a Tangerine Times cap started bobbing in front of Mr. Bridges, taking pictures of him trying to turn the mob back. Tangerine 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I poked at the logs in the kitchen hearth, trying to summon back the bees so they would chase out the thoughts invading my brainpan. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

“None of us are going to sleep another wink tonight, but we ought to try. It’ll be morning soon, and you’ll be no good for anything if you don’t get some rest now.” Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

I'm trying to laugh in the right places. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

“I’m sorry about what happened to your dad’s boat,” I said, trying my hardest to sound sincere. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z

Instead of helping Juanita carry the body, I went to sit in the driver’s seat of Papá’s car to be sure Juanita didn’t try her driving stunt again. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

“It’s an ugly business. We’ll put a crew of boarders on, try to pull her off in the confusion.” Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

I try to hold on to it—the part of me that’s calm and sober and willing to walk away. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Nathan snuck closer to it, carefully placing his feet and trying not to make noise with his sandals. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

I tried to imagine coming to Chicago alone. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

“We need time out,” said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry’s nose at the same time. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

I folded my arms and tried to appear the coolest man in the place, because a television camera can show you looking like a fool yelling at a prizefight. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

He would try to hold every inch of his soil, to defend every man, woman, and child who named him lord, and Tywin Lannister was shrewd enough to know that. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

“Just try to realize it,” he said, and his voice sent a strange thrill quivering along their diaphragms. Brave New World 1932-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mostly, though, I was trying just to hold myself together, knowing we had television cameras following our every move. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

I sang to try to keep my spirits up, but it did not help much. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I work on it in my head, trying to map out the story you asked me to tell, about everything that happened this past fall and winter. When You Reach Me 2009-07-14T00:00:00Z

But I think it's sweet how the Garcías are trying to make it up to me after what happened to Papi. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

“I wasn’t trying to kill you. Nobody told me you were there.” The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

Lupita wrote slowly and carefully with a pencil stub, trying to give the impression that they were welcome and had found good jobs. Lupita Mañana 1981-03-21T00:00:00Z

Papa says I can’t wear it anymore, that people might try to take it. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I sat very still, trying not to think. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

I could see on her face that she was trying to decide how to shift to something that I wouldn’t be prepared for. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

The keeper tried to stop him, but Rick pulled away. My Life with the Chimpanzees 1988-03-01T00:00:00Z

Well, I was reading, and he was trying to hump the pictures. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

“First off, I’m not trying to impress you,” I said. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

You could always spot visitors to Deliene’s capital by their bewildered looks and crooked necks as they tried to take in all the busy sights of the city on the hill. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

He tried to smile but her face discouraged him. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

One minute I was spinning, and the next minute my mind was dragging itself around in a circle, like an old, arthritic dog trying to lie down. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

She tried to ignore Loo’s noises of disgust and turned away from him to grin at Ess. Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

In the next ten minutes, I managed to anger or amuse most of them, or so it seemed, by trying to enforce my hopelessly outdated porter list. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He pressed a hand to his face, as though trying to hide it from our view, but his words said the opposite. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z

No matter how hard he tried, he never developed any imperishable allegiances to the washed-out, bloodless Marine bases where he had lived for most of his seventeen years. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

“So that grave robbers won’t try to steal all of my jewels.” Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

Unfortunately, the day it was due, the collection agency showed up at my door trying to get the money and I didn’t make it to school. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

The pause was awkward as Ma tried to find the right words, but Grandma seemed to understand. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

A week later, two weeks, three weeks, when things had become suddenly so much worse, I tried to call her. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe Abby would have talked me into trying out for the play. Leah on the Offbeat 2018-04-24T00:00:00Z

On the second try they caught a pheasant. Frightful's Mountain 2001-05-21T00:00:00Z

Mouse held the burrito over his head and tried to catch the leak with his mouth. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

I’m friendlier with some of the boys, but right now everyone is just trying to avoid Tobias’s attention, and since he’s focused on me, they’re all earnestly avoiding my eyes. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

“No fair, I can’t defend myself,” I said, trying to dodge his tongue. Keep It Together, Keiko Carter 2020-05-05T00:00:00Z

On sentry duty with Hazel, he would try to take his mind off it. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

The monstrosity outside the door tried to claw a bigger opening, while inside, the bossling alternated between harassing half a dozen Ridge guards and clearing rubble from the doorway. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

She wondered if black kids had ever tried to use the white-only parks, and if so, what had happened to them. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

“It’s not like it makes you a bad person if you want to try something new.” The Miseducation of Cameron Post 2012-02-07T00:00:00Z

He tried to count the pennies nailed to the old oak, but there were too many of them and he kept losing count. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

A braying donkey rounded the corner, its owner in tow, causing the family to shrink against the building, trying to disappear into the shadows. Shooting Kabul 2010-06-22T00:00:00Z

I’m hitting it, trying to escape, but the glass won’t break. Free Lunch 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

You might think lips and tongues would run out of things to try, but they really don’t. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

Gradually the black mass had lengthened and thickened, so that it kept at last to its braided pattern, and I didn’t have to yank my scalp off when I tried to comb it. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

We’d think of romantic scenes from movies and try to play them out, climbing out on the roof to look at the stars. Landscape with Invisible Hand 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Now one of the church bombers has been arrested, tried, and sentenced to prison, I thought. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

She pulled her hand back from the table, trying desperately not to make a face. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

For a few moments it looked as if the poor dead woman was trying to get lodged between the shopfront and the canoe. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

I’d tried before, but she hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

The winged goddesses spiraled above, preparing for another sweeping attack, and Brer kicked high into the air, trying to close off the hole the monster had made in the Thicket’s wall. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

She tried to plan which direction she would run. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

I tried to get my mind around that idea. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

So here he was, on the eve of his birthday, trying not to think about dogs. Eleven 2014-01-06T00:00:00Z

I asked one of these Owslafa what was the matter and he said that this rabbit, Blackavar, had been caught trying to run away from the warren. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to imagine when I will be able to slip away. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

“Percy was trying to do something good,” she promised Bob. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

Johnny sat at the kitchen window until far into the night trying to figure out why everything had been so wrong. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

Prometheus tried to comfort her, but he could point her only to the distant future. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

But when I pulled out my book and tried to do the first problem, I couldn’t copy it down correctly because my eyes kept filling with tears. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Rumors flew around Washington that the handsome young millionaire from Massachusetts, Senator John Kennedy, might try out the waters in the Indiana primary. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

So Hanako exclaimed impulsively, “Mama, I want to try something new. I’m ready to have my hair cut!” A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

I turn my board higher, trying to protect myself from all the flying snow. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“Well, I suppose we’d better go and see the Chief Rabbit and you can tell him about it. Or I’ll try to. But I don’t expect he’ll like the idea at all.” Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

Worrying about these things makes it impossible for Charlie to move when Gimpy says, “Go ahead, try it.” Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

I tried everything, missus, every known cure on God’s lovely earth. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

She would create a story to try to integrate events, actions, and feelings into one structure — a process that is a critical part of a child’s mental development. The Tipping Point 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He beamed not so subtly at Rishi, totally not getting the vibe that he was trying to put off. When Dimple Met Rishi 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

It was propped open, trying to let in some breeze. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I look at people and I don’t know them. Yesterday, I spent twenty minutes trying to figure out who the grumpy woman sitting beside me was before I realized it was your mother.” We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

And the next day he'd tell her to try a new joke in Mrs. Stevens's class. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

“He always tries to start it on the magneto,” said the sage. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

I tried her cell phone, but there was no answer. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

Let’s just try to have a marvellous time this weekend. Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z

This reservation had tried to suffocate her, had kept her trapped in a basement, and now she was out roaming the huge grassy fields of Montana. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 2007-09-01T00:00:00Z

It was trying, I mean really trying, ignoring all the questions I had no answers for. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

Saw people trying to run in raging waters and screaming when they found they couldn’t. Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937-09-18T00:00:00Z

Anxiety, self-doubt, and bickering replaced that night’s buoyant optimism as Bolles scrutinized each of them anew, trying to figure out who to keep in the boat and who to demote. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

Then he remembered that the rat had been useful in saving Charlotte’s life, and that Charlotte was trying to save his life. Charlotte's Web 1952-10-15T00:00:00Z

The element of surprise had been lost—now he must try another ploy, the show of force. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

Why didn't he just tell me what it was all about instead of trying to impress me with his knowledge? Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

The lion watched him suspiciously and tried to swipe at him with his claws, but he could barely move now, and it was easy for the hare to get round him. The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa 2004-12-07T00:00:00Z

“Trust me,” said the Wart “I can try,” said Kay, more reserved, as they laughed at the Wart’s assurance. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

When the medic left, the kid tried to read the tag without taking it off. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

But we have sent them because it is important to try. Cosmos 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

I remember seeing her catch herself, then try to smile at me, now in the faded dungarees stenciled with my number. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

We then did three things: tried to guess what was going on, trembled with fear and went to the bathroom. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

She merely scowled and twitched her essay on The Principles of Rematerialization away from Ron, who was trying to read it upside down. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

I try to make sure I don’t act as big-headed as my name sounds. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

Moss kissed him back for just a little bit longer, pushing back against the awkwardness that tried to conquer him. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

It was Alec—and suddenly bodies were flying everywhere.The man had charged forward and leaped into the fray, taking down half the people trying to get to Mark. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

I focused on the Virgin Mary statue’s stone-eyed stare and wondered what secret message she might be trying to send me. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

He’s trying to shove his fat, slobbery tongue into my mouth, but I pin my lips shut because I don’t want to do this at all. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

He survived a rocky reinsman’s career, then hung it up to try his hand at training. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

He focused on opening his locker, trying to ignore each new slam, each new item dropped on the floor. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I picked up the receiver, trying not to imagine the hundreds of snot-nosed brats that had probably groped it, and prayed it still worked. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

Anyway, on the one hand, I do want to try to meet up again. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I knew how the backbone worked, which really wasn’t bones, and now I decided to try to make sense of the fins. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

I bite my lip, trying to remain serious. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Did the crowd care about Finn, or were they only trying to stay out of trouble themselves? The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

Hank has me try on different thicknesses of socks until he’s satisfied that my socket fits right. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

She tried to imagine Deen small enough for the tiny shoes, and found it made her smile to picture him so young. Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

And I never heard any Tweedy, not even my own daddy, try to correct the impression. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

“Do you understand me? Stop trying to make things fine. Things are not fine!” Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

Sigurd released the reins and tried to step away from the horse, but he stopped short. Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

She tried to sear that beautiful sight on her memory as a shield to the ugliness that she now knew was about to happen. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

The students who tried out for the quiz team can’t stop chatting about the test. Out of My Mind 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z

We would hike to the gap if it killed us, and then try to hitchhike into Hiawassee for dinner and a night in a motel. A Walk in the Woods 1997-11-01T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to hit the tree. And I missed. So does that count if it was by accident?” Shouting at the Rain 2019-05-07T00:00:00Z

Joseph insisted on carrying each boy downstairs by himself, whispering while he tried to massage the pain from his sons’ heads. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hazel blinked away her tears and tried to calm the thing inside her. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

“Come,” he said, grasping her arm and trying to pull her into the dancing. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to help Michael and it didn’t work. Because of Mr. Terupt 2010-10-11T00:00:00Z

I try not to think about how scared she musta been when Aaron came after her and I was no use. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

“Everything we tried to do failed, and I got you guys in trouble.” The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I kept turning about, trying to see and hear the all of it, asking Bear what this or that might be. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

“I don’t even know why I waste my time trying to teach you how to be a woman. Karen wants to put her best foot forward. She takes advice.” The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

"Sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to give you the facts." The Sun Also Rises 1926-10-22T00:00:00Z

I was thrilled that he was playing along, but I tried to seem casual. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

I try not to think about what I saw at the front entrance. The Last Cuentista 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

I leaned over the armrest, trying to make sense of the pastel colors and crisscrossing lines on the flimsy, ripped paper. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

“I’d like to try some of this here chop suey I heard about.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

Throughout the afternoon, Kathy tried to convince her husband to come with them. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

“I have rounds to make and people to talk to, but I’m trying to help you. I’m here with you.” The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I tried to keep the fear from my voice. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’ve tried them out—on land of course. I guess at sea...” Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

He’s heading straight for me, and as I step back, trying to get out of the way, I slip off the edge of the pavement and fall. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

One woman who came trying to sell us her handmade baskets looked in our door and spied our scissors and asked right flat out if she could have them! The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

Behind me he said, “Wait till you try the banister at home.” Ella Enchanted 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

And while Papa was a good enough shot to down a running deer, I’d never tried it and didn’t much think I could. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

It’s an ordinary day, and I try to lose myself in that. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

DRACO: And Scorpius is a follower, not a leader, despite everything I’ve tried to instill in him. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 2016-07-31T00:00:00Z

I suspected he was trying to impress us. Landscape with Invisible Hand 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I was also thinking that, as cooler observers around me had been cautioning, it would probably be saner, cheaper, and easier for Jesse to try for the University of Illinois in the fall. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I mean, like I'm not trying to get personal, but I just wondered ... because I really don't know anyone who's blind, and I was just—" "Curious?" she says, and her right eyebrow lifts up. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to keep my eyes moving, looking everywhere but at her. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to not be an old, wet sock, but I didn’t feel like teasing. P.S. Be Eleven 2013-05-21T00:00:00Z

Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z

Ivy’s mind was full, and she thought her heart might be trying to beat right out of her chest, but she was still Ivy, questions and wild heart and all. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

He tried to get up a second time and Henry slapped him across the face with his open hand with a whack that was louder than the gunshots. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

She was near a street corner, standing still, not even trying to hide herself, her sack of food dumped on the ground beside her. Milkweed 2003-09-09T00:00:00Z

“Well, I need to go to a tailor, for one. The two denim skirts I bought right before we left the States are a little too big. I should have tried them on.” Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

Either she could scream and try to run away, and be chased around a badly lit cellar by the huge grub thing, be chased until it caught her. Coraline 2002-02-24T00:00:00Z

“Miss Volker,” I asked quietly, trying to be ridiculously calm like when doctors talk to insane people in the movies. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

"Not before I get a second chance. You're trying to cheat me," Amber says. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

He was a man trying to create greatness, and the phonies were too ignorant to recognize anything beyond their own limitations. Hole in My Life 2002-03-26T00:00:00Z

I occupied my mind with other things and tried not to twitch at the nahlrout- dulled jabs of the needle. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Branch, beside him, was pawing excitedly at a large iridescent beetle, blocking its path again and again with a paw as the beetle tried unsuccessfully to waddle by. Gathering Blue 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I don’t understand why my mom isn’t trying harder. Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish 2018-08-21T00:00:00Z

The otter did not try to swim away as I drew near and reached over the side of the canoe. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

A few people tried to help; but in the main, black people were burdened with their own survival. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

He didn’t try to hide his annoyance as I hobbled after him, but he didn’t need to worry; you couldn’t have paid me to stay in the Infirmary, not while I was conscious. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

Especially the part where I wound up with stitches in my catching arm trying to complete the mission Uncle Jack gave me, and then I still didn’t give up until I completed it. Fast Pitch 2021-08-31T00:00:00Z

TJ has me try on the dresses again, since it’s been a while. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

I began steaming inside with frustration as I looked around and saw all the white children touching and picking up and trying on. March Forward, Girl 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

“And I mean stay right here. I’m going to try once more to get the little eyases. I have one more trick up my sleeve.” Frightful's Mountain 2001-05-21T00:00:00Z

I tried to think of the right thing to say, but sometimes the right thing to say is nothing. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

I happen to think Axelroot could get us some food too, if he tried, but he has been making himself scarce for months now, supposedly because he’s on some top-secret mission. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

He saw Kingslander's captain fall, and tried to recall the man's name. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

When he tried to take a step, he almost twisted his ankle because he could not bend his foot. Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z

Again the animal fell hard and tried to get up, but this time it couldn’t quite make it. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

When Ned's horse lurched back to its feet, he tried to rise, only to fall again, choking on his scream. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

The next time someone tried to climb their part of the wall, the boy hacked at his hands with his swordshort until the man dropped away. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

I see him try to stop himself once he clears the mound. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

I imagined trying to eat a sandwich like that in the bathroom, everything ending up on the gross floor except a single slice of mayonnaise-y bread I still managed to hold in my toes. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

He couldn’t honestly believe he’d contain her if she tried to escape! Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

He “Not funny,” she said, trying not to grin. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

I scrubbed my neck hard to try to get all the tiny pieces of hair off. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

“It is no simple thing to slay a dragon in the sky. In Westeros, many tried to bring down Aegon and his sisters. None succeeded.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

Ignoring that nonsense, Otto tried to determine which Awesome Adventure represented the best opportunity for another Key to the City. The Last Last-Day-of-Summer 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

I don’t remember starting out that morning, but I do remember trying to sleep and feeling quite alone except for a dull, bittersweet ache. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Before I can even register my own movements, I’m on my knees, phone light aimed at the ceiling, trying to get my fingernails under the loose floorboard. Fast Pitch 2021-08-31T00:00:00Z

I could picture my mother on the other end of the line trying to figure out what was going on. Out of My Mind 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z

We have to go downstairs to Ireland to wash our faces in the basin under the tap and try to dry ourselves in the old damp shirt that hangs over the back of a chair. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

There was a note in his notebook from about a year ago, when a man tried to sell his mother illegal fireworks on the A train: #276: Whose job is it to name fireworks? As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

“If the Foul Fiends were to try to kill me, I couldn’t fight back?” The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

I tried to scream for her, even as I felt Volkswagen’s hands in my hair, yanking me up and out of the door. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

He was trying not to show his frustration. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

I jumped down off the podium and tried to dodge and duck, but the buzzing thing just kept following me. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

He ate greedily and felt good enough to try to get to know his cousins. The Bluest Eye 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stand in the doorway trying to figure out exactly what it is. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

“I wouldn’t try to make nothing out of you.” The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z

The door opposite mine I tried, but found it locked. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying my best here. Audrey and I have been friends forever. I want to be friends with both of you. I don’t want to break up. That is if we’re together,” I said. Keep It Together, Keiko Carter 2020-05-05T00:00:00Z

One arm is splayed out uselessly while she paws at her shoulder with the other, trying to stanch the sluggish pulse of blood draining out of her. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

The abbot brooded on that for a moment, and then said, “Fine. If they try to take your underwear—though God knows why they would—you can fight back.” The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

He was thrashing about and laughing and I tried to get up. The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

As we were walking out of the ward with all our stuff, I heard some clicking sounds; she was trying out her new drumsticks. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

My brain is stuck trying to find the area of the octagon. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

Soon’s it let me go I forgot all that nonsense ’bout mice and cats and I tried to light out for the trees. Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z

“I’m just trying to provide a little artistic direction. Never mind.” George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z

Tiny quickly changes the subject, and I try to laugh at all the appropriate moments for the rest of lunch, but I'm not listening. Will Grayson, Will Grayson 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z

She looks embarrassed, tugging at the low front of her dress, trying without success to pull it up. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

“Michaels a good cat but he tries so hard to keep it real that he can seem full of negativity” Blaine had said when she first met Michael. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

As the mountain Imbabura grows bigger and closer, I try to remember my mother’s and father’s faces. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

Bianca got right next to the giant’s foot, trying to balance herself on the metal scraps that swayed and shifted with his weight. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

And every minute of every year I was trying to come home. How I Live Now 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to persuade her to come live with me in Johannesburg, but she swore that she would not leave the countryside she loved. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to forget what she said about my nose, but it’s hard. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

In 1622, for example, a fleet of Dutch ships tried to seize the Portuguese colony of Maçao. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

“I know it comes easy, Geels, but try not to play dumb with me.” Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

He stopped with the chair halfway out, then tried to squeeze noiselessly into his seat. Eleven 2014-01-06T00:00:00Z

They couldn’t try to dodge around it or change the subject. Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

Travis’s mom, lying on the floor, sobbing, three nurses stroking her back and trying to comfort her. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

Mr. Knightley seemed to be trying not to smile; and succeeded without difficulty, upon Mrs. Elton’s beginning to talk to him. Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z

He steadied the table as Dismay yelped and tried to get out from under the table and onto me. Each Little Bird That Sings 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to shove him into the sand, but Nailer ducked out of her grasp. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

I hold my breath and try to pull my toes and knees closer to me and out of sight. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

She opens her arms to try to catch her. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

I tried to laugh, but it seemed to get stuck in my throat. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

I tried to be courageous like my friend the donkey whenever I walked through the forest. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind 2009-09-29T00:00:00Z

Oh, it’s a fine and useless enterprise, trying to fix destiny. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

His tousled hair fell over his forehead, and sometimes, when the lesson was too long and Raji was too tired, his long lashes would flutter as he tried to keep from falling asleep. Homeless Bird 2000-03-01T00:00:00Z

When we go up and down the hills, I study all the colorful houses and try to peer inside, since everyone leaves their doors open during the day. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

Ms. Blair seems very concerned, and I try to smile and pretend that I’m all right. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

She was leaning over the rail at the front, peering into the rain like she was trying to see right across the playing field. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

I even make the mistake of trying to remember what happened. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

He started to drum his fingers again, faster, trying to use the counts to center himself and quell what he knew was coming next. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

“Never tried to summon so many before. I—I’ll be fine.” The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

He tried to think of what little he had heard of snares. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

She turned me down in the polite way that all Dinka girls turn down all Dinka boys when they try to strike up their first conversation. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to be positive, but my voice was weak. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

I don’t even try to wear the pajama pants. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Probably I will never try to explain my motives to my mother and father. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Outside, the gunman stops and tries to work out which key opens the car. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

And then I lay awake, trying to sleep, waiting for Tom to call. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

She didn’t care for the ghost in the dining room, and she thought maybe she could try a different one first. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

I read all the stories on the site, trying to find myself within them, trying to find other people like me. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

I try hard to be more sociable, not just with Chaff but with the group at large. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

He walked on in silence for a bit, trying, I guessed, to come to terms with this idea. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z

I got in my car with the sinking realization that if everyone who tried to help us on this case was going to be threatened, it would be very difficult to prove Walter's innocence. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

"Morning," I said, trying not to make things awkward. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

‘You have enough Amazon blood on your hands. Perhaps it’s time you try a Roman.’ Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

He tried to take a piece, and she slapped his hands. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

Grandpa, trying to turn onto his back, quickly eased back to his left side, which was where the broke ribs were. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

“Fine. I am Kelly the All-Wonderful and Mostly Knowing. I will try to sense your problem.” George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z

She kept her eyes down as she tried to leave, but Mrs. Laroux took her by the hand. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

Through her sobbing noises, I tried to hear what the voices from the living room were saying. The London Eye Mystery 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I tried to help him,” Mr. Dalton said. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to roll on my back, but that made it even worse. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

His friendship was of value to me: to lose it tried me severely. Jane Eyre 1847-10-16T00:00:00Z

I was barely in dress code: I had on a skirt, a long one at that, but it was denim—no one I know had tried that. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

Now weaponless as well, the girl just stands there, trying to staunch the flow of blood pouring from her empty eye socket. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

I try to respond, but once again, I’m rudely interrupted. I Can Make This Promise 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

I don’t want to be carried in a medevac chopper while guys you could be home playing ball with were banging on your chest, trying to get your heart beating again. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe he had tried using a rope, only to realize the water could give him a cleaner death, a quieter one. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

Nowhere is the stratification of education more vivid than in Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson once tried, and failed, to set up the nation’s first public high schools. Class Matters 2005-09-02T00:00:00Z

Once, at the public picnic grounds, a small girl had tried to beat him to death with her enormous teddy bear. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures 2013-09-24T00:00:00Z

Everyone tried to figure out exactly what had happened. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

Competing with a wailing baby at the back of the room, I tried to evoke that hot summer of 1935, when the cousins came down from the north. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

They were sitting in his room, leaning against his bed, trying to pretend that Park didn't have his arm around her for the first time since she crushed his cassette tapes. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

“What if they change their minds? Let me try to convince them.” Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

I knew she was going on and on to try to distract me from worrying, and even though I could see right through her, it kind of worked. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

So Luma tried to get the two boys to work together. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z

“Honestly,” said the maid who could usually be found trying to clean the high windows on the second floor. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

The rat was trying to do exactly as she and Basil had done. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

During this time I help tend to Gale, apply snow coat to my cheek, try to remember everything I can about the uprising in District 8, in case it will help us. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

It was one of those laws of children, like their tendency to be least grateful when you were trying your hardest to please them. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

Is he trying to figure out if I’m on this road by myself? King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

After two hundred years of trying, the Earth finally had an age. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z

“Wish we knew where they were. From over in Houston, she says. The Uppadaya Combine. Some kind of shipping clan. Lucky Strike’s got some people trying to track them down.” Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

“How come she keeps trying to turn us in?” The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

Most folks, if they saw a rattler, and had a gun, they would try and shoot it. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to put on an extra burst of speed, but his legs would not obey. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

A couple of hours ago I would’ve said that her face was expressionless, but I’m becoming a Natasha expert, and her face is only trying to be expressionless. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to behave himself but still get to me. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z

“I’m a university, professor with a highly developed sense of right and wrong, and I wouldn’t try to deceive you. I wouldn’t lie to anyone.” Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

He tried to screech, but since his voice was almost gone, it sounded more like a rustle. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

He tries another hall, another, another, thinks he recognizes a certain sink; he triggers an automatic door; ends up among linens. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

“All I ever do is try to make a home for you children and you don’t care.” Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

One thing about me was that when I was having a serious wish session, I tried never to wish impossible wishes. Kira-Kira 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

I stretch my arms wide, clawing at the water, trying to move the trunk closer. Ninth Ward 2010-08-16T00:00:00Z

When a hungry pigeon tries to steal a bit of hamburger bun smeared with ketchup, Nate rushes at the poor bird and sends it squawking. Dragons in a Bag 2018-10-23T00:00:00Z

Lennie crept to his bunk and sat down, trying not to attract attention. Of Mice and Men 1937-01-01T00:00:00Z

It’s like trying to describe love, or maybe even hate. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

We went around again, this time trying to be more intelligently selective, but we still ended up with clearly too much. A Walk in the Woods 1997-11-01T00:00:00Z

My father was glaring at the cars on the expressway as if he were daring them to try, even try dinging up his new pickup. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

“Might as well let the boys meet,” Mr. Allen says a little too hopefully, as if he’s trying to hide his true expectations, but maybe I’m just being paranoid. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

It seemed doubtful, but she would have to try. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z

“When my parents caught me, I tried to blame you.” Crenshaw 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

I set a plate on the table while I tried to think of something to make without cooking. Hattie Big Sky 2006-09-26T00:00:00Z

But every time he tried to talk the blood bubbled in his mouth. The Stranger 1989-03-13T00:00:00Z

“They try that the first two or three days after you move them, but they’ll settle down. We can handle them, Tayo.” Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

Fumbling with a key while trying to steady his candle, he unlocked the nearby door that led to the king’s lodgings. Ophelia 2006-10-31T00:00:00Z

So I was really trying not to get sent to visit Principal Peattie again, even though it would almost have been worth it to see the Brown Pelican. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

I tried doing that in my head and, to my happiness, found that the imagined conversation felt almost natural. Tuesdays with Morrie 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to get her to look at me, to see me pleading with her. Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

I tried to look over at the Preacher but she pulled my face back to her. Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z

But mostly, I keep quiet because I’m trying to erase the memory. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

Someone had tried to choke her to death a few hours ago. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

“And try not to make enough noise to waken the entire Abbey.” Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

It would be like trying to read Portuguese. Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Spying down from the roof of an inn by the King's Gate, Arya saw them searching wagons and carriages, forcing riders to open their saddlebags, and questioning everyone who tried to pass on foot. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

Harry treated her pleasantly, even warmly, and she tried to reciprocate. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

The mama tried to intervene when she could, but she knew that children had to find their own way. Stella by Starlight 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

Eugenia turned away after that, trying to pretend like no one had seen her start to cry. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Rosaleen tried to get to her feet, but without her hands it was hopeless. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to hold them back, but tears of fear and worry began to escape from his tightly clenched eyes. Forged by Fire 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Moss spent the rest of the meal trying to move past his discomfort. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

When he tried to put his arms around me, I pushed him away as hard as I could. Lucky Broken Girl 2017-04-11T00:00:00Z

I tried to mask my excitement at seeing him. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

Even though I tried to clean up a little, the center console is stuffed with pencil stubs and pieces of paper, cigarette butts, a lighter, guitar picks. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

It felt as though he was trying to push me into the ground. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

It must be because the universe is trying to keep you on your diet. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

She appeared to be trying to engage him in conversation. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

I’m sure she tries to be delicate, but when she starts running her fingers over my arms, under my breasts, and down my thighs, all I feel are millions of fire ants invading my skin. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Ugly, shiny bluebottles darted by me, as if trying to determine whether I was a tasty morsel, too. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

I look at him for a moment, trying to determine whether he actually said that, or if I just heard it in my head. Challenger Deep 2015-04-15T00:00:00Z

I had to try, even if only a little. Because of Mr. Terupt 2010-10-11T00:00:00Z

Before the door swings shut again, I try to catch a glimpse of my waiting sister. You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I turned toward the swamp, where there were gunmen running, trying to cross over. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

I tried to call your name and I choked on it. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

The others were outside sucking fresh air and trying to expel from their nose buds the odor of warm, dead muskrat. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

Frantically, I type in another command, trying to go back to being part of the audience again. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I tried to ignore her, but she started writing on my jacket. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

She breathed in, trying to loosen the knot of frustration and self-loathing inside herself. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

My family may not be blessed with height, but we have good teeth and try to show them when we can. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

Hixon: A lot of things we’re discussing now were things that these guys did that were criminally wrong that never went on paper, because we were trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

But if I tried to read Johnny Treeface again, it would probably kill me. Absolutely Almost 2014-06-01T00:00:00Z

All he did was lift the Atlantic Monthly off his lap and try to chuck it on the bed, next to me. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

All the thoughts I’d tried to stop were raging wild within me now. The Honest Truth 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

And she was absolutely sure no one would believe her if she tried to explain it. Dactyl Hill Squad 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

I watch his eyes, trying to see if he’s lying. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

My father was nabbed as he tried to leap a fence. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

They walked three times around the lake, trying all the way to think of a simple spell that would subdue a dragon. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

He’s sure taking his time, I thought, pushing down other ideas that were trying to bubble into my mind. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

This is where, days before, the skip tracers had tried to slip through the camp’s wire fences and Hayes had “taken care” of them. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

“Aye, but I swore to fight him to the deaths “You have had two good tries.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

For half a century people had been trying to work out the size of the Earth, mostly by making very exacting measurements. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z

He tried crossing the border several times before he gave up and stayed in Tijuana. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

I tried not to break into a sprint again, instead doing a little gallop down the corridor. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

He stopped and looked in, trying to see in the dark room whether we were really asleep—or was it his imagination that opened eyes were looking at him? The Bluest Eye 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

That night I tried to write the mini journal for Mr. Birkway. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

I try to use the sleeve of my jacket. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

I know that I shouldn’t smile, but keeping my mouth from smiling is like trying to keep Travis from loving cars. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

Rand made her way to the main entrance and stood like a goalie, taking out anyone trying to escape through the front doors. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

I know Papa was only trying to pass the time, but he was making me think of what I would miss while 1 w as gone. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to call my brother about this, but his roommate said he was really busy with school, so I decided not to leave a message because I didn’t want to distract him. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

He was coughing and smearing the paint about his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to see through the increasing smoke. Lord of the Flies 1954-09-17T00:00:00Z

Candy lets me in, and I follow her down the hallway, trying to memorize everything she’s wearing for when Safer quizzes me. Liar & Spy 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

"Your dad's a big guy, Tara," David said the other day when I tried to join him on the swing. You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Every night she tried to find exactly the right combination, but she never could. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

I remember spending nearly three whole days trying to capture Wind Turning a Leaf. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

The chicken was trying hard to get away again. Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

She was bleeding a monkey when suddenly she thought its eyes moved, and it seemed to be trying to sit up. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Two teams were organized and, after much debate, names were chosen: The Sparkle Ponies would stay on the beach, tend to the wounded, and try to salvage whatever they could from the wreckage. Beauty Queens 2011-05-24T00:00:00Z

Her four eyes glimmered as if she had a separate thought behind each and was trying to weave them into a coherent web. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

“Ah,” I screamed, running in circles trying to escape it. Monday's Not Coming 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

He stopped trying to decide, and in a sort of exhausted calm trotted the rest of the way down the gloom-filled street and into the familiar, barren courtyard. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

Ocean was trying to be nice, sure, but I knew that his sudden sympathetic heart was born only of awkward guilt, and that this was a road that would lead to nowhere. A Very Large Expanse of Sea 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

I tried to open my eyes: it was my father. Night 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

Once again the two men paused while trying to decide their next move. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

If you try to be cool all the time and something surprises you you sure do look stupid. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to model good behavior and keep spirits up. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried unsuccessfully to struggle, to cry out. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

The sound that came out of Esperanza was a cross between a bark and a yelp, and Moss glared at his best friend and tried to clamp a hand over her mouth. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

My voice cracked as I tried my best not to cry, because for the first time on the trip I was worried about one of us not making it back to Mamá. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

Half in exultation and half in despair, she resolved to climb her tree and try once again to lose herself in the Dust. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

I already tried snapping my heels to find Teddy and trying to beam myself to Hawaii, and that didn’t work. If I Stay 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

A transparent film had spread over his lips; it bulged like a frog’s gullet as he tried to breathe, eyes darting left and right in panic. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

I tried to get a few wrong, which was actually pretty tricky. Ungifted 2012-08-21T00:00:00Z

I tried to turn the volume down on my Lobot ears, but I got confused and turned them louder at first, which kind of shocked me. Wonder 2012-02-14T00:00:00Z

“Bless the Lord, just trying to make it in.” I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

There were little cracks in the parental college resolve last night and I know what Hina would advise, so I try to channel her patience and understanding of my parents’ anxieties. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

I looked after her, trying not to stare at her cute little bottom swinging back and forth down the hall. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

As they moved along, the boy tried to listen to his heart. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to move, try to shrink myself back into the bed, but the hand follows me down. Freak The Mighty 1993-10-01T00:00:00Z

“I think I must go to class,” Wil tried to mention it nonchalantly, but it came out almost strangled. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

The tailor must have been some kind of wizard, for the very next day I tried on a pinstriped suit that fit me like a glove. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I still tried to keep up with the class discussions that were usually concentrated on Zlata. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

Victims tried to peel the flies off, but whatever type of poison those flying iron monsters carried, it was potent. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

And so he walks away from Bretons studio, not even trying to meet the man he came to see. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

I take a deep breath and try to say something else, but nothing comes out. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

Some kids giggled nervously as they tried to maneuver their bodies into these “awkward” new positions, but no one was laughing at anyone else. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

Recently I had tried calling her collect every day, but was unsuccessful. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

He focuses on the dish brush, swishing the suds around, trying to get a streak of pizza cheese off a plate without getting his cast wet. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

This one will never bend, she thought, yet she must try nonetheless. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

My sister and I tried to find common ground with our half-American cousins, but that took a while to pan out. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z

All my life, I had been trying to get out of the house. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

As we wind along the narrow mountain roads, I try to re- member everything I can about what happened to my cousins Zoyla and Gregoria. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I will try to do this gently, but I must warn you. It will still probably be painful.” Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

My lingers at his lips tried to retrieve the remains of my supper. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Matthew’s Noise is already lurching on me like hands pressing in, forcing its way into my own thinking, trying to ransack the room. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

He tried to breath in her jasmine scent so he’d never forget it. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

She breathed fast through her nose and tried to ignore the nauseating stink of sopping sawdust rising from the ground. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

He wiggles his bunny slippers, trying to make me smile. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

In his last breaths, was he trying to tell me about the death of his adopted family—or admit to some tawdry, decades-long affair? Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

I try to picture Mr. Gore dunking and the little movie I create in my mind makes me laugh. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

I have to think about that one, and when Dr. Minerva makes me think, I don’t get embarrassed and try to skip it. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

“And my brother’s really—” His eyes are everywhere except on mine and his voice is strained, probably because he’s trying to speak without breathing. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

Annabeth tried to help me keep lookout, but sailing didn’t agree with her. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

She tries to remember what Dr. Mann has said again and again. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

For a while they tried a Chinese kitchen-god figurine from Schmitt’s Variety Store, but he was all wrong—much too nice and pleasant looking. The Egypt Game 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

Late afternoon: In the midst of preparing dinner, my mother would come up behind me while I was trying to read. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I hired a fast powerboat. I guess the owner’s still around; he said he’s going to try and pick up some work in Oxford.” The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

Fay, instead of trying to impose order, appeared distracted by the succession of in-mates presenting him with special requests. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Andrea tried to get over the moment by shrugging and saying a loud good-bye, but David told. Homesick 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We couldn’t...we couldn’t just try a Summoning Charm?” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

The parents tried to put on brave faces, but their trembling voices gave them away. Wishtree 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

He did not cry when the man woke him; he did not cry when the police came and tried to ask him his name. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

Then they brought out the wrappers that I had tried to hide between other things in the store. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

The effect was to throw the boat momentarily out of balance and to abruptly check the crucial momentum that the crew was trying to build up. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

She tried to imagine the inhabitants of the ruined house in their new country, but she knew too little about it. A Girl Named Disaster 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

My parents waited nervously as the doctors tried every trick they knew. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

I spend some time trying to think about what we might do next. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

I tried to be cute, but not too cute, so he doesn't think that I'm trying too hard. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

She tried to look around her, but her neck was still in a brace. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

She’d tried junior college, but couldn’t be bothered to do more than cash the financial aid check. The 57 Bus 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

He'd refused to eat, cried and screamed for most of a night, even punched Old Nan when she tried to sing him to sleep, and the next day he'd vanished. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

Like the night she tried to tell them not to keep the little boy for Sis any more; by then she was even running around with colored men, and she was always drunk. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to picture it: Taliban men fighting in the alley where we played cricket. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

“Then you don’t want me to try to figure it out?” East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

She tries, but it just isn’t in her nature. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to stand up, but he could not move. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

As we walked, I tried to think of what reason the Chandrian could have had for killing these people. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

“We wouldn’t hurt it. May I try it on? Mother lets me try on her necklaces and I never hurt them.” Ella Enchanted 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

Ben tried to gracefully change the subject, but we both knew I'd been exposed. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z

He’s currently jet-lagged to all hell from trying to keep the press from ruining the presidency, and the irony isn’t lost on him. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

"It was great! Straight-A student. Hanging around nerdy guys too scared to try anything. No wild side at all. You were every father's dream daughter." The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to flip to the end, but the pages were glued together. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

“We tried to get an interview with young Eddie Ball,” the sports guy said. The Million Dollar Shot 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

He's nodding, and he's trying to smile, and he's pitching in with the cleanup, but he's still working. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe he could try something else if nothing came of this. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Rahel was trying to not attract the attention that she deserved. The God of Small Things 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

We had knocked some of it down and Peewee was trying to get it to stand up. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

He grunted and turned, trying to get comfortable, and then he opened his eyes. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

Patrick tried calling once, but when Brad’s father answered, he just hung up. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

“I don’t remember every detail of their story, but I know they used their words to try to resist the Nazis.” Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

Bending over the keyboard, a long strand of brown hair keeps falling down into her eyes, and she keeps trying to hook it behind her left ear. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to find it so I could quote it word for word but Mum said it had probably been thrown out because our house is too small to hoard things. The London Eye Mystery 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had tried to tell her she had picked the wrong exit, hut she wouldn’t listen. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

So he let himself drift off, trying to push the images of striped spider legs and jagged rat teeth from his brain. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

I raise an eyebrow...or at least try to. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

I tried some more, but I kept missing just about every shot. The Million Dollar Shot 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

I wonder what they were trying to scrub away. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

He was familiar with the state’s statutes and was completely capable of trying a case in court. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

I even try out a frown, though I’m hoping I won’t have cause to use it. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

He and Ahmed were playing in the yard this evening after the sun went down, and they tried unsuccessfully to get Zohra and me to join them. Amina's Song 2021-03-09T00:00:00Z

“If she finds out we’re trying to win the twelfth game, even though there isn’t any prize...” Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics 2016-01-05T00:00:00Z

“The next thing you know you’ll be trying to make her give up hustling.” Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

The other planned to stand with Wells-Barnett, even though several of her fellow delegates accused her of trying to steal publicity. Votes for Women! 2018-02-13T00:00:00Z

And I try to push that emotion away because I don’t want to feel it. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

He was trying to lull us into complacency, but it would not work. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z

“You don’t dance?” he says, watching Henry, who is very visibly trying to figure out what to do with to do with his hands. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

That evening I tried reading a few more pages of Dr. Doolittle, but I could not focus. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

A dirty bundle of rags and mud was trying to worm its way up the steps. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to smile politely, but she felt like a prize sow at a village auction. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z

Funny how it had barbed wire at the top, as if anyone would try to get into school if they didn’t have to be there. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z

Dumbledore did not speak for a moment; he looked as though he was trying to make up his mind about something. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

So Luke stood up, trying to cross his legs as he did—hoping that situation would calm down a bit before he got back to the couch. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

A shovel lay near it—he had been trying to dig it out. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 1970-06-01T00:00:00Z

“Who do you speak to when you go to report someone?” said Malcolm, desperately trying to keep his focus. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

Sparrow had, in fact, tried to visit Sarai, but ghosts blocked the corridor and wouldn’t let her through. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

Twice medics try giving Werner bowls of gruel, but it will not stay down. All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

I tried to help my team win the game, but they’d given up. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

“Maybe he went for some coffee and forgot to close it,” Jerome tried. Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

Lott finally had to tell us that it was best for us to try and take classes from other professors more to be exposed to other ways of teaching graduate material.” Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

“Because I’m a private person. And my friend just died. I’m sad and I’m trying to deal with it. Is that all right with you?” Genuine Fraud 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

I try to pay them, but they wave my money away, and I promise to bring the bucket back as soon as I can. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. Of Mice and Men 1937-01-01T00:00:00Z

At the mall she stalks ahead, chin high, eyelids twitching because I won’t try on the practical, “stylish” clothes she likes. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

I don’t remember what I was trying to paint. The One and Only Ivan 2012-01-17T00:00:00Z

Joe, a bit nervous, not at all certain that he did, nodded tentatively, went back downstairs, and resumed his sit-ups, trying to work it out. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

Melynlas pitched furiously, trying to break away from the press of warriors. The Black Cauldron 1965-06-01T00:00:00Z

My stomach feels all yucky like it’s at recess which is my worst subject but I take a deep breath and try to Deal With It. Mockingbird 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried some orris root in it—pretty fair. My Side of the Mountain 1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to sound contemptuous but sounded uncertain instead. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

I couldn’t face going back to Providence after Italy, so I decided to give mainstream academia a try. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I was just trying to get things started.” Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

He tries taking his phone back, but I don’t let go. What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

I was trying to handle what Imani calls “all the feels” I was getting right then. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

Maybe Enrique is dead, and the smugglers are trying to cash in. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

“The question is how to open it. We’ve already tried pushing it, sliding it, and begging it. No luck.” The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

I have been trying to think of the earth as a kind of organism, but it is no go. The Lives of a Cell 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

She just sat there as if she was trying to think of what to do. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

She tried to imagine, what it would feel like, to straddle a dragon's neck and soar high in the air. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

I tried on everything, including every single shade of lipstick. What the Night Sings 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

Nearby, Bigwig was stirring and twitching in his sleep, searching for warmth, trying to press against another rabbit’s body no longer there. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to paddle toward solid ground but succeeded only in pushing myself deeper. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

I don't like her being alone back there, with so many strange men in the house, but they stop me trying to go to her. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

He said: “Not exactly. I was stupid. I tried to get up.” Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

I try to channel that spark of energy that made me enter the pageant in the first place. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

On the other hand, the Federalists whom Adams chose for his cabinet—he retained Washington’s advisers, his biggest blunder—had threatened to resign en masse if Adams tried to implement his bipartisan strategy. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation 2000-10-17T00:00:00Z

“I mean, good old Grampy tries to act all cool and hip, so...” Fast Pitch 2021-08-31T00:00:00Z

“Like I said, you have to try ten times before you can watch TV.” Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sophie has him by the ear, trying to get him to stop. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

He swished the first mouthful and spat it out, trying to clear the oil and gunk from his mouth, and then drank, hard and fast, gulping. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

Then—I wasn’t trying to lead onto anything, or make any kind of point—I just happened to say to her: “You never had a collection after Hailsham, did you?” Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

So we wait, and I try not to fidget as minutes slide into hours, moving just enough to keep my muscles from stiffening. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

“I’ll try. Is there anything you can tell me about where it might be?” Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

Weaver sat through his lunch and dinner meetings with Sproul and Lawrence in a daze, trying not to make promises he could not keep. Big Science 2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

I try to imagine the moment of decision. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

“Nice little bass. Not bad for the first try,” Wash said. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

“If I can help, I want to try,” I said. Willodeen 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z

Petra tried to remember, but her mind would not stay on task. Beauty Queens 2011-05-24T00:00:00Z

My head was full of a fierce pain trying to push its way out through my eyes. The Honest Truth 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

When he got loose, he flew up at my face before I could cover it, tried for my eyes and then—I swear—whipped over backward and took a shot at Cookie, my lead dog. This Side of Wild 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don’t make sense to anyone else. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to tell myself that it’s just my parents being parents, but today I can’t help but worry a little, considering the circumstances. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

He looks alarmed, and then tries to relax his face. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z

Drawing down like something trying to preserve heat. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

He craned his neck as he scanned the place top to bottom, trying to find the source of the beeps. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

I try to tell myself it could have been worse. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

I try to push the edges of guilt back to my stomach. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

Turner kept blinking, trying to darken the bright white. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

He tried to look away from the books, to the guards that were arraying themselves around the pyre. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

‘I’ll try,’ said Sam, ‘but when I think of that Stinker I get so hot I could shout.’ The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

I pressed my back against the closed door, trying to put space between me, the man, and the machine. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

His still pose by the window had given place to nervous excitement “If he tries to rescue her, there will be a fight King Arthur will have to fight him.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

Trying to stop an execution would mean nonstop work eighteen hours a day for a month, desperately trying to get a stay order from a court. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

All the guards had clustered on the right side of the onager, trying to see what was going on down the ranks, which gave Nico and his comrades a clear shot to the left. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

“Well,” Tommie said, “I was just trying to figure out what occasion, exactly, Henry had in mind.” Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

He took out the map he had drawn of the position, tried to visualize it. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

Angeline returned with the net, finally, and they tried to cast it over the birds. The Birchbark House 1999-07-21T00:00:00Z

Carmen had been trying to cheer him up, but nothing was helping. I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 2019-09-03T00:00:00Z

He reached down and tried to pull my shirt off, but it got tangled in the tube. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z

He's back to his old self, the cold Rémy I first met, instead of the one who tried to make poor jokes and ask me questions the night of Sophia's birthday. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

Although Dalton tried to avoid all honors, he was elected to the Royal Society against his wishes, showered with medals, and given a handsome government pension. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z

I immersed the sponge and turned my focus back to the task, trying to pretend the scar wasn’t there. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

I try all kinds of ways to figure how I could get that rabbit meat off my plate and into my pocket, but Ma’s watching every move I make. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

He did not want to tangle with humans and was trying to keep his distance, but the shrinking circle gave him no chance to flee. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Lane spotted her immediately, and despite whatever it was he was trying to do with his face, his arm that shot up into the air was the whole truth. Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z

He coughed, clenched his jaw against the agony in his leg, and limped forward, trying to see Diana and Z in the haze. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Rufus looked up at me, red-eyed, and tried to smile, though the grimace he managed was far from pleasant. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

The night before Ridgeway put an end to South Carolina, Cora lingered on the roof of the Griffin Building, trying to see where she had come from. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

“Boy, girl, you just better not try me.” Bridge to Terabithia 1997-10-21T00:00:00Z

“Why not Lifebuoy?” said Father Christmas, trying to be helpful and looking anxiously at Mary Poppins, for she was being rather snappy. Mary Poppins 1962-10-27T00:00:00Z

He took him into business and tried to inoculate him with the joys of buying and selling, of outwitting other men, of judging them for a bluff, of living by maneuver. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

Later in the summer, the Washington varsity had ventured to the Olympic trials at Lake Quinsigamond in Massachusetts, to try once more. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

And I began being very nice to him, just trying to keep things calm until I could get Tabitha and myself away from Kakuma. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Anger fumbled for it, trying to catch it, but she only managed to bat it with the back of her hand. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

She no longer begs Madame Manec to take her to the train station, to write another letter, to spend another futile afternoon at the prefecture trying to petition occupation authorities to locate her father. All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

Ever since then, he’d tried not to give his parents extra reasons to worry about him. Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

"Oh? And which story is that? Is that the one where I try but fail to gain immortality and die after many years a sadder, wiser man?" City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

Without hesitating, knowing the others would think he was trying to commit suicide, Thomas sprinted in their direction until he found himself in the middle of the pack of creatures. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

At least once a day, I would pull up the Quatrain and try once again to decipher its meaning. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

Quiet, I squat in a shell-hole and try to locate myself. All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to thank him for cleaning up my locker, but he cut me off. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

Genie bent over, trying to catch his breath, his chest burning. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

She tried to tie his dad to Aurora with a length of silk that Gox was rapidly spinning. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

She’d noted it in the corner with what appeared to be a matrix of some sort: GB AM 222 I was trying to figure out what it meant, when hinges squeaked. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

Instinctively she reached for the splendor, but it seemed to slip from her, like trying to grasp at water. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

I started moving to the back of the raft to get out of everyone else’s way, trying not to rock it. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

Hazel tried to avoid eye contact, but she caught Octavian at the head of the First Cohort smirking at her, looking smug in his plumed centurion’s helmet with a dozen medals pinned on his chest. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

“Well, I don’t trust you. I have this gut feeling you guys have been trying to drag my name through the dirt over in Cal-i-for-nia.” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

Archer tried to catch her hands, but she jerked out of his reach. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

I nodded and tried to keep the words “strong” and “strategic” in the forefront of my mind, but I was nervous. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

I try to catch it in the people on the screen. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

“It says they can hear us...and when I try to press it, it becomes...well, it becomes sullen. And it’s not supposed to—Whoever heard of a sullen robot?” I, Robot 1950-12-02T00:00:00Z

The girls glance at each other, trying to decide whether to believe me. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

So we try to be discreet and go out one by one, so it doesn’t look like we know each other but are just separate people staying in the hotel rooms on the lower floors. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

He got some ice for her foot, and the two of them remained silent, trying to nurse their wounds. The Invention of Hugo Cabret 2007-01-30T00:00:00Z

He was still laughing, and I couldn’t stop, and I tried to get up and I fell down, and I couldn’t stop. The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to think of the right words to say, but I knew if I tried to speak now I would cry, and Dari saw the look on my face and nodded. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I decided to try some of it, since it was the only edible thing around. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

I sympathized with her—she was trying to do an impossible job: She was not an English-as-a-second-language teacher. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

“Luke, we're just trying to protect you. How about a big slice of your bread? There’s cold beef and canned beans, too.” Among the Hidden 1998-03-01T00:00:00Z

The sort of look people always got when they tried one of her perfect cakes. A Tangle of Knots 2013-02-05T00:00:00Z

He was always trying to teach me to play, but I thought it was too much work for a supposed game. If I Stay 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dimple heard the wobble in her voice and tried not to wince. When Dimple Met Rishi 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

We all lay and held our breaths and listened, trying to determine what was going on downstairs. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

“It’s not at all like lemon curd. I tried to talk Mama out of doing this recipe. It’s made from curdled milk.” A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

She reached for her hand, trying to yank her out of the air. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Parents were what they were; it wasn’t up to you to try to puzzle them out. Bridge to Terabithia 1997-10-21T00:00:00Z

That’s what he did when he was trying to decide something. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

I had tried it on after breakfast, and was amazed at the transformation. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

After they had left, I tried playing some more, but I was just not into it. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

She did not even try to evoke the woods where she had shared the joy of love. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You’re twenty years old, for Christ’s sake. Are you trying to get us killed?” I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

At the different stores we visited, we couldn't even try on clothing to see if things were the right size. March Forward, Girl 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Until Michelangelo comes, that is, and then their curses are worse, because he just stomps straight over whatever they’re trying to sell. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

“You try to go back, try to run back to the woods, and you’ll never run any more. You go on with me or you die.” Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

A husky guy wearing a maroon college sweatshirt follows after them and tries to persuade them back inside. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

She tried to think of some special sign that would be sure to make it sure. Miracles on Maple Hill 1956-08-01T00:00:00Z

But even as I tried to talk myself into it, I knew the truth. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

He is trying to perfect his use of chiaroscuro, the interplay of light and dark, without regard to color. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

I wanted there to be some other reason why two strangers would follow me home, some other reason why they’d yank my scarf off my head and try to choke me with it. A Very Large Expanse of Sea 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

Molly has been cooking quite a bit lately, reasoning that if Dina tries some dishes that don’t have animal protein front and center, she’ll see how many more options are available. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z

He tried to get that image of the blue ocean back in his mind, but he couldn't picture it for some reason. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

No, he thought, if I touched him he would try to kill me. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

He picked up a shovel and said, "You might as well try to teach this shovel to read! It's got more brains than Zero." Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z

“Monkeyman had the heart to help me when I needed some help. If you don’t have the heart to help him that’s cool, but don’t try to finesse it off like it’s no big thing.” 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

That means using more chemical fertilizer or maybe trying new hybrid or GMO seeds. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z

As the cases proceeded to trial, the judge asked both sides to try to reach an agreement through mediation. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

Zola and I are trying to understand what the childrens are saying. The Unfinished Angel 2009-09-22T00:00:00Z

I try to hold on to the peaceful feeling of the dream, but it quickly slips away, leaving me sadder and lonelier than ever. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

Writing to his mother, Theo tries to be brave, to reassure her. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z

But how could they not try to rescue Mom, if there was any chance that was possible? The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

As he tried to cover them up, he unearthed a corner of the sack. Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z

But how in the world was he to bring a bunch of does out—supposing that any were ready to try it? Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

The three sisters were fighting for real now, slapping each other as Anger tried to grab at Wasp’s face and Wasp tried to grab at Tempest’s. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

Most often the escape attempts were straightforward and totally ineffective—they tried to climb the fence. Hole in My Life 2002-03-26T00:00:00Z

My friends were sinking fast, trying to swim, without luck, in the bubbly trail of the ship’s wreckage. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

As Pantalaimon fell, trying to twist away and make for the boat and Lyra’s desperate arms, the black things kept driving into him, droning, buzzing, and murderous. The Golden Compass 1995-07-01T00:00:00Z

Miss Love had questioned me, trying to make certain sure Mama wasn’t going before she put on her act for Grandpa. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

How they tried to convince the girls not to go. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

“My brother and your sister were partners. Shouldn’t we try to be friends?” Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

She tries the knob but it’s locked from the outside. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Why are you always trying to make me feel stupid?” he asked, pulling the napkin out of his pocket that he’d scribbled on earlier. Please Ignore Vera Dietz 2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

Several people make the Shhh! noise, and then Russ is out of his seat, climbing over people’s knees, trying to escape the theater. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to sit up, but his shoulder hurt and he lay back again. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

She wanted to believe this, and so she indulged herself and tried to be swept up in it. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

I try to sound cheerful, but I didn't want it to be Dad. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He felt pity for her trying, and gratitude for the decency of her mind. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

But he’d come and find me in the store alone somehow and he’d linger, chatting or teasing me and trying to get me to smile in some way. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

The squirrel tries to fit her claws under the edge of the door, but the cupboard still won’t open. Dragons in a Bag 2018-10-23T00:00:00Z

Cooter said, “We trying to solve us a mystery, sir.” Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z

She tried to follow me, dragging Laleh, who skidded across the tile floor on her rubber soles, but the officer held up his hand, careful not to touch her. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

Despite her bravado, however, Constance was so weak she toppled forward when she tried to stand. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

He kisses me even though I try to raise my hand to stop him. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

There was really no point trying to arrange wildflowers. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

Once he stopped and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, trying to get himself into the role that he had to play. 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried miserably to recall some means of extricating them both from their devastating embarrassment. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

Baffled, Jonathan kept studying their faces, trying to find some due to their words. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

“Not so. You took her in; you tried to mold her. You wanted her then.” The Golden Compass 1995-07-01T00:00:00Z

He is studying me as if trying to figure out my angle. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

I was there, too—for whether these children conquered the dragon or, as was much more likely, died trying, I would not miss it for all of Christendom. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

I try, noticing how the vibrant parts of the buildings that have been restored contrast with the faint lines and weathered walls in other areas. Amina's Song 2021-03-09T00:00:00Z

“Bryson, I’m not trying to be negative—I swear to God I’m not—but I’m not sure I’m cut out for this. Could you lift your pack over your head like that?” A Walk in the Woods 1997-11-01T00:00:00Z

I totally understood why she felt like that, and at the same time I could see the point he was trying to make by sinking the Coral Queen. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z

My blood seemed to pump faster, too, trying to keep up. I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

As I tried to get my eyes open, a girl pushed Bunny toward the door and he went half stumbling, half running away. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

I tried to ignore him when I could. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

I try not to feel too guilty, seeing as I know something that could help us find Sandy. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

Prosecutors tried to salvage their case by filing separate charges against Burkhart, naming him as a co-conspirator in the bombing of the Smiths’ house. Killers of the Flower Moon 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

Will felt a dull horror at his heart, and Kirjava pressed herself against his breast, feeling it, too, and trying to comfort him. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

I could barely see him leaning over his dog, trying to fix something on its collar. The Stranger 1989-03-13T00:00:00Z

We would choose some article almost certain not to exist there and then diligently try to find it. Travels with Charley in Search of America 1962-01-01T00:00:00Z

To minimize the risk of being cut in a spill, he tried to avoid very young, inexperienced horses. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try not to think of seeing him for the first time. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

Every chance he got he was reared back in Joe’s swivel chair trying to thrust out his lean belly into a paunch. Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937-09-18T00:00:00Z

He clutched his side, pushing back at the pain, trying to contain it. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

Aureliano Segundo tried to take advantage of her delirium to get her to tell him where the gold was buried, but his entreaties were useless once more. One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

He’d unfolded the tarp and propped one end of it up beneath the tree to try and reflect back the heat from the fire. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

And she had the sudden sensation of fogginess, of a milky web through which she tried to claw. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

The waiter gives us menus and Lou looks his over while I try to imagine bringing him home, introducing him to Starry and Ma. You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

My friends tried to help me through it. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

“Good grief, baby, people don’t agree with the Klan, but they certainly don’t try to prevent them from puttin’ on sheets and making fools of themselves in public.” Go Set a Watchman: A Novel 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z

Nailer tried to get to his feet, but it was too tiring to stand. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

And third, some saucy tart once tried to impugn my virtue against an oil painting of him, and in the halls of memory, some things demand context. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

Genie glanced over at them and tried his best not to give them the worst ice grill ever as he slowly pulled his hands away from the box. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

“I want to try out for this play and that woman might be one of the judges and she’s going to think I’m a thief and not let them pick me.” It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

Moments before the tryouts got under way, I stood in the doorway of the auditorium, nervously wringing my hands as Minnijean tried to register. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Even when Dad administered vitally needed punishment on the conventional area, the area where it is supposed to do the most good, Mother tried to intervene. Cheaper by the Dozen 1948-01-01T00:00:00Z

Percy tried to summon the waves, hoping he could push the ships apart or even capsize the enemy vessel, but nothing happened. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

Pretty ladies kept robins and sparrows for pets, or tried very hard to teach their magpies to talk. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tries to push me off but I stay with him. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

“My dear fellah,” cried Pellinore, getting excited again, “it’s not where the stone is, what, that Tm trying to tell you, but what is written on it, what, where it is.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

He felt like getting up early and watching his dad try to make breakfast, crack the eggs and drip them all over the counter. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story 2016-06-28T00:00:00Z

Father’s mistake, see, was to try to convert the whole entire shebang over into just his exact way of thinking. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

Arya had tried to use her hands, the way she'd seen Koss do, but fish were quicker than pigeons and the water played tricks on her eyes. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

“Your mom also mentioned that you recently spent time with a boy, and when they tried to discuss that with you, you got a little upset.” Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

My brother taps the window, trying to get me to look at him. Black Brother, Black Brother 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Because a demon can help or harm you, there is no way of telling if a demon might be testing you before he will reward you or whether he is trying to trick you. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hell, I’d probably still be at home playing video games or trying to talk myself into getting out of the apartment. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

He moved away just before my parents’ divorce, and even though I tried to stay in touch—when I needed to stay in touch—he seemed to forget all about me. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

All we know is the phenomenon: we spend our time sending messages to each other, talking and trying to listen at the same time, exchanging information. The Lives of a Cell 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Let me try. At least it’ll be something to do while we wait for the others to wake up.” Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

I try to calm down, reminding myself that this could not possibly happen. Blood on the River 2006-05-04T00:00:00Z

Her mind, when I tried to talk, to reach her, was somewhere else. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

I know it’s hopeless, because I’ve been nagging him about it since he announced that there was an anonymous donor, but I try one more time anyway. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

I tried to row but I was not sure my arms were moving. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

It would be much easier going than trying to hack his way through shrubbery with a pocketknife. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

I still wasn't scared because I could look in his eyes and see he wasn't trying to fight me. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

“You trying to get the nerve to stick me up or you running from somebody?” The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

I reluctantly move forward, trying to imagine how it could be of interest to me. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Magdalys had spent the first twenty minutes of the play trying to get rid of the creepy sensation that Magistrate Riker was still glaring at her from somewhere in the shadows. Dactyl Hill Squad 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

No matter how I tried to talk myself out of those thoughts, I couldn’t seem to shut down my brain. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

But who would try to break into a fortified mountain, unless they were desperate, like us? Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

“Is that why you tried to kill me?” Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Perhaps you would like to see the skeletons?” tries the assistant director. All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

Scout is biting his lip, trying not to laugh. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Bryce is trying to push me out of the way using every bit of his scrawny four-year-old arms, but I am immovable. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

He tried to think of something he could say to Ms. Friendly. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z

Downstairs, the girl was walking the baby across the floor, trying to sing to her. A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z

Piper had tried to do her best, but with her own boyfriend, she was clueless. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

The eyes of the nation were on Birmingham, and I hoped someone would understand what we were trying to do, the message we were trying to send. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

I walked toward Junior, still carrying the knife and rope, trying to figure out what to do. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z

Whenever anyone flew at the balloon to try to shoot it down, the gunfire would get so hot that they’d have to give up. A Thousand Sisters 2019-01-22T00:00:00Z

I try to stay focused on the next event, and then the next, to keep from overthinking things and becoming overwhelmed. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“I just want you to know that I’m going to try really hard not to send you to the office. If we have something to deal with, you and I will deal with it together.” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

He passes the ball to number twenty-nine on the right wing and tries to dribble out, but the defense is suffocating. The Crossover 2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

At last the Sun gave up trying to dissuade him. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

Why didn’t she try to stop me, or at least keep me safe? Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to forget about him and just pray for Augustus. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z

When we reached the garage, I tried to look inside but there were no windows. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

I try to sit up, but oh boy, my head feels like it’s going to burst wide open. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

She hopped onto her hind legs, trying with both forepaws to claw it off, and tumbled over and over. Pax 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to loosen the body so it will flow downstream,” she says between halting breaths. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Father looked up at the ceiling and out the window and tried not to hit anything until the doctor opened the door and time for us to go. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe he won’t tell us anything helpful but I guess it’s worth a try. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

John and Molly tried to steer Ernest toward rest and relaxation, but he had a habit of transforming even innocuous holiday pursuits into physical challenges. Big Science 2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

The homeboys hanging on the corners keep trying to step to Beatriz. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

When I get to shop later, I do try and be nice to Tyler, but he’s sort of like a puppy sitting under the dining table. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

Jason imagined his friends on deck following his progress, taking turns with Leo’s spyglass, trying not to laugh as they watched Grandpa Jason hobble uphill. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

She tried to hold her glass in the tiny claw of her hand, but the Captain was there to hold it steady at her mouth. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I tried to teach your daddy how to do this when he was a kid,” she goes on, “but he wanted no part of it. Never been the outdoorsy type.” Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

I hated when my uncle tried to play parent. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

“And then at the fire the other night,” he continued, “when I was trying to rescue some ceramic pots, I tripped and hurt it again.” Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

He tried to put his arm around me, but I wiggled out of his way. From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z

Liam tried to keep his voice casual, but his eyes had darkened, obviously troubled. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I'll try, but it's probably going to sound stupid, most likely because it is in fact stupid. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

“Is it herself trying to come out? When a man says he does not want to speak of something he usually means he can think of nothing else.” East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe Grandmother was trying to scare him as some sort of revenge for breaking her porcelain. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

Joseph tried hard to piece all the generations together, and he drew arrows between people he thought were connected, husbands to wives, parents to children, grandparents to grandchildren. The Marvels 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

I feel the rain on our backs as you crouch on the road, trying to save worms. The Bridge Home 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

I was about to suggest we wait until today became yesterday and all this disappeared before trying to cross to the house when a set of brawny arms clapped around me. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

That was also the year that Soraya and I began trying to have a child. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

Harry could not see his face: He wondered whether Snape sensed danger, was trying to find the right words to reassure his master. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

“It looks as if we tried to squeeze all the animals into the chicken coop.” Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

Lying in bed, staring into the darkness, I tried hard to figure out the strange actions of my parents. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

“And untried they shall remain unless we try them.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

I tried to close my virgin ears to their horrid cackling. A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

We just stared and stared, trying to understand it all. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

In just a little while...He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe it would work better if you tried it out on another social species, easier to handle. The Lives of a Cell 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I began with that field and tried to trace the corn as it traveled across the country, first to my supermarket and then to my stomach. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z

His face burned as he tried to stop himself from crying. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

I intended to back the cart right up to the barn door, and try to get the grate that far on the sled, and then onto the cart. Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

She was trying hard to pull the devil cat’s fangs from the throat of Old Dan. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to make sense of the situation, but he was barely conscious. The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to ignore the lump in her throat. The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

The gunman looks out the glass doors of the bank, trying to figure out which car belongs to Marv. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

Etienne and Monsieur Tabard tried forcing the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. The Invention of Hugo Cabret 2007-01-30T00:00:00Z

“Only thing you can control is how hard you try,” he replies. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

I ran back to the bedroom, where Byron was trying to wresde into a pair of pants. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hanako sliced vegetables, trying to make each slice attractive and perfect. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

We huddle together by the corner of the building, trying to stamp away the cold. How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z

Rashid didn’t look back at him and instead went to the next door and tried the handle. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

“Do you eat anything else? Like have you tried chips?” Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

They weren’t trying to change grades or cheat. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

She and Kaya stayed up with me all night long, trying to make me feel safe. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

The boy on her left tried to smile bravely, but his lower Up began to tremble and he bit it with his upper teeth and said nothing. Coraline 2002-02-24T00:00:00Z

Especially after we made our agreement to use the outdoor latrine at night so the whole cell wouldn’t have to endure bad smells while we’re trying to sleep. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

My mother said I would bring shame into the house, but I only giggled as she tried to tuck my hair up with long pins. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

“By the sound of it, Malfoy was trying to use an Unforgivable Curse, you should be glad Harry had something good up his sleeve!” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

If he got involved in a dangerous situation, he would not only jeopardize the lives of the people he was trying to help, but his life, and the life of his crew as well. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

Even after Julia and her father leave, I try to keep sulking. The One and Only Ivan 2012-01-17T00:00:00Z

“I don’t know why you keep using a linoleum block. If I were you, I’d just let it out, draw. Here—try a tree.” Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

Chantal is above me, pulling my leg, trying to keep me upstairs. American Street 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

A wave crashed in, took him by surprise, but he barely tried to dodge it. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

"It was just a joke," Sandy tried to explain. The Westing Game 1979-01-01T00:00:00Z

She tried to remember the last time she had bled. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

I do try to smile at everybody—it is one of the only things I know about being undercover in enemy-occupied territory. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

“Men tried for years to make peace but the Spackle weren’t having it. And so war started.” The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

Modulations can make harmonic analysis much more challenging, so try to become comfortable analyzing easier pieces before tackling pieces with modulations. Understanding Basic Music Theory 2018-01-28T00:00:00Z

He becomes terribly paranoid, convinced people are trying to poison him. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

Mr. van D. is trying to control himself. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

“What are we supposed to do until then? Hope he doesn’t catch wind of what you’re doing and try to hurt one of us?” Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

“When this thing drops us, hold your breath. Whatever you do, try to chuck your vial as far away from the ship as possible.” The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

“Sounds like a good Marine to me. Let’s try to get Harter a few stripes. I like a happy man to work on my bird.” The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dismay was turning in circles, trying to figure out what was going on. Each Little Bird That Sings 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying to sound kind of cool and bored. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z

She made the aircraft turn and dive violently, trying to avoid an unseen danger that didn’t exist. A Thousand Sisters 2019-01-22T00:00:00Z

“Okay,” I answered, trying to keep my voice calm. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z

Shin tried this a few times, but it didn’t help ease his hunger. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

Ignatius asked the empty factory while he tried to stuff foot upon foot of film into his pocket. A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

I kept her company and kept watch for her as she tried to rub a twitch out of my shoulder. Adrift 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

“Madam is more than welcome to bring her gown in and try it on with the necklace,” the man said. Ruby Holler 2002-02-01T00:00:00Z

Two players—gladiators—swing from the monkey bars into each other to try and knock their opponent down. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

She turns to the people around us, trying to figure out who to ask. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Over the weekend I work on the Ibo slave-ship painting and try to catch up on some homework. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z