“[T]hey were stopped at every turn by well-dressed strangers wishing to list their grandmother’s many fine qualities. Anna found herself collecting words along the way. Principled. Dignified. Formidable. She wasn’t entirely sure what formidable meant, but it sounded like forbidding, which was a word that described their grandmother nicely.”

William and Anna look for Edmund at their grandmother’s funeral. This quote characterizes their grandmother and hints at the type of upbringing the children had: strict and loveless, where they were forbidden from doing certain things that other children take for granted. This adds depth to their search for a loving parent to take them in.

“Edmund snorted. ‘Right. So…we’re to ship out to the wilderness, where we just happen to be scooped up by some kindly…farmer and his wife…who’ve been waiting all their lives for three half-grown children to drop into their laps?’”

This quote adds to Edmund’s characterization. Of the siblings, he is the one who is most likely to be blunt and speak his mind, even to people in positions of authority to whom he should traditionally be deferential. Here, he demonstrates more realism than the adults around him. This leads to his clashes with people like Miss Carr, who view him as disruptive or rude.

“William, Edmund, and Anna knew the evacuation of London’s schoolchildren was referred to by some as Operation Pied Piper. No doubt, whoever coined the phrase pictured children skipping over verdant hills in time to the music of the beloved piper. Those who read like our threesome, however, may recall that the piper in the original tale was, in fact, leading the youngsters of Hamelin away from their home as a punishment to the townspeople, who had failed to pay for his services as the town’s rat catcher.”

The name of this operation alludes to the famous folk tale of the Pied Piper. The narrative voice points out how people misunderstand this tale as one of celebration and benevolence, when it is really a warning tale about always paying your dues. The name of this historical evacuation warning feels like foreshadowing to the children: They anticipate poor experiences with their billets.