Quotes from The Viper's Nest

Peter Lerangis ·  190 pages

Rating: (40.1K votes)


“Let's scope the place out," he suggested, heading around the side of the building, "and be careful in the bushes."
"Why?" Amy asked.
"This is South Africa, dude," Dan replied. "Where cobras come from. And not the hot ones, like Ian.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Amy Cahill didn't believe in omens. But black snow was falling, the earth was rumbling beneath her feet, her brother was meowing, and her uncle Alistair was prancing on the beach in pink pajamas.
She had to admit, the signs were not promising.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“You should climb around inside my brain, Dan. It's like this dark room surrounded by quicksand."
"I know what you mean," her brother said quietly. "I hate being in my brain sometimes. I have to get out."
"What do you do?" Amy asked.
Dan shrugged "I go to other places. My toes. My shoulders. But mostly here." He tapped his chest and immediately reddened. "I know. It's stupid."
"Not really," Amy said. "I wish I could do that, too.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“The boy smiled -- mostly at Amy.
"Sorry, her heart belongs to Ian Kabra," Dan said, except that something in her expression made him realize her heart didn't belong at all to Ian
right now.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Okay, listen up, dudes. We have to book. Yesterday, when I find you guys are, like, AWOL? I, like, freak. Yelling at everybody–where are they, why did you let them leave–the hotel people are, like, whaaaa? Anyway, I pack up all your stuff, figuring I may never see the place again, and down in the lobby I find my man Arif. I'm, like, help me, and he takes all of our stuff to this launch–and then we're halfway across the sea when Arif gets this radio message, and he's all excited, but I don't know what he's saying until he's, like, 'POLICE!' in English. And we see these cop cars and somebody's getting a big old boat, so we're, like, sayonara, only in Indonesian, and we tool out into this boat-traffic jam to try to loose them, and I'm hearing these radio reports that are half English–there's been a fire and somebody's dead, yada yada, and I'm totally wigging out–Why did you do that? Why did you and your sister leave me in a hotel without even a note?
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest



“How do you know, Dan? You were so young when they died. Do you really remember them?"
"Not in my mind," Dan replied, gazing at the passing scenery. "But everyplace else...”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Well, then, happy news! Hakuna matata and all that," Ian said cheerily. "We'll rest and have a fine dining moment while we wait." He looked around at the various airport fast-food choices. "Well, er, we'll rest...”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Ian nodded. Do not question her, he told himself. Not when she is in a state like this.
Still, it was a pity to attack them with such force. Especially the girl, Amy. He'd never met anyone like her. Shy. Gentle. With an exciting edge of hostility. So unlike the girls back home, who flung themselves at him so often that his chauffeurs traveled with first-aid kits.
Doesn't she know better? Isn't she smart enough to stop the hunt?
It was the boy and the au pair. He was a pint-sized hothead. She was a collection of piercings and piggishness. If only Amy and Dan had stayed trapped in the cave in Seoul, at least long enough to get discouraged. Why did they antagonize Mother?
They don't know what it's like to live with her.
"Right you are," Ian said. "They're asking for it. Heaven forbid they listen to the brains of the outfit."
"And that would be–?" Isabel asked.
Ian looked away. "Well, the sister, I'd say. Amy."
He felt a smile inching across his face.
"Ian?" His mother grabbed his wrist. "If you are having the inkling of a shadow of a thought..."
"Mother!" Ian could feel the blood rushing to his face. "How could you suspect for a moment...?”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Dan's skin was beginning to lose color. "Oh, har-har. A library, right? Just to make me crazy. 'Cause there's no reason we would go to a library. Right? I mean, we don't need to research Peoria, do we?"
Amy began heading for the building. "Not Peoria. Something else."
"Not funny, Amy!" Dan called as she pushed open the heavy brass doors. "Amy...Amy?
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“When the guy turned around, Amy began stuttering. Silently. It was a feat only Amy could manage, and only Dan could notice.
And it only happened in front of boys who looked like this one. He had brown hair and caramel-colored eyes, like Dan's friend Nick Santos, who
made all the sixth-grade girls turn into blithering idiots when he looked their way--in fact, would even say Watch, lean make them turn into blithering
idiots, and then he'd do it. Only older.
"He. Is. Hot," Nellie said under her breath.
"You too?" Dan hissed.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest



“Rock star do not jump!" The launch was cutting sharply, its skipper calling out a phrase that bore no relationship to the English language as Amy knew it.
"Rock star in a hurry!" Nellie replied, one foot on the boat's gunwale.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


"Whoaaaaa–AARRRGGGGGGGHHHH...shove two fingers down my throat and pull out my heart...to prove that you love meeee...!" Clutching her iPod, Nellie emerged from the hatch ad lurched towards them, like creature put together from spare parts–a motion that Dan and Amy recognized as dancing. Pulling out her earbuds, she raised her face to the sky and let the rain pelt her for a few seconds. "Whoo-hoo, that is better than a facial!" she cried, running to join Dan and Amy under the overhang.
"Stick around," Dan said, "for a lava treatment.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Don't get me started on the little airplane name badges," Natalie grumbled.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


“Alistair je nakratko zatvorio oči i sjetio se nečega što mu je otac rekao, rečenice koju kao dijete nikad nije razumio: Tišina je snaga.”
― Peter Lerangis, quote from The Viper's Nest


About the author

Peter Lerangis
Born place: in Brooklyn, New York , The United States
Born date January 1, 1955
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“He swirled his tongue and sucked with his lips, his deep groans vibrating over her”
― Lucian Bane, quote from White Knight Dom Academy 2nd Semester


“I need you to stay behind as we go into those slums,” Wayne said, determined to impress solemnity into his voice. “It’s not that I don’t want your help. I do. It’s just going to be too dangerous for you. You need to stay where I know you’re safe. No arguments. I’m sorry.”
“Wayne,” Wax said, walking past. “Stop talking to your hat and get over here.”
― Brandon Sanderson, quote from Shadows of Self


“i am sleepwalking on an ocean of happiness i cannot baptize myself in.”
― Sabrina Benaim, quote from Depression & Other Magic Tricks


“Success comes as a result of preparing oneself for inspiration, and then being willing to pay attention to it and do what it says. I've learned that before I make big decisions, I must first have a clear picture in mind and on paper of the outcome I am seeking.”
― quote from The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can


“Since I spend my working days studying trends, many of which are downright disgusting, I feel it’s my duty after work to encourage the trends I’d like to see catch on, like signaling before you change lanes, and chocolate cheesecake. And reading. Also,”
― Connie Willis, quote from Bellwether


Interesting books

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
(111.9K)
David and Goliath: U...
by Malcolm Gladwell
All Our Yesterdays
(19.2K)
All Our Yesterdays
by Cristin Terrill
Princess in Pink
(30.6K)
Princess in Pink
by Meg Cabot
Possessing the Secret of Joy
(13.1K)
Possessing the Secre...
by Alice Walker
Wish You Were Dead
(3.5K)
Wish You Were Dead
by Todd Strasser
Make Lemonade
(9K)
Make Lemonade
by Virginia Euwer Wolff

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.