Quotes from book
On the Jellicoe Road

On the Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta

On the Jellicoe Road is a young adult novel by Australian novelist Melina Marchetta. It was first published in Australia in 2006 by Penguin Australia under the title On the Jellicoe Road, where it was awarded the 2008 West Australia Young Readers Book Award for Older Readers. It was later published in the United States in 2008 under the abbreviated title Jellicoe Road by HarperTeen and went on to win the 2009 Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association.

“Taylor Markham," said Raffaela, "I'm going to say a prayer for you." And although I wanted to mock her and explain I didn't believe in anything or anyone, I realised that no one had ever prayed for me before. So I let her.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“What are you so sad about? We're going to know him for the rest of our lives.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“Go to hell," he said, but there was a desolate fear in his eyes and I couldn't look away.
"Been there. Trust me. It's so overrated.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“No," I say, looking up at Griggs. "It's actually because my heart belongs to someone else." And if I could bottle the look on his face, I'd keep it by my bedside for the rest of my life.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“He took my hand, made me stand on the branch and asked, "What can you see from here?"
"Nothing" I said,
"Know what I can see? From this distance everything is so bloody perfect".”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“Great to know that I'm in love with a girl with a cool name."
"It's Taylor's middle name”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“If I want more, I need to go and get it, demand it, take hold of it with all my might, and do the best I can with it.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“We were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors," she told him once. "I was paper and she was rock so I lived and she died.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“I wasn't there that day to get on the three forty-seven to Yass", he says. "I was there to throw myself in front of it.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“If something happened to me, whose face will be on the front page of the paper begging for me? Is a person worth more because they have someone to grieve for them?”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“How can you just forget a person completely until the moment you see his face again?”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“I want to tell him that deep down each time Hannah looked at him she was grateful it was him because Jude did something that the others didn't. He came back for her.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“I recognise Santangelo's dad, who saves police brutality for when he gets to his son.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“Maybe memories should be left the way they are.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“Someone asked us later, "Didn't you wonder why no one came across you sooner?"
Did I wonder?
When you see your parents zipped up in black body bags on the Jellicoe Road like they're some kind of garbage, don't you know?
Wonder dies.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“A home to come back to every day of their lives.
Where they would all belong or long to be.
A place on the Jellicoe Road.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“No chance. It'd be like cutting off our hands."
"Then learn to live without your hands."
"No, because then we won't be able to do this," Ben says, giving him the finger […]”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“This isn't romance. This isn't a declaration of love or affirmation of friendship. This is something more.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road

“I want to be sitting in front of my computer, where you can press a button to block out your junk mail.
These two are my junk mail.”

Melina Marchetta book On the Jellicoe Road

Source: On the Jellicoe Road