I usually give a book 40 pages. If it doesn't grab me by then, adios. With young adult books, you can usually tell by Page 4 if it's worth the time. The author establishes the conflict early, sometimes in the first sentence. The themes of hope, family, friendship and overcoming hardship appeal to most everyone.
Discipline is simply the art of making the soldiers fear their officers more than the enemy.
Truth is the torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it.
