“My best friend, Tracy Wu, says I’m really tough on people. She says she wonders sometimes how I can like her. But we both know that’s a big joke. Tracy’s the best friend I’ll ever have.”

In this quote, Jill introduces herself through the eyes of her best friend, Tracy. Tracy believes Jill is tough on people and worries that Jill might not like her. This small bit of information helps to characterize Jill and explain her decisions as the story progresses.

“I smiled, not because I thought the note was funny, but because Wendy was watching me.”

This early quote illustrates Wendy's power over Jill and the rest of the class. Jill knows that she must react positively to Wendy’s note, or there might be social consequences for her.

“By then Wendy’s note about Blubber had travelled halfway around the class and I couldn’t stop laughing, even when Mrs. Minish looked right at me and said, ‘Jill Brenner, will you please explain the joke.’”

This quote shows how quickly things can spread in a classroom setting. Wendy’s note calling Linda Blubber has been passed around through the hands of many of the students in Mrs. Minish’s class, amplifying its power. The entire class is laughing, and Jill can barely contain herself, even though she hadn’t initially found the note funny.