The Case of the Great Sled Race Quotes

“The minute Bigs hired you, I knew you’d make trouble.”
“I’m a detective,” I replied. “Trouble is my business.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“We rushed over to Joey’s house after school. Mila even brought a bag of popcorn for everyone to share. Oh, brother. It wasn’t like we were watching Nickelodeon. This was a home movie of Joey Pignattano rolling around in the snow.
And making goofy faces.
And sledding down the hill.
And walking up the hill.
And picking his nose.
And sledding down the hill. Then up again. Then down. Up. Down. Up.
After half an hour, I asked Joey, “Exactly how long is this video?”
He told me it was almost over.
I hoped he was right.
The movie played on. Meanwhile, I tried to decide which was worse: watching Joey’s home movie . . . or having a tooth pulled.
With rusty pliers.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“Whack! His giant hand slapped my back. My eyeballs nearly rolled across the floor. “Thanks a lot, you guys!” Bigs shouted. “Thanks a million! Thanks a . . . thanks . . . a . . . gazillion!” Then he walked away. I mean, maybe he walked. I don’t know for sure. The big lug was so happy he might have floated away on fluffy white clouds.
I looked at Mila. She shrugged back at me. “I had to tell him something,” she explained.
“I guess,” I said.
“Bigs is a little rough,” Mila observed.
“Yeah, I noticed,” I said, rubbing my chest.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“Bigs jabbed a finger into my chest. Ping. It felt like an aluminum baseball bat. “I paid you,” he said. “Now I want my Velma back.”
“Easy on the chest, will you, Bigs? I store my heart in there.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“Lucy asked a few more questions about the sled. I answered most of them with a shrug. On the phone, that’s not real helpful. But then again, I wasn’t trying to be helpful. I had a picture of George Washington in my pocket that said I was working for Bigs Maloney. Not Lucy Hiller.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“He wiped his nose with his sleeve. Gross me out the door.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“Yeesh. I didn’t exactly love the idea of racing against Bigs Maloney. I’d rather go swimming with Orca the Killer Whale.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“I thought about the type of person who would steal a sled from Bigs Maloney. The thief would have to be brave, big, and tough. And more than a little crazy. Only a nut would mess with Bigs Maloney. It was my job to find the thief. And then, if I could, to stop Bigs from ripping off the poor guy’s arms and legs.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“I drew a picture of Bigs Maloney. It came out looking like Frankenstein on a bad hair day. In other words, it looked just like Bigs.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“We caught up with Bigs at the base of the hill. He was watching the sledders race down the slope. His eyes looked moist. I was worried the big lug might burst into tears. Either that, or rip a tree out of the ground.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“Bigs stepped forward, towering over me. I stared into his neck. Then I felt a brick crash down on my shoulder. Only it wasn’t a brick. It was Bigs Maloney’s hand.
“I want that sled back, Jigsaw,” Bigs said between clenched teeth. “It’s your job to get it back—or else.”
Bigs turned and marched toward the hill.
“Or else?” I whispered to Mila. “Or else what?! What do you think he means, or else?”
Mila just blinked. “I don’t know exactly,” she said. “But I think it would involve pain.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“Bigs put his hands on his hips and growled. I half expected hot lava to pour from his ears. Bigs stomped around in circles. He packed a fat snowball. Then Bigs whirled and fired. The sun had to duck to get out of the way.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race

“I ran my fingers through my hair. We’d been together for nearly twenty minutes, and I still didn’t know what he was talking about. “Sit here,” I told Bigs. “And don’t chew on the furniture while I’m gone.”
― James Preller, The Case of the Great Sled Race