A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. — Opening lines

"There was a man and he had eight sons. Apart from that, he was nothing more than a comma on the page of History. Its sad, but thats all you can say about some people."

"Harry Potter was a very unusual boy in many ways."

"The small boys came early to the hanging."

"Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening Hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen."

"I have no intention of explaining how the correspondence which I now offer to the public fell into my hands."

"It was the day my grandmother exploded."