How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Storm subsiding, he grabbed Will by the wrist to behold the drawing of the sun inked in blue on his palm… Then, understanding that my upset must have something to do with the unexpected things that happen when a Beaumont turns thirteen, Fish did what he had to do. (12.14)
This example shows an important aspect of the Beaumont family and about Fish in particular: the savvy changes make it so that you have to be willing to accept something strange at a moment's notice. Fish seems to be particularly smart and adept at recognizing and dealing with strange things as they happen, but he's also gone through the strange changes of getting a savvy himself.
Quote #5
"A savvy's not a sickness or a disease, Mibs," Grandpa told me. "It's not magic or sorcery, either. Your savvy's in your blood. It's an inheritance, like your brown eyes or your grandma's long toes or her talent for dancing to polka music." (14.3)
Pay attention, Shmoopsters: this is where savvies come from.
Quote #6
Even the stodgiest old codger would dance a jig if Dinah asked. Momma said that Aunt Dinah had stopped a bank robber once, just by telling him to sit down and be still until the police arrived. (14.15)
The interesting thing about Poppa is that he actually manages to resist Dinah's savvy—she tells him to go away and leave her and her sister (Momma) alone, but Poppa's savvy (his ability to persevere) counteracts Dinah's and he manages to win Momma's hand. In that way, savvies act with each other the way that regular abilities do as well: if one ability is stronger than another, the stronger one wins.