I am indebted to the wonderful team at Poppy and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, but especially Elizabeth Bewley and Farrin Jacobs for their perceptive notes, gentle guidance, and unwavering belief in these characters. To Joseph Veltre, my new agent: I am so grateful to be in your stable of writers. Tracy Shaw and Sammy Yuen designed another gorgeous cover image, and Christine Ma went over this manuscript with her usual unerring eye. JJ Philbin gave me the best first reading anyone could ask for.
And to Ben van der Veen and Annabelle, the new center of my world… a thousand hugs and a thousand kisses. I love you.