Special thanks to:
My mum & dad, for giving John his brain.
Steven Chudney, my literary agent, for giving John his heart.
Jordan Brown, my editor, for giving John the courage of his convictions.
I’d also like to thank Ben Whitehouse, my illustrator, for making every cog and Coggin come alive; Renée Cafiero and Laaren Brown, my copyeditors, for their patience and humor; the editorial and marketing teams at Walden Pond Press and HarperCollins—including Debbie Kovacs and Viana Siniscalchi—for their unfailing support; and my siblings, for fostering my inanities.
Finally, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Miriam Marecek, who has always believed in the power of children’s literature to save the world.