To my readers: so many hugs to you. I appreciate you, I see you, and I write for you. Hearing from you all is the best part of this amazing job, and I have no words to tell you what your messages have meant to me. They inspire me and get me through the harder writing days. Thank you!
To my village: you are the bee’s knees and the firefly’s light and the butterfly’s wings. Thank you for believing in me and for your support. More specifically…
Kathleen Rushall: you are simply the best. Thank you for being so invested and always going above and beyond. I can’t imagine a better champion for my work.
Jen Ung: I am consistently blown away by how much you get my characters and writing, and how you always know how to elevate everything to the next level. I am so grateful to work with you.
Simon Pulse team: I couldn’t have asked for a better home, and I am so appreciative of each and every one of you. Special thanks to Mara Anastas, Liesa Abrams, Chriscynethia Floyd, Nicole Russo, Lauren Hoffman, Caitlin Sweeny, Alissa Nigro, Christian Vega, Anna Jarzab, Amy Beaudoin, Sarah Woodruff, Michelle Leo, Chelsea Morgan, Tom Daly, Karen Sherman, Valerie Shea, Stacey Sakal, Christina Pecorale, and Emily Hutton.
Sarah Creech: I am in awe of your talent. Thank you for finding the most beautiful ways to capture the heart of my stories.
Kim Yau: I am so lucky to have you in my corner! Thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do!
Many thanks to the talented writers who read early versions of this novel, helped me brainstorm, and had writing dates with me: Susan Blumberg-Kason, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Lizzie Cooke, Kelly deVos, Samira Ahmed, Maddy Colis.
Thank you, David Arnold, for encouraging me to write this book over french fries all that time ago.
A heartfelt thank you to the librarians, teachers, booksellers, bloggers, readers, and indie bookstores who have supported me and my books. Hugs to you all!
Thank you to everyone who submitted names in the American Panda preorder campaign! The winning names, Randolf and Klondike, were submitted by Katharine Traasdahl and Danielle Lynn.
Thank you to family and friends (you know who you are!) for supporting me and my career.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your support. I love you both so much. Also, thank you for answering endless questions for this book, especially about the Mandarin. (I’m pretty sure we’ve had more conversations about the phrase tīnghuà than anyone else, ever.) Thank you, Mom, for giving me the article that inspired this book.
Anthony, what words are left? There were never enough for me to express my love, my gratitude, everything, and now that I’ve already attempted it once, there are even fewer words for round two. All I can say is your love makes me invincible.