I wrote this book during my last year in Manila, so I’d like to thank my friend Jane Fisher for her encouragement. Dinah, Rob, Nikki & Rob, Trav and Rachel were also very kind and supportive. While the story never changed, details did. I’d like to thank Susan Wardell and John Childs for helping with a few facts. I’d also like to thank my family, for constant support, as well as the children of Dundonald Primary School in Wimbledon – especially Year Six, looked after so ably by Harvey McGavin.
Lesley Burgess, Michael Gee, Annemarie Shillito, Sam, Abigail and Louie North, and Chris Mantz let me use their houses. Jane Turnbull was with me on every page, and the David Fickling team: David, Hannah, Bella, Tilda and Linda were tireless in offering ideas and challenges. Sue Cook was a superb copy-editor, and it must be time to record a real debt of gratitude to Sally Riley, for all her hard work.
There are ghosts in this book, of the children I’ve taught. So thank you to Max, to Paolo, to Mustafa, to Alice, to Ben, to Sam, to Billie, to Adam, to Miles and to Katkat . . . and the many others who may or may not see fragments of themselves.
Finally: thank you, Joe and Katie, my next-door neighbours. You offered advice, and you gave me the idea in the first place.fn1
fn1 To view that final goal, log onto www.andymulliganbooks.co.uk. Click on ‘The Boy with Two Heads’ and follow the links.