Acknowledgments

Mighty thanks to all my partners in crime, including Sarah Horne, whose marvelous illustrations bring Ra and his friends to life; Sally Morgridge, Derek Stordahl, Mary Cash, Terry Borzumato-Greenberg, Kevin Jones, Nicole Benevento, Lex Higbee, Emily Mannon, Hannah Finne, Eryn Levine, Amy Toth, and the other wonderful people at Holiday House, who bring Ra and his friends to readers; Barbara Perris, whose stellar copyediting spruces Ra up; Sara Crowe, Larissa Helena, Ashley Valentine, Cameron Chase, and rest of the fabulous Pippins, who are enthusiastic about all things Ra; and Tracy Abell and Kit Sturtevant, two fantastic writers who gave me helpful comments on an early draft of this book.

I’m also grateful to my parents, who let me have lots of books and kittens when I was small; to Rebecca Sokolovsky and her family, who cheer for Ra and make my New York travels more fun; to the Ashmolean in Oxford, where Sobek guards the Ancient Egypt galleries; and to Crocodiles of the World in Brize Norton, England, where I researched crocodiles up close (and saw how high they can jump!). I also want to thank all the teachers, librarians, booksellers, bloggers, friends, and fans who have shared their love for the Great Detectives. Your posts, emails, photos, letters, tweets, video clips, and drawings are a delight.

Finally, my loving thanks to my husband and daughter—Ra’s number one fans, readers, and plot consultants, who always make sure that Ra and his scribe get enough snacks and naps!