Much like making a magical hat, it takes a lot of love and dedication from many people to create a book. I have so many people to thank for helping to bring The Hatmakers to life.
Firstly, my parents, for bringing me and my siblings up in a house full of books, for reading us bedtime stories when we were small, and for teaching us to care about literature as much as you do. Thank you, Mum and Dad, for always encouraging me to write.
My sister, Kate (aka Big-Little), for going on adventures with me across the garden and across the globe, for helping me with my Latin, and for being my absolute favorite person to be a mischief-maker with.
My family and friends around the world who have patiently listened as I philosophized about magical hats: you’ve encouraged me through the hard times and lavishly celebrated the victories, and I love you all.
My truly brilliant agent, Claire Wilson: you have worked your extraordinary magic on me and on The Hatmakers, and I am so tremendously glad. Thank you for everything.
My utterly wonderful UK editor Nat Doherty, for believing in The Hatmakers, and for guiding me with such kindness and vision to transform this story into the best version of itself. It has been such glorious fun making this book with you!
Thank you to all the fantastic Makers of Books at Puffin: Wendy Shakespeare for your brilliance and for making the book better with every suggestion; Daphne Tagg for your amazing eye for detail; Emily Smyth, for your gorgeous vision for the design of Cordelia’s world.
To the wonderful Jane Griffiths, Naomi Green, Roz Hutchinson, and Alesha Bonser.
To the brilliant Sarah Roscoe, Geraldine McBride, Kat Baker, Toni Budden, Rozzie Todd, Becki Wells, and Karin Burnik. And to the marvelous Zosia Knopp, Anne Bowman, Maeve Banham, Susanne Evans, and Lena Petzke.
Thank you to Paola Escobar, for bringing the Hatmakers’ world to life with the most beautiful illustrations and cover I have ever seen.
To the American team at Norton Young Readers, especially Simon Boughton and Kristin Allard, an enormous thank you for introducing the Hatmakers to America!
To Jonathan Barnes, Teacher of Classics: kleos to you for ensuring the wild imaginings of the glossary make grammatical sense!
To Anna James and Catherine Doyle, for your wildly kind and generous words.
To Jonathan Smith, for running the afternoon creative writing club at school and for your friendship ever since. I can draw a line as straight as the string of a kite from the work we did on those afternoons directly to the pages of this book. And to Dr. Jo Seldon, who was a wondrous teacher. To Isabella, for sharing so much wisdom about the creative cycle and helping me to find my own.
To the V&A Archives, for the treasures you preserve and lay out on tissue paper for people to study. I have never, before or since, seen such an illustrious bicorn.
And finally to Barney: this book wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you for your immense heart and humor and support all through the adventure of telling this story. Thank you for all the love and laughter you bring to my life. And thank you for when I woke you up at 4.30 a.m. one January morning jabbering about a family of magical Hatmakers—thank you for encouraging me to write down my dream.