Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following people for editorial, creative, moral, and financial support during the writing of this book:

Gina Berriault, Peter Goodman, the Navajo Code Talkers Association, Richard Ruben, Abigail Davidson, Anne Brooker, Em & Phil Bettinger, Cathy Layne, Jeanie Okimoto, Kathleen Doherty, Ted Lafferty, Kimberley Theresa Lafferty, Deni B é chard, Suzanne Kamata, Art Kusnetz, Yelena Zarick, Colleen Sakurai, Eric Brink-man, Zorie Barber, Chris Mauch, NaNoWriMo, Nina and Quinn Zolotow, SCBWI Tokyo, John Gribble, The Japan Writer’s Conference, and the Mendelsohn, Oketani, and Lowitz families. The great team at Tuttle Publishing—Eric Oey, William Notte, Rowan Muelling-Auer, June Chong, Anthoney Chua, and Su Yin Ngo—were sharper than any shuriken and a blessing to have on our side.

We are especially grateful to The Barbara Deming Memorial Foundation, Copperfields Books of Northern California and The Dickens Literary Award for early support, and to the editors of the following publications in which portions of this novel first appeared: Matthew Zuckerman of Wingspan, August Highland of muse apprentice guild, Elizabeth McKenzie of My Postwar Life, and Holly Thompson of Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories.

We are indebted to the Japanese folklorist Ken’ichi Tanigawa for his studies of Japanese history. Finally, thanks to Amanda Giacomini and MC Yogi for giving Jet her name.