ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have so many people to thank. This book would not exist if it weren’t for the help of others.

First and foremost, thank you, Mom and Dad, for making sure stories and books were a part of every day from the very beginning.

Thank you to my sisters, Katie and Lauren; our childhood has supplied me with endless material.

Thank you to my early readers, Chris Chavis, Siva Ramakrishnan, Traci Tullius, Katrina Muir, Peggy Wolf, and again, Mom—without you all, I never would’ve had the courage to try.

Thank you to my critique partners, Gigi Collins, Tisha Hamilton, Joanne Kelleher, Ellen Mulholland, and especially Collomia Charles and Mary Park, who were the first to set eyes on this story many years ago.

Thank you to Nicole Rudick for good advice whenever I needed it.

Thank you to my fierce and talented agent, Kaitlyn Johnson, whose eye for detail and quick wit make my stories so much better.

Thank you to my amazing editor, Samantha Gentry, whose feedback turned this into a story I’m truly proud of, and who treated this book with such care that I suspect she may love it as much as I do.

Thanks to the entire team at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Thank you to Oriol Vidal and Karina Granda for creating a cover that brought Jubilee and her story to life.

Thank you to all the teachers and caregivers who look after and teach my children.

And finally, thank you to my family who put up with me daily but really went all out during my edits. Chris, Owen, Sam, and Henry, I love you all so much.