I do most of my writing at home, so I need to thank Lauren, Madelyn, and Emmy for giving me the time and space to do exactly that, even when they desperately need me to kill a spider or to help with homework. But really, mostly, I need to thank them for the inspiration and encouragement they give me. Without their support, nothing else would matter.

I also have to thank everyone at Scholastic, most especially Jody Corbett, whose spark and genius brought this book to life. Joanna Volpe is probably tired of seeing her name appear in various book acknowledgments, but I can’t possibly express my gratitude for her passion and support, along with her extraordinary team, of which Jaida Temperly and Danielle Barthel get their own shout-outs.

Lastly, and the phrase “last but not least” is particularly relevant, I need to thank my past teachers, all of whom shaped me as a person and a writer, for good or for bad but mostly for good, I think. I’d like to expressly thank Bill Paul and Anita Duncan, who taught me (together, as a team) in fifth grade (and also, interestingly, in second grade), because I trace my dream to be an author directly to their classroom, when I wrote books for extra credit along with Peter Wagner, next-door neighbor and exceptional fifth-grade monster illustrator. I still have those books, and they’re terribly written, although Peter’s pictures are very nice, but Mr. Paul and Mrs. Duncan encouraged me anyway, which was beyond generous.