As always, Jennifer George is our resident guru for all things Rube. She’s a supportive and encouraging partner who is never afraid to tell you exactly what she’s thinking. Jennifer knows all the right places to slip in Rubisms and add special touches that connect our hero to his real-life counterpart. The same can be said of the great Ed Steckley, whose illustrations capture the magic of Rube’s machines while adding his own special touches. Ed brings vibrancy and life to our cast of characters. How does he do it?! We may never know.
Russ Busse was our ship’s first editorial captain. He helped get the Rube series off the ground and I’m forever grateful for his input and direction. Then Francoise Bui came on board to provide a new perspective in the interim before Paul Ruditis arrived to steer us into the next chapter. Nicole Overton made some solid suggestions along the way while Margo Winton Parodi, Alison Cherry, and Regina Castillo kept my grammar, punctuation, and syntax in check. Each of these individuals have offered valuable commentary and candid advice, all of which have made this series better.
Hannah Otero, thank you for sharing your family’s story with me. It helped ground this book and I appreciate it so much. Stephanie Laffin, you are a superb sounding board! Enjoy the homage. Travis Kramer, this one’s for you! Terry and Jean Snider, I love you to the moon and wouldn’t be the person I am today without the love and support you gave me.
I’m grateful to have a community of creator friends who’ve supported the Rube Goldberg series in one way or another. Preeti Chhibber, Ian Carlos Crawford, Susan Eisenberg, Steve Foxe, Jordan Gershowitz, Merrill Hagan, Jon Paul Higgins, Karama Horne, Gabe Hudson, Frederick Joseph, Randall Lotowycz, Yehudi Mercado, Scoot McMahon, Aaron Reese, Carrie Seim, Dave Scheidt, Christopher Taylor, and Stephanie Williams to name a few. Also, a big thank-you to the Gaffigan family, especially Michael, Patrick, and Katie, who shared their love of Rube with the world.
Thank you to the team at Abrams, including Andrew Smith, Charlie Kochman, Anne Heltzel, Jessica Gotz, Megan Carlson, Deena Fleming, Brenda Angelilli, Chelsea Hunter, Borana Greku, Gaby Paez, Hallie Patterson, Jenny Choy, Kim Lauber, Casey Ward, Jody Mosley, Angelica Busanet, Erum Khan, and Melanie Chang. Additional thank-yous to Laura Nolan, Jill Smith, Bob Bookman, Deb Calagna, Kristen Kelley, and Michael Bourret.
Much love, respect, and gratitude to the librarians, teachers, educators, and booksellers who’ve supported Rube’s journey! We can’t do this without you.