Thanks to all my family and friends in Wuhan for sharing your stories with me and giving me inspiration.
Thanks to my editors, Ann Rider and Amy Cloud. Thanks, Ann, for believing in me and taking on this book when it was still in its infancy. Your comments and suggestions are invaluable. Thanks, Amy, for your enthusiasm in seeing this project through and for your commitment to the book’s success. Thanks to Anna Dobbin, Susan Bishanksy, and Erika West, the copyeditors, for your attention to detail and dedication to making each of my sentences perfect. Thanks to Samira Iravani, Kaitlin Yang, and Natalie Sousa, for your creative insight and stunning interior layout, and to Peish Zhang for your lovely interior art and Crystal Kung for your beautiful jacket. It has been a great pleasure working with everyone at Clarion Books.
Thanks to Stela Baltic and Hannah Shlesinger for your feedback, fact-checking, and proofreading. You make it possible for me to juggle many balls at once.
I've been lucky to have the support of the Trident Media Agency. Thanks to Mark Gottlieb and Erica Silverman for your enthusiasm and dedication to the book’s success.
Thanks to teachers, librarians, and booksellers who continue to share my books with young readers. It is your enthusiasm and support that encourages me to create the best books I can.
Last but not least, thanks to my husband, Greg, for your continued support and patience and for undertaking the drudgery of everyday tasks during the long days I worked on this book.