To Mama, I love you the most. You are my inspiration, always and forever. And Sheba, the fluffy inspiration behind Sparkle!

Huge thanks to my friend and agent, Penny Holroyde, for guiding me on this amazing journey. Talent and kindness are a rare combination. You are one in a million.

To my incredible editor, Lucy Pearse, who shines like a beacon when I become lost in the detail (and who knows the best place for a biriyani in Edinburgh!) Thank you for championing every teen who appears in my books. Your skills are out of this world.

To Rachel Vale for creating another incredible cover design and Amrit Birdi for bringing PakCore and Big Bad Waf to glorious comic-book life. To Simran Sandhu for slang checking and answering my questions at all hours. Big ups, fam! To Veronica Lyons and Nick de Somogyi for copyediting and being my Time Lords. To Sarah Mehrali and Habeeba Mulla for sensitivity reads and great comments.

To Macmillan for believing every child deserves representation and to Amber Ivatt, Alyx Price, Kat McKenna, and Bea Cross for presenting my books to the world. I am forever grateful.

To the Society of Authors for the John C. Lawrence Award which bought me a little more time to finish my book before returning to teaching maths.

To Patrice Lawrence and Alex Wheatle – award-winning authors who took me under their wing and Fiona Noble for writing the very first article about me. You made my students believe the world is rich with opportunity. Thank you!

To every amazing book blogger & vlogger who supported a very nervous debut author and the fantastic librarians who put books in children’s hands, allowing them to experience a multitude of worlds through different eyes. Empathy will save the human race. Without you, there is no me.

To Rebecca Watson and Charlie Langdell for making dreams come true.

And Esther Enaruwe, Agnes Goodgame, Yasmin Mohamed, Lubna Asad, Shamnika Vijayakumar, Durga Jeyasingham, Jane Morris, Medina Ubah, Aminat, Sammy Parker, and M. Caesar – your kindness will never be forgotten.

The UUL crew – Shamz, Dan, Sarah N, Sarah K, Joel, Chris, Rachel, Angela, Steph, Jo, Robbie, Alexis. You guys rock! And Russell Schechter, an inspiring and nurturing lecturer (and the oldest ‘Boy Detective’ in existence!)

To Devon Cox and Clare Rees for pushing me to the finish line. The world needs your magnificent books.

And last but by no means least, to YOU dear reader. If this book brought you joy or made you think, don’t be shy, let me know!