Many thanks to all the people I’ve met who helped this book come to life, starting with my incredibly talented critique partners, Ariel Bernstein, Ali Bovis, Katey Howes, and Emma Bland Smith (aka “the Pandas”). Their insights and encouragement were enormously helpful in shaping Gus and Louie’s story.
I am grateful to my agent, Sarah Burnes, not only for her sage shepherding of my writing but also for her dedication to making the world a better place. Same for my friend, writing guide, and world-saving whiz Melissa Walker.
My editor, Julia Maguire, continues to amaze me with her knack for gently helping me discover exactly who my characters are and what they mean to each other. Working with her and the team at Knopf Books for Young Readers is a writer’s dream come true. (This includes Artie Bennett, Marianne Cohen, Alison Kolani, and Karen Sherman, whose crackerjack copyediting skills bring to mind the work of masterful detectives!) And Hyesu Lee’s art captures the whirl of middle-school life magnificently; I thank her for her wonderful rendering of Gus’s world, and Bob Bianchini for his talent and dedication in perfecting the cover design.
This book would not exist without the stories shared by many friends who responded with truth, humor, and generosity to my email with the subject line “Tell me about your characters.” I will not name names in the interests of privacy, but please know how very appreciative I am!
Howard McGinn and Mary Lou Keim McGinn deserve endless credit for giving me the courage to put words on paper over and over again, for decades. Jane and Samantha McGinn, thank you for your humor and heart.
Kevin McGinn, in addition to being an invaluable counselor, entertainer, and chef, is the one person who can take me back to childhood in a flash and (better still) make me laugh about it. I am also tremendously grateful for Emily Purchia’s warm smile and spirited support.
My brilliant girls, Alice and Lucy Mahoney, you give me hope and make me believe in good, even when the world is serving up the opposite. I think you’re hilarious, I love to watch you sleep, and I secretly enjoy folding your laundry. (There, I said it.) Sadie Mahoney, you are a sweet furry mess. Thank you for keeping me on my feet. Literally.
Boundless gratitude to Whelan Mahoney, the kind, quirky, and steady soul of the whole operation.
Finally, to the people in all the villages I’ve been so lucky to find throughout my life: I thank you for making the journey interesting and joyful.
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The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School Page 18