Izzy didn’t need her poem to tell her who she was or where she belonged. But she liked reading it anyway.
Blackbird, beetle, mouse, and fox,
Uncommon gifts in a common box.
Slow to action, swiftly clever,
With head and heart in equal measure.
A worthy friend to stand beside,
At home wherever love resides.
Izzy smiled. Then she turned off the lights and went downstairs to join her family for dinner.
Acknowledgments
This is a story about wild and magical children, and it was greatly inspired by my wild and magical nieces and nephew: Iliana, Verena, Eoin, Beatrice, Leonora, Lucia, Mae, Neave, and Anne Louise.
This is a story about noticing the value in something that appears ordinary. Thank you to my wonderful editor, Steve Geck, for finding the value in this story when it was just an ordinary manuscript in your inbox.
This is a story about hard work and perseverance. Thank you to John Aardema, Beth Oleniczak, Alex Yeadon, and to all the team at Sourcebooks who work so hard to put stories into the hands of young readers.
This is a story about friends who would walk through fire for each other. I am grateful for my friends, especially Shauna, Lynn, Carolyn, and Soraiya, for your unending support. I would walk through fire for you.
This is a story about family, and I am fortunate to have a family that has encouraged me at every step along this journey. Thank you, Bob, Liz, Marvin, and Peggy, for your big hearts. Thank you, Dad, for being my greatest champion. Thank you, Mom, for everything.
Finally, this is a story about love and finding home. Tom, Elowyn, and Aven, you are my home and my love and the source of all my strength.
About the Author
Christina Soontornvat may or may not be a Changeling in disguise. She hates to wear shoes. She would rather live in a tree than in a house. And she has gotten up to plenty of mischief in her lifetime. At the moment, she lives on Earth with her husband and their two mischief-making daughters in Austin, Texas. Find her online at soontornvat.com and @soontornvat.
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