Writing can be a solitary business, but most stories are a group effort. Many thanks to my editors, Liz Szabla and Jean Feiwel, for their insights, their patience, and their faith, and for encouraging me to dig deeper. And thank you to my friend Jamey Wolff, co-founder and Programme Director of the Centre for Spectrum Services in New York’s Hudson Valley. The Centre serves students on the Autism Spectrum. Jamey graciously allowed me to spend a morning at the school in Kingston, talking with students, observing the interaction between students and teachers, and asking Jamey question after question. When the rough draft of the story was finished, Jamey was one of the first to read it. Her help was invaluable.
Finally, thank you to sweet Sadie, who introduced me to the world of dogs, and whose behaviour I observed every day of her fifteen years. She was by my side as I wrote the story, and was a daily inspiration.
A Guide to the Measurements in this Book
I hope these calculations will help you work out what these would be in metric units.
1 inch = 2.54 centimetres
Rain’s back is 18 inches long
18 x 2.54 = 45.72
Rain’s back is 45.72 centimetres long
12 inches = 1 foot
Josh Bartel is 4’ 10” tall, or 4 feet, 10 inches
(12 x 4) + 10 = 58
Josh Bartel is 58 inches tall
58 x 2.54 = 147.32
Josh Bartel is 147.32 centimetres tall
1 mile = 1.6 kilometres
Uncle Weldon lives 3.4 miles away
3.4 x 1.6 = 5.44
Uncle Weldon lives 5.44 kilometres away
1lb/pound = 0.4536 kilograms
Rain weighs 23 pounds
23 x 0.4536 = 10.4328
Rain weighs 10.4328 kilograms
0 degrees Fahrenheit = -17.77778 degrees Celsius
Temperature in Celsius = (Temperature in Fahrenheit-32) x 5/9
Convert 59 degrees Fahrenheit into degrees Celsius
(59-32) x 5/9 = 15 degrees Celsius
This ebook edition first published in the UK in 2016 by Usborne Publishing Ltd., Usborne House, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England. www.usborne.com
Text © Ann M. Martin, 2014
The right of Ann M. Martin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
Cover illustration by Antonia Miller.
The name Usborne and the devices are Trade Marks of Usborne Publishing Ltd.
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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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How to Look for a Lost Dog Page 12