Book Scavenger
Page 23
BOOK SCAVENGER THE GAME
The book-hunting game is a product of my imagination, but the idea came about as many do: by merging several sources of inspiration. The first is a website called Book Crossing (bookcrossing.com). Book Crossing offers a wonderful way for readers to share their used books by “releasing” them into the wild. The books can be labeled and tracked online, so you can follow the journey of where your book goes. I love the idea of setting a beloved book free to have new adventures and connect with new readers. I first learned about Book Crossing in 2003, around the same time I heard about two other popular pastimes: geocaching and letterboxing. Geocaching is an outdoor worldwide treasure-hunting activity in which people use a GPS device to find small containers. Each container typically holds a logbook and small trinkets. Letterboxing is similar to geocaching, but the hidden boxes each contain a unique rubber stamp. Participants carry a sketchbook, an ink pad, and their own rubber stamp. When a letterbox is found, the participant swaps stamps, marking his or her sketchbook with the one from the letterbox and marking the letterbox logbook with his or her individual stamp.
* * *
Book Scavenger began with a vision of kids finding a book in a BART station, leading them into a mystery. What book do they find? What is the mystery? I imagined a story in the spirit of some of my favorite movies and books when I was young: Goonies; It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin; From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg; and The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
I love puzzles and ciphers, so I decided there must be one hidden in this mysterious, found book. To help me brainstorm what the secret message might be or mean, I turned to books, most notably Mysterious Messages by Gary Blackwood, Codebreaker by Stephen Pincock, and The Book of Codes: Understanding the World of Hidden Messages, edited by Paul Lunde. (You may recognize these titles from James’s research for the cipher challenge.) Through reading more about the history of ciphers, I learned that Edgar Allan Poe was an avid fan. Those were the beginning seeds for this story.
In addition to the historical references, the majority of the San Francisco locations and figures and their historical significance are not made up. The Ferry Building, Pier 39, City Lights bookstore, the original Black Cat, Lombard Street, the music concourse at Golden Gate Park, Dashiell Hammett’s residence, the Fillmore, Portsmouth Square—those are all places that exist. The first Black Cat that Emily and James go to was based on an actual restaurant, but that restaurant closed over the course of my writing this book. Even the secret park that Emily and James go to is based on a real place I used to walk past on my way to and from work, although I have since tried to find this park after moving away from San Francisco with no luck. Maybe that’s the magic of the city in play: It will only reveal its secrets to you when you’re an insider.
There are more small details that are allusions to something outside the story. I had fun peppering these in, and you might enjoy spotting them and deducing their significance.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Book Scavenger is the realization of a dream I’ve held onto since childhood, and I’m filled with gratitude to so many people. In particular, this book would not exist without the following people.
My agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette: Thank you for your insight, your unflagging enthusiasm, and your friendship.
Christy Ottaviano, I am overjoyed to call you my editor. Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on my work. You are brilliant at what you do.
Everyone at Henry Holt, thank you for ushering my book into the world with such care and enthusiasm. A special thank-you to the production editor, Christine Ma, and to Sarah Watts for her fabulous illustrations.
To the following writers who read and critiqued Book Scavenger through the good, the bad, and all the stages in between, I am so appreciative for your feedback: Vanessa Appleby, Michelle Begley, Ann Braden, Maryanne Fantalis, Mike Hassell, Megan Kelly, Audrey Laferlita, Shari Maser, Jeannie Mobley, Laura Perdew, Rachel Rodriguez, Katherine Rothschild, Jennifer Simms, Kiersten Stevenson, and Elaine Vickers.
Thank you to Cheryl Klein: Without your early encouragement, I would have given up on this story a long time ago.
My gratitude goes to the following teachers and administrators who shared their time and expertise with me: David Green-Leibovitz, April Holland, and Emily Peek. Thank you, also, to Gabrielle Dean, curator of literary rare books and manuscripts at Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries, who kindly answered my questions about Poe and rare manuscripts. And to Kimberly Ng, Rachel Rodriguez, Katherine Rothschild, and Laura Young-Cennamo, thank you for letting me pick your brain about San Francisco living when I couldn’t be there in person.
I am also grateful to the following friends and family who were readers of early drafts: Justin Bertman, Cade Chambliss, Dianne Chambliss, Jeff Chambliss, Kayla Chambliss, Laura Chambliss, and Sammie Peng. Your encouragement and enthusiasm for the story helped keep me pushing on.
I would be remiss not to mention the following teachers whose words and actions absolutely shaped the person and writer I have become: Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Buckley, and Mrs. Adams—my first-, second-, and third-/fourth-grade teachers—who helped foster my love of reading and writing; Andrew Althschul, who taught my first creative writing class at UC Irvine: Through taking your class I was reminded of how much I enjoy writing and creating stories; Michelle Latiolais, from whom I could have taken every class at UC Irvine if it were possible: You helped me believe I wasn’t ridiculous for imagining my name on the cover of a book, or a byline of a story; Lou Berney and John Fleming, my mentors at Saint Mary’s: Thank you for looking past my shy exterior in the kindest ways possible and helping me uncork the quirky writer inside.
My writing has also benefited greatly from the conferences, classes, and resources offered by the following organizations: Book Passage Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference, SCBWI, Better Books Marin Workshop, and the Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver.
Writing is a solitary, sometimes lonely act, and writing and rewriting a novel over a decade would have made me mad without forging a connection to the children’s literature community. Thank you to SCBWI, Verla Kay and the members of the Blueboards, Erin Murphy and the community she has nurtured through her agency, the Fearless Fifteeners, and EMU’s Debuts for providing outlets for writers to come together and support and encourage and commiserate and heal and grow.
Also falling in the “thank you for keeping me sane” category are my friends who have been there for me through the highs and lows, especially Michelle Comstock, Lisa Evans, Valerie Kovacovich, Michelle Mason, Sammie Peng, Jennifer Quong, Katherine Rothschild, and Laura Young-Cennamo.
Finally, and infinitely, I am so grateful for my family. My parents, Tom and Dianne Chambliss, who are my friends, my role models, my cheerleaders: Thank you for all the ways you’ve supported and encouraged me over the years. Jeff and Laura, you are the best brother and sister-in-law a person could hope for. Your support and encouragement have always come across loud and clear. Cade and Kayla, it’s an honor and joy to be your aunt. You are part of the inspiration behind these characters, and I hope this book makes you proud. To my father-in-law and mother-in-law, Roger and Julie Bertman, your generosity and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated. To my son, Nils, you are a daily inspiration to do better and be better. The world is a happier place because of you. And, finally, to my husband and best friend, Justin. You have supported my dreams in countless ways. This wouldn’t be as meaningful without you by my side. I love you all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Chambliss Bertman was a book-loving, game-playing, puzzle-solving daydreamer of a kid who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of her favorite jobs was being a recreation leader because she got to plan games and adventures for children. When she was eighteen, she interned for a magazine in Manhattan, and she has worked in publishing ever since. She holds an MFA in creative writing and now lives in
Colorado with her family. Book Scavenger is her first novel. jenniferchamblissbertman.com. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Greetings, Scavengers!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Text copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Sarah Watts
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Chambliss Bertman, Jennifer.
Book Scavenger / Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.—First edition.
pages cm
Summary: Just after twelve-year-old Emily and her family move to San Francisco, she teams up with new friend James to follow clues in an odd book they find, hoping to figure out its secrets before the men who attacked Emily’s hero, publisher Garrison Griswold, solve the mystery or come after the friends.
ISBN 978-1-62779-115-1 (hardback)
[1. Treasure hunt (Game)—Fiction. 2. Books and reading—Fiction. 3. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 4. Publishers and publishing—Fiction. 5. Moving, Household—Fiction. 6. San Francisco (Calif.)—Fiction. 7. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Title.
PZ.1.C43Boo 2015 [Fic]—dc23 2014045884
First hardcover edition 2015
eBook edition June 2015
eISBN 9781627795265