by David Potter
Thank you to Brian DeFiore, the best agent in town, and to Phoebe Yeh, the best editor in town. I was on the outside looking in for a long time—a very long time—until the stars aligned and I got a double dose of tremendous good luck. I simply can’t imagine this book without the combined efforts of Brian and Phoebe.
At Crown Books for Young Readers, thanks to Rachel Weinick for her kind assistance, to the copyediting team of Nancy Elgin and Alison Kolani, who didn’t let me get away with anything, and to Ken Crossland and C. F. Payne for the cover design and art.
Thanks to my sons, Thomas and Charlie, for accompanying me on our excursions and for listening to long-winded history lessons at the dinner table. Thanks to my mother, Ginny Potter, whose efforts on her daily newspaper column (called “The Potter’s Wheel”) provided the genesis for my earliest literary aspirations. Thanks to my brother, Bruce Potter, who helped when it was needed the most, and for whom no idea is too outlandish. Thanks also to my late aunt Elizabeth Potter and my cousin Susan McVicar for critical support along the way. To Chuck Amsterdam for the laughs every Monday at lunch, and to Alan Shoemake, friend and photographer, for doing the best with what he had.
Thanks most especially to my wife, Cindy, who has been with me on this journey from the start. I don’t think she ever doubted the outcome, even when I did.
