There were moments as I was writing this book—in 2020, a year like no other—when I thought I would never finish. Without the following people, I wouldn’t have:

First, I thank YOU, yes you, dear readers, for joining me on this journey and inspiring me every step of the way. To the animal lovers out there who know the magic that happens between an animal and their special person. And to those of you who haven’t yet had the honor, I hope you will someday.

To my agent, Jess Regel: Without you, this book would quite literally not exist. Thank you for always helping me see the forest for the trees. You understood the true heart of this story before I did, and I cannot thank you enough for letting me in on the secret. I am the luckiest author in the world to have you and Helm Literary in my corner.

Heartfelt gratitude goes to my amazing editor, Ruta Rimas, for being my champion on this new middle grade leg of my writing journey. On our fourth book together, your thoughtful, sensitive editing continues to make me a better writer and storyteller. Your support, guidance, and insight have shaped this book in far too many ways to list here. “Thank you” does not begin to cover it, but a million times over, thank you.

Thanks are also due to Casey McIntyre, Gretchen Durning, Jessica Jenkins, Jayne Ziemba, Anna Elling, and the entire Razorbill team—so many talented, dedicated people had a hand in making this book a reality, and I am grateful to each and every one of you. Kelly Murphy, thank you for bringing the Code Name world to life through your incredible artwork—I can’t help but smile every time I look at the cover.

My writer friends (aka the Camp Nebo crew), who are always there to lend an ear or shoulder along the way, I couldn’t imagine doing this whole writing thing without each of you. Thanks also to the brilliant, talented authors who were generous enough to offer up their own words of endorsement: Jenn Bishop, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Gillian McDunn, Rebecca Petruck, and Megan Shepherd.

As always, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my friends and family. Especially my parents, Mary and Tim, who instilled in me a love and respect for animals early on. To all the fur babies who have come into my life, past, present, and future. And last but never least, thank you to my wife, Samantha—I could not do it (writing, life, anything) without you.

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