smoremail.com. ### Acknowledgments #### Keri Smith It's hard to say thanks enough to everyone who helped make this book possible. I am indebted to my husband, Mark Schreiber, whose ideas and illustrations were perfect for the final project, and his ability to think like a kid was invaluable to me. A big thank you also to my editors at Ulysses Press, Laura Shumaker and Laina Adler. Your patience, expertise, and unflagging enthusiasm helped make this book better than I'd ever dreamed. I owe so much to all of the kids and adults who read versions of the manuscript and provided so much valuable feedback: Erin Knotts, Amanda, David, Amy Chappell, Amy D'Arcy, Amy Davis, and Sami and Sareerie Lee. A big thank you to my cousin Jocelyn for our conversations about the power of books and teaching. Thanks also to all of the friends and colleagues who provided their expertise: Tara Soles, Chris Rider, Jana Chamblee, and Deanna Larson. I also thank my family for being so supportive of my writing: to my sisters, who are the best, and to my parents, and to my stepmother and mother-in-law for taking an interest in my writing journey. Thank you to all the booksellers who continue to find new readers, and particularly to the ones who have come up with great names for characters! To my friends, old and new, who inspire me, are fun to be around, and make me laugh: Jennifer G. Kowit, Nicole Miller, Dianna Smith, Julie Tuttle, Kathy McMillan, Amy Reeve Zimmer, Jenne Wakeland, Michelle D. Johnson, Megan McIver, and Beth Wiseman. And to all of the readers out there who love to read like I do, I'll see you all on the best-read shelf. ## Index A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z * denotes an additional character. A Aardman Animation, , Aardman, David, Ackerman, David, , Adams, Douglas, Adler, Laina, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Aguilar, Mark, , , , , , Aiken, Conrad, , , , Alden, John, Alden, Susan, Allen, Ricki, Alphabet (Macbeth), Animalia (C. J. Cherryh), Apatov, Eugene, Apes series (S. M. Pasternak), Apocalypse Now (D. Pincus), Appleseed (Appleseed), Arthur series (P. D. Eastman and others), Artist In Residence (K. E. Payne), Ashenden, Nick, Assassins' Rook (D. R. MacKenzie), Atkinson, Terry, Austen, Jane, , Awkward Age, The (G. Gross), B Baer, Bob, Barrie, J. M., Batman (A. and M. Miller), Baudelaire, Charles, Baxter, Joe, Bed, The (T. M. Burke), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (E. V. Atkinson), Beets (T. W. Martin), Belleisle, Mary, Benet, Stephen, Bennett, Jules, Bennett, Richard, Benzoin, Joris, Berry, Kate, Best of All Worlds, The (C. B. Collier), Bestiary (A. S. Byatt), Bewitched series (S. E. Krantz), Big Black Dog, The (M. Foley), Big, Bigger, Biggest (K. W. Porter), Big Red One, The (M. Meredith), Big Red Riding Hood (C. S. Lewis), Big Tom (G. A. Seltzer), Birds (R. L. Van Name and M. J. Meehan), Black Hole (L. P. Kael), Blankets (K. Munsch), Bleak House (C. Dickens), Blockhead (F. Bettini), Blume, Judy, Boys series (P. D. Eastman), Brave Cowboy, The (R. Dahl), Bread and Jam for Frances (R. Capote), Breathing in Lace (S. Krantz), Breathing in Lace (S. Krantz), Breathing in Lace (S. Krantz), Brontë, Emily, , Bronte, Charlotte, Brown, Helen Gurley, Brown, Joe, Brundage, John, Browning, Jacqueline, Buck, Jack, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (J. Kennedy), Bug Girl (W. Morisson), Bullhead, The (D. Wodehouse), Bully series (G. A. McKay), Buttocks, The (A. Miller), Butter (D. A. Walls), Byatt, A. S., C Caillou series (T. Haddon), Candy Bomber, The (G. Keaton), Cansdale, S. T., Card, Orson Scott, Cards for the King, A (G. Dahl), Cars (G. Hill), Cars series (G. Hill), Cars series (G. Hill), Casanova (F. Lehman), Casanova (G. Mendoza), Cat in the Hat (D. W. Pryor), Cat's Cradle, The (K. Vonnegut), Cat's Cradle, The (K. Vonnegut), Cats series (R. Taylor), Cave, The (R. Parker), CBBC series, The (D. Allen), C. J. Cherryh, Chess series, The (K. E. Payne), Chesterton, G. K., Chicken & Pox series (B. Tomasevsky), Child's Play (J. Bell), Christmas Stories from Grimm's Fairy Tales (M. A. Arthur), Christmas, Carol, A (G. Orwell), Cinderella (J. L. Austin), Cinderella (J. L. Austin), Clarke, Arthur C., Cleary, Beverly, Clive (R. M. Lucas), Clown Brothers series (P. D. Eastman), Coach Wooden series (A. Bloch), Coast Guard (J. W. Martin), Code, The (J. Finkelstein), Code, The (J. Finkelstein), Code of Life series (K. A. Tucker), Colbert, Robert, College Freshman Handbook (R. Allen), Color of Nature, The (M. Beith), Comet series (C. McCosker), Companionship of the Lamb, The (F. Lewis), Connolly, Bernard, Conrad, Joseph, , , , , Cooper, Susan, Cordially Yours (J. Almond), Corner, A (G. T. McKay), Count of Monte Cristo, The (D. Dumas), Count the Monkeys series (M. Berk), Count the Monkeys series (M. Berk), Cousin's Midnight Scam, The (D. S. Dunbar), Cow and I, The (D. W. Wilson), Crackerjack (L. Schumacher), Crank, The (R. Blahnik), Creekside series (J. McNeely), Creepy Cousin, The (K. B. Hickman), Creepy Cousin, The (K. B. Hickman), Cricket series (R. Capote), Crocodile Hunter, The (