The Buccaneers' Code (26 page)

“Of course,” said Hilary. “If we start right away, we'll have just enough time for a sail around the island before the fireworks begin.”

I
'M HUGELY GRATEFUL
, as always, to the people who guided this book into the world and made the experience so rewarding while they were at it:

To Toni Markiet, whose warmth, wisdom, and mastery of pirate jargon are unparalleled, and whom I can't wait to join on more adventures;

to Abbe Goldberg, who's taken excellent care of these books since her first day on the job;

to the entire team at HarperCollins: Amy Ryan, Gina Rizzo, Karen Sherman, Kathryn Silsand, Emilie Polster, Alana Whitman, Kate Morgan Jackson, and everyone else who worked in large and small ways over the past four years to bring this series to life;

to Pétur Antonsson and Dave Phillips, who draw the worlds I can only imagine, and to Katherine Kellgren, who makes it all sound even better;

to agent/miracle worker Sarah Davies and the whole wonderful crew at the Greenhouse and at Rights People;

to my foreign publishers, who have guided Hilary around the world with great talent and enthusiasm;

to Hannah Moderow, who always has the right words;

to the multitude of writers who've given me advice, encouragement, company, and sanity in equal measure;

to the parents, educators, librarians, and booksellers who have shared these stories with the young readers in their lives;

to my friends and family, who are the finest of their kind anywhere in the known world;

to Zach, who makes all challenges less fearsome;

and to the gargoyle, who came to visit one day and decided to stay for a while.

Photo by Amy Rose Capetta

CAROLINE CARLSON
holds an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in Massachusetts and now lives with her husband in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, amid many stacks of books. She is also the author of the first two books in the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series,
Magic Marks the Spot
and
The Terror of the Southlands
. You can visit her online at
www.carolinecarlsonbooks.com
.

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