Thanks to Katya Gonella for providing advice on the Russian phrases used by Max.
A huge thanks to my editor and publisher, Cindy Loh at Bloomsbury Children’s, who believed in this project from the start, who treats me like a rock star, and who made this book better. Editors are the unsung heroes of the publishing world. And it’s not just Cindy; I owe a debt to everyone at Bloomsbury. Special thanks to copyeditor Wendy Dopkin, senior production editor Diane Aronson, and executive managing editor Melissa Kavonic for cleaning up my mess; designer Jessie Gang and creative director Donna Mark for the beautiful cover; Erica Barmash, Lizzy Mason, Cristina Gilbert, and the entire marketing team for helping this book find its way to your hands; and thanks to eagle-eyed intern Jessica Mangicaro for spotting all of my World of Warcraft mistakes. (I did play the highly addictive game for three months as part of my research, reaching level twelve before realizing I was supposed to be writing, not questing.) Thanks again to my intrepid agent, Sandra Bond. Sandra has been a stalwart friend and supporter since before I had a career.
And, as always, thanks to my family—Kristen (always my first and best reader), Charlie, and Luke. Without them, this all means nothing.