Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the education and design visionaries who were our support or inspiration (often both): Jim Jacoby, Jason Ulaszek, Eric Davis, Indi Young, Dave Gray, and Stephen Anderson.

The folks who tested our concepts, activities, and games, giving us feedback to make them even “funner”: Meredith Payne, Brian Winters, Zak Orner, Patrick Thornbury, Amy Gurka, Rebecca Scherer, Megan Sanders, Kilton Hopkins, and Laura Johnson.

The people at The Starter League who provided energy, and their faces for activities and personas: Neal Sales-Griffin, Mike McGee, Veronika Goldberg, Caity Moran, Vince Cabansag, Arvin Dang, Jeff Cohen, Kelsey Mok, Josh Fabian, and Chris McKay. The savvy team at New Riders, including Bob Lindstrom, our Development Editor, Michael Nolan, our instigator, and the rest of the amazing crew: Rose Weisburd, Katerina Malone, Mimi Heft, and Valerie Haynes-Perry.

This book would not have been possible without the creative genius of Sean K. Dove. His whimsical illustrations and patiently crafted visual designs breathed life into our words.

Personal note from Carolyn:

A heart-warmed thank you to Anna, Rhett, my family, and my dear friends. You gave me the courage and heart to continue with an effort that took much of both to complete.

Personal note from Anna:

A million twinkling kisses to my Patrick for his infinite support. A huge bowl of cherry dumpling gratitude for my mom and dad for their wise advice. And a perpetual windmill of high fives with Carolyn - my professor, muse, and partner in crime.