This book has been graded for interest at 4-8 years.

This book was published 2009 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers .

Vicki Myron was born on a farm fifteen miles from Spencer, Iowa. At the age of thirty-four, after a failed marriage, single motherhood, and a stint on welfare, she graduated summa cum laude from Mankato State University and has a masters degree from Emporia State University. She worked at the Spencer Public Library for twenty-five years, the last twenty as director. She lives in Spencer, Iowa. Bret Witter is a book editor and professional writer. Raised in north Alabama, he currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, two children and his fourteen-year-old cat Kiki. Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the MUTTS comic strip. He has illustrated for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, Time, Parents and other journals,