The sound and the light traveled farther than they knew.
A man looked up. He smiled. He wasn’t sure if he had heard what he heard. But the sound was a good sound. And so he continued smoothing the dirt on top of the bowl.
Mau sat on the top of what would have been a mountain of schist. As the vibrations washed over her, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly into what would, on any other animal, be considered a smile.
She was a cat. We will never know what she was thinking. But we do know that she was very pleased with herself, as well she should be.
Acknowledgments
I’m so grateful to the Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence program for their generous support while I was writing this book. Staying at the Thurber House was especially inspirational because of the enthusiastic encouragement of Susanne Jaffe, Anne Touvell, Katie Poole, Erin Deel, and the intrepid Meg Brown.
I’m grateful to all readers, particularly those who took the time to write me about my earlier books. To teachers and librarians like Susan Westover, who do so much to encourage young readers. To my friends Tom and Julie Coash for their wise words and fascinating artifacts. To Rachel Berger and Kira Kelley, who read early versions and gave helpful advice. To my daughter, Sofia, who asks the best questions. To my mother, Virginia, who is a wonderful listener. To my husband, Lee, who sustains me in so many ways. To Linda Pratt, who is so much more than an agent. To everyone at Feiwel and Friends, especially my editor, Liz Szabla, whose insights and expertise made this book possible.
Finally, I’m grateful to Blackberry the cat, who graciously allowed me to stare into her green eyes.
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About the Author
JANE KELLEY is the author of the middle-grade novels NATURE GIRL and THE GIRL BEHIND THE GLASS. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their daughter. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
A FEIWEL AND FRIENDS BOOK
An Imprint of Macmillan
THE BOOK OF DARES FOR LOST FRIENDS. Copyright © 2015 by Jane Kelley. All rights reserved. For information, address Feiwel and Friends, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kelley, Jane (Jane Alice),
The book of dares for lost friends / Jane Kelley. — First edition.
pages cm
Summary: “New York City middle-schooler Val teams up with a strange boy who lives in an even stranger bookshop to save her best friend who has lost her way in this story about universal friendship” — Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-250-05087-8 (hardback), 978-1-250-08014-1 (ebook)
[1. Friendship—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. New York (N.Y.)— Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.K28168Bo 2015
[Fic]—dc23
2014049060
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
First Edition: 2015
mackids.com
eISBN: 9781250080141