The Boy Project (21 page)

I'd like to thank my parents for providing me with a childhood full of books, and all of the other important things in life. And thank you, too, to those who live with me now – my husband, son, and daughter – for never complaining about the crazy kind of household kept by one who uses every free minute for writing instead of vacuuming, folding clothes, or any of the other unimportant things in life. Thank you to my wonderful friend Joy Purcell, for reading the first draft when I needed it in a hurry. And thanks to the fabulous Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, whose phone calls, advice, and laughter kept me writing through the tough times. I owe a huge thanks to my agent, Rosemary Stimola, who “saw a spark” and then waited over a year for it to flame. It takes many talented people to create a book, so I'd like to thank the entire team at Scholastic, especially Whitney Lyle, Cheryl Weisman, and Kevin Callahan. Tremendous gratitude goes to my brilliant editor, Aimee Friedman, whose keen vision for THE BOY PROJECT helped me take Kara's story from good to überfuntastic.

Kami Kinard enjoys writing about the boyfriend quest more than she enjoyed experiencing it. She is currently a teaching artist on the South Carolina Arts Commission's Roster of Approved Artists to serve in arts education programs across the state. Kami writes from Beaufort, South Carolina, where she lives with her husband and two children. Please visit her online at
www.kamikinard.com
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Copyright © 2012 by Kami Kinard

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.,
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

First printing, January 2012

Illustration of the McAllister Family © Kami Kinard

Illustration of Kara © Erin Maguire

Illustration of cars © iStockphoto

Illustrations for Chic Chick Crafts © iStockPhoto

Cover design by Whitney Lyle

e-ISBN 978-0-545-39225-9

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