This book was written when Finnegan was seven years old.

The first chapter was written by a friend of his, Henry, who has also drawn the illustrations. Finnegan loved the idea, and continued writing the story, getting most of the chapters completed while in Costa Rica in the summer of 2015. He would write furiously and single-mindedly, sometimes for an hour at a time, or longer. Not a peep. Just the scratch of his pencil on the paper, while we prepared supper.

One day, Finn asked me if I knew any poems. So I rattled off one of my favourites, Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,” and his eyes lit up and he made me repeat it several times while he scribbled it down. You will find traces of this poem in the book.

The manuscript was completed in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean coast, in Costa Rica, before his 8th birthday. I helped him through two edits, one to correct the spelling mistakes and make minor adjustments to the text. A second edit suggested small changes that could help improve the flow. A final edit caught tiny errors (thank you, Chris Worsley!) Any remaining errors are entirely the fault of the
publisher.

Plans are already afoot for More Adventures. Stay tuned.

Jason Prince, Piter Pater Books