Missing on Superstition Mountain (21 page)

As for the Lost Dutchman's Mine, it continues to attract gold seekers to the area. It too has been the subject of many stories and films, including the 1949 Glenn Ford movie
Lust for Gold
and a Scrooge McDuck tale by Don Rosa, “The Dutchman's Secret,” in which Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie go to Arizona in search of gold.

Does the mine really exist? Nobody knows. That is one more secret the mountain keeps.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

W
ITH LOVE AND HEARTFELT APPRECIATION,
I would like to thank the following people for their help in the creation of this book:

My amazing editor, Christy Ottaviano, whom I am lucky to call a friend, and who has a rare talent for finding the bright jewel of a story in the morass of a rough draft, and then tenderly polishing it into being.

My wonderfully supportive agent, Edward Necarsulmer IV, an invaluable source of advice and a great advocate for my books.

The terrific team at Holt—from editorial to design to marketing to publicity to sales—whose enthusiasm, creativity, and hard work have carried my books to new heights.

My readers, some of whom are great writers themselves: Mary Broach, Jane Burns, Claire Carlson, Laura Forte, Jane Kamensky, Carol Sheriff, Zoe Wheeler, and my younger readers, Anna Daileader Sheriff, Justin Ferraro, and Jane Urheim. You guys are the best! You always ask the right questions, catch the continuity errors, and push the story where it needs to go. I am hugely in your debt. A special thanks to Carol's friend Laura Barry, associate curator of Prints, Maps, and Paintings at Colonial Williamsburg, for her help with the details of the map.

My beloved writing buddies, who patiently listened to many iterations of my “
Twin Peaks
for kids” idea, and whose funny insights about work, relationships, and life have permeated my stories at every turn, whether they realize it or not: Bennett Madison and Natalie Standiford, delightful companions through so many chatty New York lunches; Tony Abbott and Nora Raleigh Baskin, steadfast Blue Bird breakfast pals; Ellen Wittlinger, whose fondness for poetry, babies, and matchmaking mirrors my own; and Chris Tebbetts, my friend from the very beginning.

My friends who were generous enough to lend pretty homes in out-of-the-way spots for writing retreats that helped me finish the book: Elizabeth Bluemle, Sheila Clancy, and Jane Kamensky (once again!).

And finally, my family: my husband, Ward Wheeler, and children, Zoe, Harry, and Grace, who tolerate many inconveniences during the writing of a book, but who are ever-ready sources of honest feedback, inspiring plot twists, and lovely, much-needed distraction.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

E
LISE
B
ROACH
is the author of the award-winning books
Masterpiece
and
Shakespeare's Secret
; and
Desert Crossing.
She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She lives with her family in Easton, Connecticut.

www.elisebroach.com

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

A
NTONIO
J
AVIER
C
APARO
has illustrated many books for children, including The Magic Thief series and
The Young Reader's Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He lives in Montreal, Canada.

www.antoniocaparo.com

 

ALSO BY
ELISE BROACH

Shakespeare's Secret

Desert Crossing

Masterpiece

 

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Text copyright © 2011 by Elise Broach

Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Antonio Javier Caparo

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Broach, Elise.

Missing on Superstition Mountain / Elise Broach; illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo.—1st ed.

p.       cm.

“Christy Ottaviano Books.”

Summary: When brothers Simon, Henry, and Jack move with their parents to Arizona, they are irresistably drawn to explore the aptly named Superstition Mountain, in spite of warnings that it is not safe.

ISBN 978-0-8050-9047-5 (hc)

[1.  Mountains—Fiction.   2.  Brothers—Fiction.   3.  Superstition Mountains (Ariz.)—Fiction.   4.  Arizona—Fiction.   5.  Mystery and detective stories.]   I.  Caparo, Antonio Javier, ill.   II.  Title.

PZ7.B78083Mi 2011   [Fic]—dc22        2010049007

First Edition—2011

eISBN 978-1-4299-7500-1

First Henry Holt eBook Edition: June 2011