A Curious Tale of the In-Between Read online

  Thank you to the greatest support system in the world: Beth Revis, Laura Bickle, and Aimée Carter for encouraging me. And to Tahereh Mafi, who sent all those caps lock–addled e-mails that were so fun to receive as she read an early draft of this story. And a special thank-you to Aprilynne Pike and her daughter Audrey for offering their insights. You guys are truly the best.

  Thanks, as always, to my agent, Barbara Poelle, whose love for this story got me through the dark patches of writing it. And to my brilliant editor, Cat Onder, for believing in Pram’s journey and offering such fantastic insights. Huge thank-you to Donna Mark, Amanda Bartlett, and Kevin Keele for creating a cover that captures Pram’s spirit and her friendship with Felix better than I could have imagined. Thank you to the entire team at Blooms-bury for allowing me to be a part of the process, from the cover to the title and all the pages therein. What a rare and wonderful journey this story has been.

  Text copyright © 2015 by Lauren DeStefano

  Illustrations © 2015 by Kevin Keele

  All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  First published in the United States of America in September 2015

  by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

  E-book edition published in September 2015

  www.bloomsbury.com

  Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to

  Permissions, Bloomsbury Children’s Books,

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  The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

  DeStefano, Lauren.

  A curious tale of the in-between / by Lauren DeStefano.

  pages cm

  Summary: Bright, imaginative eleven-year-old Pram lives with two aunts who run a retirement home, hiding the fact that she can talk with ghosts—but not the spirit of her mother—and after befriending Clarence, who also lost his mother, she decides to find her father in hopes he can answer her questions.

  ISBN 978-1-61963-600-2 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-61963-601-9 (e-book)

  [1. Loss (Psychology)—Fiction. 2. Psychic ability—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction. 4. Ghosts—Fiction. 5. Orphans—Fiction. 6. Aunts—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.D47Cur 2015 [Fic]—dc232014035767

  ISBN 978-1-61963-601-9 (e-book)