Authors: Kurtis Scaletta
Mamba Point (26 page)
Kurtis Scaletta
May 2009
For books and resources about Liberia and about mambas, visit the author’s Web site at
www.kurtisscaletta.com/extras
.
Thanks to the following souls for making this book possible:
My parents who (literally) showed me the world.
My wife, Angela, for her constant love and encouragement.
Torii, my
kaseng
and manuscript taster, and Bertie, Lucy, Pippi, and Charlotte, for additional warmth and fuzziness.Tina Wexler, for her advice and support.
Jon Roth, Robin Galbraith, Sara Barton, Chris Larsen, Amanda Bosky, Brandy Danner, and Chris Mackowski, for feedback and enthusiasm as I plowed through many drafts.
Kyle Hotzler, for kid-testing the manuscript.
Gilmore Harris, for providing a Liberian perspective.
Allison Wortche, for thoughtful reading and editorial wisdom.
Sarah Hokanson, for the beautiful book design, and Lisa Congdon, for the wonderful cover art.
Everyone else at Knopf and Random House, for continued excellence.
Vicky’s Place in Brooklyn Park, for fufu and soup.
Jimmy, Bob, and Toots, for the music.
Kurtis Scaletta was born in Louisiana and grew up in several states and foreign countries, including Liberia, where this story takes place.
Mamba Point
is his second novel for young readers. His first book,
Mudville
, is also available from Knopf. Kurtis now lives in Minneapolis with his wife and several cats (but no snakes).
To learn more about Kurtis and his books,
please visit
www.kurtisscaletta.com
.
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2010 by Kurtis Scaletta
Map and interior illustrations copyright © 2010 by Alfred A. Knopf
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Visit us on the Web!
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Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit
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www.randomhouse.com/teachers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Scaletta, Kurtis.
Mamba Point / Kurtis Scaletta. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: After moving with his family to Liberia, twelve-year-old Linus discovers that he has a mystical connection with the black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in Africa, which he is told will give him some of the snake’s characteristics. Includes note by the author about his experiences as a thirteen-year-old American living in Liberia in 1982.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89626-2
[1. Human-animal relationships—Fiction. 2. Americans—Liberia—Fiction. 3. Black mamba—Fiction. 4. Snakes—Fiction. 5. Family life—Liberia—Fiction. 6. Courage—Fiction. 7. Supernatural—Fiction. 8. Liberia—History—1980—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.S27912Mam 2010
[Fic]—dc22
2009022084
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