This book has been graded for interest at 14-18 years.

This book was published 2004 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr) .

Janet McDonald was born in New York City and grew up in a public housing project in Brooklyn, a place that has inspired many of the characters in her books. She holds degrees from Vassar, NYU and Columbia University. She is one of the few black members of Mensa and practises law in Paris.