ARIEL KAPLAN began life as an imperfect baby, matured into an imperfect child, and remains an imperfect adult, though she does occasionally make a perfect chocolate cupcake (the trick, you see, is to leave out the eggs, which interfere with the chocolate flavor). Her first two books, Grendel’s Guide to Love and War and We Regret to Inform You received five starred reviews between them, and were included in best-of-the-year lists from Kirkus and Bank Street, among other honors. She lives in Virginia with her family, where she is always working on her next novel.