We’re celebrating the book publication of The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities with a special treat: a preview of Rick’s story!

Take it away, Rick!

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My Life as a Child Outlaw

By Rick Riordan

They came to kill me when I was eight years old.

I was cooking a fish over the fire when my foster mother Bodbmall burst out of the woods, her breath steaming in the cold air. “They’re coming!”

I leaped to my feet.

I didn’t need to ask who was coming. I’d been warned about this possibility my whole life. I did what any self-respecting eight-year-old would do. I dropped my fish, snatched up my spear, and said, “We can take them.”

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