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Text and illustrations copyright © 2010 by Melissa de la Cruz “Shelter Island” copyright © 2007
by Melissa de la Cruz, a version of which first appeared in 666: The Number of the Beast, published by
Point, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. Repr inted by permission of Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Hy perion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, record ing, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the publisher. For information addr ess Hyperion, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, New
York 10011-5690. First Edition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
V567-9638 -5-10105
Printed in the United States of America
Designed by Elizabeth H. Clark
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data on file.
ISBN 978-1-4231-3454-1
Reinforced binding
Visit www.bluebloodsbooks.com
Visit www.hyperionteens.com
Table of Contents

Also by Melissa de la Cruz

THE BLUE BLOODS SERIES Blue Bloods
Masquerade
Revelations
The Van Alen Legacy
THE AU PAIRS SERIES
The Au Pairs
Skinny-Dipping
Sun-Kissed
Crazy Hot
THE ASHLEYS SERIES
The Ashleys
Jealous?
Birthday Vicious
Lipgloss Jungle
Cat’s Meow
Fresh off the Boat
Angels on Sunset Boulevard
Girl Stays in the Picture
NONFICTION
How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less
The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch Heels and Faux Pas
Girls Who Like Boys Wh o Like Boys: Essays About the Friendship Between Straight Women and
Gay Men For my family: Mike, Mattie, Mom, Aina, Steve, Nicholas, Joseph, Chit, and Christina, and the
memory of Pop The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more
mystery. —Anaïs Nin

Dear Constant Reader,
When I was growing up, I was a huge fan of Stephen King’s books (I still am). And something I
remember so vividly about reading his books is that once in a while he would include a letter to his
readers in the introduction. These letters were addressed “Dea r Constant Reader” because as he
published more and more novels, it became apparent to him that his readers were eating them
up—reading them as fast as he c ould write them, and so he wanted to thank them for that, and to
celebrate it as well. In his letters he would give us a little insight in to how he wrote his books, what
inspired them, how they were written, and what he thought about them once finished.
I loved these letters. I think I secr etly enjoyed his letters a little more than the books themselves. As
someone who had read all of his book s, I was fascinated by this glimpse into their inner workings, and
to be told something more about the stories—a background history, an inspiration, a governing idea,
maybe—that was not to be found in the pages themselves. If you are holding this book in your hands, I hope it’s safe for me to assume that you are my
Constant Reader, and that you are curious to find ou t a little more about the world of the Blue Bloods
beyond what has been available in the novels so far. And for that, I am extremely tickled, humbled, and
gratified. It’s always been a dream of mine to wr ite a book like this, a companion book to the series. I
absolutely adore companion books. On my shelf ne xt to my many Stephen King novels, you will also
find The Dark Tower: A Concordance, Volume 1 and The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen
King’s Magnum Opus. I’d like to share a little b it about the Blue Magt te 1 aBloods se-ries—how I first imagined it and
how it came to be and how the work is going. The stor y behind the story, so to speak. As King says,
“Some people don’t want to know how sausage is made; if so, skip this and go ahead to the real meal.”
So if you don’t want to hear about the backstory, you don’t have to read this. But if you do, here it is.