A most compelling mystery

One rainy day not long ago we received quite a surprise in the mail. Hundreds (if not thousands) of letters began to arrive all at once. While we are used to receiving large packets from schools or teachers, these letters did not appear in any way connected. Yet each seemed associated with someone named Austin Texas. After putting our most talented detectives on the case, here is what we were able to find. Firstly, the great tales of Johannes have travelled far further than we had ever imagined. While we are still unable to pin down exactly who or where Austin is, we are sure they live quite far away. Secondly, after a bit of digging, we have determined these authors may know each other, perhaps from a common fourth grade class that they share. Beyond these facts, we know little else.

Well, there is one more mystery to share, though we find talking about it to be exceedingly distressing. While many who wrote to us correctly identified characters like Johannes, Bertrand, Angus, or Sonja as their favorites, a few expressed pronounced adoration for the ducks. Unfortunately, this is one mystery we have not been able to solve as we believed it was quite clear that the ducks could not be trusted and were generally dull and not of use. In any case, we were excited to read these letters and hear what these incredible writers had to say. Thank you to all who wrote for your suggestions, questions, and other observations! We hope you will enjoy them as well!

Do you have any questions for the author? To write a letter to Dave Eggers, mail it to 849 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110. He loves receiving mail the old fashioned way and answers every letter.