New Releases by Pat Schmatz

"Raaaaar! / Sarita's little brother thinks he's a Komodo dragon. Sarita just thinks he's annoying." -- Back cover.

"The name of the new horse is Jazz. But he definitely doesn't want to make music with his new rider."--Back cover.

Fifteen-year-old bender Kivali has had a rough time in a gender-rigid culture. Abandoned as a baby and raised by Sheila, an ardent nonconformist, Kivali has always been surrounded by uncertainty. Where did she come from? Is it true what Sheila says, that she was deposited on Earth by the mysterious saurians? Now she's in CropCamp, with all of its schedules and regs, and the first real friends she's ever had. Strange occurrences and complicated relationships raise questions Kivali has never before had to consider. But she has a gift, the power to enter a trancelike state to harness the knowings inside her. She has Lizard Radio. Will it be enough to save her?

Three stories for midnight reading.

"Dangerous water! A young dog is being pulled out to sea. Her master is desperate to save her. Will Mikki rescue them both, or will she get caught in the ocean current as well?"--page 4 of cover.

It's midnight ... and something has happened to Owen's cousin. She's afraid of something, and he's afraid to rescue her.

"A place of fear and drudgery, that's Mari's world. How will she escape a dark and joyless future?"--page 4 of cover.

Thirteen-year-old Travis has a secret: he can't read. But a shrewd teacher and a sassy girl are about to change everything in this witty and deeply moving novel. Travis is missing his old home in the country, and he’s missing his old hound, Rosco. Now there’s just the cramped place he shares with his well-meaning but alcoholic grandpa, a new school, and the dreaded routine of passing when he’s called on to read out loud. But that’s before Travis meets Mr. McQueen, who doesn’t take “pass” for an answer--a rare teacher whose savvy persistence has Travis slowly unlocking a book on the natural world. And it’s before Travis is noticed by Velveeta, a girl whose wry banter and colorful scarves belie some hard secrets of her own. With sympathy, humor, and disarming honesty, Pat Schmatz brings to life a cast of utterly believable characters--and captures the moments of trust and connection that make all the difference.

Back in grade school, Maxie and Rick were best friends. Rick would design crazy inventions, and Maxie, the artistic one, would draw them. Then something terrible happened to Rick, and he vanished from her school and her life. Years later, he shows up at Maxie's high school. In some ways he's the same person she once knew. But in other ways - frightening ones - he's very, very different . . .

Strange things are happening in Rith's house at night. First a spiral staircase replaces the regular stairs. The new stairs lead to a living room that isn't his, a cat that isn't his either, and a bizarre old man whose words are just gibberish. Or are they? Rith's never been into religion. But he realizes those words have a spiritual source—and an uncanny ring of truth. Is he just dreaming? Is the old man God? As Rith tries to circle closer to the truth, the line between reality and unreality blurs

"But it's my birthday. That isn't fair! Why should I get punished for my birthday? If I'm going to be punished, it should be on your birthday!"That's Jackie Riley's response when she receives a gift of piano lessons on her twelfth birthday. Her father and brother have moved to Wyoming and forgotten all about Jackie. The house is empty and her mother cries more than any mother should. How could piano lessons do anything but make it all worse?But when Jackie starts her lessons with Mrs. Estronsky, some unexpected doors begin to open. One October night, something comes flying through one of those open doors and leaves Jackie reeling in the middle of a whole new world -- a world much bigger than the one she knew before."Trust your own experience, Jackie," says Mrs. Estronsky. "It's the only truth that you'll ever know."Jackie tries out this new idea by interacting differently with her family and friends. Nothing changes -- and everything changes -- all at the same time.