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.

Bluefish

Teen & Young Adult

Schmatz, Pat

Literature & Fiction

Candlewick

“An ode to the significance of reading in the lives of young people. . . . Unique and original, believable and poignant, this is a book with power of its own.” — The Horn Book (starred review) 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. Mr. McQueen is a rare teacher whose savvy persistence has Travis slowly unlocking a book on the natural world, while Velveeta’s wry banter and colorful scarves belie some hard secrets of her own. With sympathy, humor, and disarming honesty, Pat Schmatz captures the moments of trust and connection that make all the difference.

In a futuristic society run by an all-powerful Gov, a bender teen on the cusp of adulthood has choices to make that will change her life—and maybe the world. 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? What are you? people ask, and Kivali isn’t sure. Boy/girl? Human/lizard? Both/neither? 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? A coming-of-age story rich in friendships and the shattering emotions of first love, this deeply felt novel will resonate with teens just emerging as adults in a sometimes hostile world.

Lizard Radio

For eleven-year-old Tash, Cap’n Jackie isn’t just the elderly next-door neighbor — she’s family. When she disappears, only Tash holds the key that might bring her back. Tash didn’t want to go to camp, didn’t want to spend the summer with a bunch of strangers, didn’t want to be separated from the only two people she has ever been able to count on: her uncle Kevin, who saved her from foster care, and Cap’n Jackie, who lives next door. Camp turns out to be pretty fun, actually, but when Tash returns home, Cap’n Jackie is gone. And Tash needs her — the made-up stories of dolphin-dragons, the warm cookies that made everything all right after a fight, the key Cap’n Jackie always insisted had magic in it. The Captain always said all Tash had to do was hold it tight and the magic would come. Was it true? Could the key bring Cap’n Jackie back? In a heartfelt and stunningly written story, Pat Schmatz introduces readers to a tenacious, fiercely loyal girl struggling to let go of the fantasies and fears of her childhood . . . and say yes to everything that lies ahead.

The Key to Every Thing

Children's Books

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Eighth-grader Orithian "Rith" Haley discovers another world via the staircase in his house and begins to explore questions about God and the father he never knew, which forever changes his life--and the lives of those around him.

Circle the Truth (Exceptional Reading & Language Arts Titles for Upper Grades)

CarolRhoda Books

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 . . .

Mousetraps (Exceptional Reading & Language Arts Titles for Upper Grades)

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.

Candlewick on Brilliance Audio

In a futuristic society run by an all-powerful Gov, a bender teen on the cusp of adulthood has choices to make that will change her life—and maybe the world.
 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? What are you? People ask, and Kivali isn’t sure. Boy/girl? Human/lizard? Both/neither? 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? A coming-of-age story rich in friendships and the shattering emotions of first love, this deeply felt novel will resonate with teens just emerging as adults in a sometimes hostile world.

“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.

Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O.

Mysteries & Detectives

Little Blue Works

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Schmatz, Pat. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Schmatz, Pat

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Schmatz, Pat. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Bluefish

Bluefish

Lizard Radio

The Key to Every Thing

Circle the Truth (Exceptional Reading & Language Arts Titles for Upper Grades)

Mousetraps (Exceptional Reading & Language Arts Titles for Upper Grades)

Bluefish

Lizard Radio

Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O.