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Reviews

Schmatz sensitively delves into alternative families, homophobia, and the ugly side of the unspoken class system of adolescence. It's rare to find an adult who writes young people so well; Rick's unhappiness and Maxie's confusion are handled with deft authenticity that is a pleasure to read, even when painful.
~ Brian Jewell, Bay Windows

Rick and Maxie's thought-provoking story, juxtaposed against Hauser's renderings of Maxie's cartoons, is unexpectedly, richly dark, with no easy answers. Both chilling and sweet.
~ Kirkus Reviews

Mousetraps

For mature teens, ages 13 and older

I headed over to my locker, spun the combination, lifted the handle, and –

THWACK!

It was a snapped mousetrap. The old-fashioned wooden kind. A folded piece of paper lay in its grip. I reached in, lifted the trap's spring, and pulled the paper loose. My heart punched at my ribs like it was trying to get out.

I unfolded the paper. It was the picture I'd drawn of Rick.

Synopsis:

Maxie's a cartoonist. Rick's a design genius. Back in grade school, they used to come up with crazy inventions, like mousetraps with a zillion parts.

But high school is nothing like child's play. The traps Maxie and Rick encounter now are a lot more complicated – and a lot more dangerous…

Pat Schmatz - Author of Books for Children and Young Adults

MOUSETRAPS ~ CIRCLE THE TRUTH ~ MRS. ESTRONSKY AND THE U.F.O.