Pat Schmatz

Pat Schmatz
Alma materMichigan State University
University of California, Berkeley
Genreyoung adult fiction
Years active2001-now
Notable worksLizard Radio
Notable awards2010 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, 2012 Crystal Kite Award, 2015 James Triptee Jr. Award, 2015 Josette Frank Award, 2019 Minnesota Book Award

Pat Schmatz (born ca. 1960)[1] is an American author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction, best known for their James Tiptree Jr. Award winning novel Lizard Radio. Other of their well-known and award-winning works include Bluefish and The Key to Every Thing.

Personal life

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Schmatz grew up in rural Wisconsin.[2] They read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton in sixth grade, which made them decide that they wanted to start writing for children.[3][4]

Selected works

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Their second novel and first young adult book, Mousetraps, tells the story of a teen dealing with homophobia and bullying after her childhood best friend who suddenly disappeared turns up again.[5] It was published in 2008 by Carolrhoda and a nominee for the Lambda Literary Award in Children's/Young Adult in 2008.[6]

Bluefish, their fourth novel, is about a boy moving to a new town where he lives with his alcoholic grandpa. He is befriended by a difficult and hilarious classmate who helps him see things in a new way.[7] It was published by Candlewick in 2011 and received several starred reviews.[8][9][10] Bluefish was a nominee for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award in 2013[11] and the California Young Reader Medal for Middle School/Junior High in 2015.[12] It won the Crystal Kite Award in 2012[13] and the Josette Frank Award in 2015.[14]

Schmatz's fifth novel, Lizard Radio, is set in a world just slightly tilted from our own, where teens have to commit to a gender and "benders" are dealt with harshly.[15] In the novel, a fifteen-year-old bender teen struggles in a culture that tries to define everyone by strict binaries. It was published by Candlewick in 2015.[16] Lizard Radio won the James Tiptree Jr. Award in 2015.[17][18]

Bibliography

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Young adult fiction

  • Mousestraps (Carolrhoda, 2008)
  • Circle the Truth (Carolrhoda, 2010)
  • Lizard Radio (Candlewick, 2015)

Middle grade fiction

  • Mrs. Estronsky and the U.F.O. (Little Blue Works, 2001)
  • Bluefish (Candlewick, 2011)
  • The Key to Every Thing (Candlewick, 2018)

Awards

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Won

2012

  • Crystal Kite Award for Bluefish (Candlewick, 2011)[13]

2015

  • James Tiptree Jr. Award for Lizard Radio (Candlewick, 2015)[19]
  • Josette Frank Award for Bluefish (Candlewick, 2011)[14]

2019

  • Minnesota Book Award for "The Key to Every Thing."

Nominations

2008

  • Lambda Literary Award in Children's/Young Adult for Mousestraps (Carolrhoda, 2008)[19]

2013

  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award for Bluefish (Candlewick, 2011)[11]

2015

  • California Young Reader Medal for Middle School/Junior High for Bluefish (Candlewick, 2011)[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Pat Schmatz Blog Tour: Book Birthday – YA Pride". www.gayya.org. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  2. ^ Booksnob, Laura (2015-07-30). "Pat Schmatz Author Interview + Giveaway". Book Snob. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  3. ^ "Bluefish by Pat Schmatz - Interview | BookPage". BookPage.com. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  4. ^ "Interview with Author Pat Schmatz". Elizabeth Caulfield Felt. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  5. ^ MOUSETRAPS by Pat Schmatz, Bill Hauser | Kirkus Reviews.
  6. ^ Cerna, Antonio Gonzalez (2010-02-18). "21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  7. ^ BLUEFISH by Pat Schmatz | Kirkus Reviews.
  8. ^ "Review of Bluefish". The Horn Book. 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  9. ^ "Junior Library Guild : Bluefish by Pat Schmatz". www.juniorlibraryguild.com. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  10. ^ Coats, Karen (2011-09-18). "Bluefish (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 65 (2): 106–107. doi:10.1353/bcc.2011.0717. ISSN 1558-6766. S2CID 201770795.
  11. ^ a b "Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award | Department of Libraries". libraries.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  12. ^ a b "Nominees". California Young Reader Medal. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  13. ^ a b M.ed, Lee Wind (2012-07-31). "The Official SCBWI Blog: The 2012 Crystal Kite Winner Profiles: Wisconsin's PAT SCHMATZ". The Official SCBWI Blog. Retrieved 2018-11-11. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ a b "Awards - Bank Street College of Education". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  15. ^ "Children's Book Review: Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz. Candlewick, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7636-7635-3". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  16. ^ Spisak, April (2015-11-12). "Lizard Radio by Pat Schmatz (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 69 (4): 222. doi:10.1353/bcc.2015.0919. ISSN 1558-6766. S2CID 201783431.
  17. ^ "2015 James Tiptree, Jr. Award « James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  18. ^ "Interview with Pat Schmatz About Lizard Radio – The Pirate Tree". www.thepiratetree.com. September 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  19. ^ a b Notkin, Debbie (2016-04-01). "2015 Winners, Honor List, and Long List Announced! « James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
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