Circle the Truth

What a concept! Circle the Truth, a fabulous and compelling story, flows seamlessly between terrestrial and heightened realities. What is truth? Whose truth is the truest? What do religion and spirituality have to do with each other? Feeling different and out of place in his blended family, Rith navigates an uncharted landscape and pulls the reader along with him every step of the way. This beautifully written and powerful, heartfelt novel takes the reader into a blizzard where reality is questioned and far, far beyond.

Circle the Truth was so compelling that I stayed up the half the night I bought it just to finish it. The stairs will draw any reader in immediately. Schmatz creates the reader's dilemma of the perfect story -- the desperation for the resolution and simultaneous desire to read about the characters' lives forever. I'm in my thirties, but teenage Rith's search for identity and his complicated relationships with his family resonated with me anyway. Toby and Rith's friendship reminded me of the good parts of being an eighth grader, and I wanted Toby's parents to be real so I could have dinner with them too. As a former eighth grade teacher, I have read many young adult books, and I can say with confidence that Pat Schmatz is a master storyteller.