Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of The Labors of Hercules Beal; Just Like That; National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He lives in rural Michigan.
"Gloriously figurative language...brilliantly evokes both time and place...both beautiful and emotionally honest, both funny and piercingly sad."
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A powerful tale of friendship and coming-of-age...haunting combination of fact and fiction has a powerful and tragic climax."
— Booklist (starred review)
"An evocative novel...with fully developed, memorable characters...fascinating, little-known piece of history...will leave a powerful impression on readers." — School Library Journal (starred review)
"Schmidt fictionalizes a true event... vividly realized...fully credible...subtly drawn."
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"Historical incident ignites a rich novel...a drama that examines the best and worst of humanity." — Horn Book Magazine
