Schizo

by Kim Firmston

Dan is a fairly normal fifteen-year-old—he likes girls (obviously), hates school (ditto), and he lives to play bass guitar. But at home, things aren't normal at all. His mother is schizophrenic and uses a system of numbers she's developed to determine if something is good or evil. She plasters the walls with pages of obscure calculations and lists of digits, and obsesses over them long into the night—and her behavior is only getting more and more erratic. One day, Dan's numbers turn bad, and she begins to threaten him physically. Dan could just run away, but he's worried about what would happen to the nine-year-old brother he's fought so hard to protect. All Dan wants is a normal life, but how can he keep his family together and keep them safe at the same time?

144 pages, Library Binding

First published September 27, 2011

About the author

Kim Firmston is a real life mutant – though one without any cool powers. When she is not writing or cursing obvious villain mistakes, she warps young minds in her Reality is Optional Kid’s Writing Club and various writing camps. Kim has written and produced many plays, had a few short stories make it into print, and published five novels (one of them by herself). Kim encourages play, be it in her classes or on her interactive websites. She has also been known to build diabolical devices out of cardboard and old chip bags with prominent DO NOT PUSH buttons.