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Summary
Summary
In a futuristic society run by an all-powerful Gov, a bender teen on the cusp of adulthood has choices to make that will change her life--and maybe the world.
Fifteen-year-old bender Kivali has had a rough time in a gender-rigid culture. Abandoned as a baby and raised by Sheila, an ardent nonconformist, Kivali has always been surrounded by uncertainty. Where did she come from? Is it true what Sheila says, that she was deposited on Earth by the mysterious saurians? What are you? people ask, and Kivali isn't sure. Boy/girl? Human/lizard? Both/neither? Now she's in CropCamp, with all of its schedules and regs, and the first real friends she's ever had. Strange occurrences and complicated relationships raise questions Kivali has never before had to consider. But she has a gift--the power to enter a trancelike state to harness the "knowings" inside her. She has Lizard Radio. Will it be enough to save her? A coming-of-age story rich in friendships and the shattering emotions of first love, this deeply felt novel will resonate with teens just emerging as adults in a sometimes hostile world.
Author Notes
Pat Schmatz is the author of the critically acclaimed Bluefish . About Lizard Radio, she says, "I keep a notepad with sketches and ideas, and one day a lonely lizard wearing headphones came out of my pencil. The young lizard was desperate to pick up a signal, and from that moment on, so was I. When I tuned in, I found this story." Pat Schmatz lives in Wisconsin.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Schmatz (Bluefish) explores gender and identity in this dreamlike coming-of-age story, set in a future society where one's gender is identified and reinforced as early as possible. Fifteen-year-old Kivali is one of the rare "benders," those who score right in the middle and who could go either way; she refuses to choose and is thus marked as noncompliant. She's sent to CropCamp, an agricultural labor institution for teens being prepped for adulthood, where she makes new friends and develops a crush on the beautiful Sully, whose capricious charms spark something deep within. But as the camp director pressures Kivali to pick a gender, a role, and a direction, Kivali continues to resist, certain that something weird is going on at CropCamp. Schmatz conjures up sympathetic characters and an intriguing premise, but her jargon-heavy world can be difficult to get into, and some explanations never present themselves. While the story's stylistic quirks may alienate some readers, it's still a thoughtful and intriguing look at the teenage search for identity. Ages 14-up. Agent: David Bennett, Transatlantic Literary Agency. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In a world similar to ours with some genetic twists and decisional turns, Kivali Kerwin is forced to attend CropCamp, an agricultural youth training program run by the government, SayFree Gov. At fifteen, she is younger than the rest of the at-risk campers, all of whom are working for the certification that will keep them out of Blight, a dangerous, ungoverned community composed of criminals and nonconforming citizens. Additionally, Kivalian orphan whose bohemian guardian raised her with the story that she had been dropped on Earth by an alien lizard race, and who hears an otherworldly communication she calls Lizard Radiois a midrange bender: an androgynous youth forced to choose a gender before puberty. As she discovers more about the system in control and the society of which she is a part, Kivali begins to wonder if it really is imperative to identify as only girl or boy, straight or gay, human or lizard. In a sea of post-apocalyptic and dystopian young adult novels with female heroes, Lizard Radio stands out. Unusual, mildly magical, and well paced, Kivalis quest to dismantle the system manages to be unique yet relatable. The distinct dystopian world, the gender-bending protagonist, and the socially conscious writing provoke questions about Kivalis (and the readers) reality. Some questions are left unanswered, maybe because life is like thator perhaps because Kivalis story will continue in further volumes. sin gaetano (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
In her second novel, Schmatz (Bluefish, 2011) creates a world not completely unlike our own but with some interesting, though occasionally obscure, twists. Newly arrived at a CropCamp, where she will experience community and the gateway to adult life, is 15-year-old Kivali, a bender who has scored 52 on a gender test; one point higher and she would have been forced to transition to a boy. Now, still a girl, she finds herself powerfully attracted to an older girl, Sully, who is clearly trouble. Does this mean Kivali is a samer? And might she find the answers in Lizard Radio, the trancelike meditations during which she hears voices that she can almost understand? Answers remain fugitive for a very long time in this moderately paced book, impeded in part by a host of neologisms not only bender and samer but also vape, culpas, expuls, frods, and more. Nevertheless, for patient and careful readers there are rewarding revelations rooted in character development. An open ending suggests the possibility of a sequel.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Whenever 15-year-old Kivali needs a mental break from her CropCamp duties, she tunes into Lizard Radio, a station that exists only in her head. Kivali lives in a not-too-distant future where gender and emotions are strictly monitored by the government. Adolescents who don't test either male or female are given the choice of gender, but must conform to societal gender norms. Testing right at mid-range, Kivali prefers her female gender but does not want to adhere to heteronormative expectations. As she learns to be a farmer and starts to develop feelings for Sully, she longs to keep her individuality without risking additional government involvement in her life. Some of the jargon may be confusing, and listeners may need to revisit the meanings of the made-up words. While narrator Bahni Turpin does a delightful job conveying Kivali's struggles and achievements at CropCamp, listeners can be left in the dark at times during some of the action sequences. VERDICT Listeners looking for a good dystopian novel will not be disappointed but should be prepared for more self-discovery than government conspiracy. ["An entertaining and thought-provoking read, this title will be a big hit for those who want something deeper from their dystopian fiction": SLJ 7/15 starred review of the Candlewick book.]-Amanda Schiavulli, Finger Lakes Library System, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In a dystopian future, Kivali Kerwin, nicknamed Lizard, is sent to prepare for adulthood at a government-run CropCamp. Lizard's adoptive family has always resisted authority, but attending camp as a teen makes it easier to avoid being sent to the prisonlike Blight as an adult. As a midrange benderroughly equivalent, in today's terms, to having a nonbinary genderLizard is at risk of being sent to Blight. At camp, Lizard unexpectedly forms deep connections to other campers. At the same time, Lizard increasingly suspects something sinister behind the camp's strong community spirit and the seemingly kind mentorship of director Ms. Mischetti. The world here is revealed gradually. The poetic, evocative prose is littered with unfamiliar neologisms"skizzer," "Mealio," "vape"with the expectation that readers will either pick up their meanings from context or be willing to wonder. Some words prove more useful than contemporary vocabulary: when Lizard develops a crush on a female camper, the word "jazz"denoting everything from flirtation to sexual actsprovides a simple but startlingly effective way to talk about sexuality and attraction. Mischetti's warm leadership and disarming tendency to acknowledge disturbing rumors make her a dangerous enemy and mean Lizard's mission is more complicated than simply uncovering the truth. Sophisticated, character-driven science fiction, as notable for its genderqueer protagonist as for its intricate, suspenseful plot. (Science fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
