Hart & Souls

After getting bullied at Figueroa Elementary, Stix Hart wants nothing more than to fly below the radar at middle school. He’s heard all the horror stories, but none involved ghosts.

On Stix’s first day of sixth grade, his anxiety is off the charts. It doesn’t help when he spots a kid who reminds him of his old bully, Xander Mack. Soon after, he encounters two other students who take a keen interest in him. He quickly learns the spooky truth--the trio are lost souls in need of a solid. When the ghosts tell him they’ve been stuck in middle school for decades, it’s up to Stix to figure out how to help these not-so-normal new friends.

Solving this paranormal predicament will take some serious sleuthing and tremendous bravery. Can Stix solve this mystery and help these spirits move on before it’s too late?

Lisa Schmid is an author and co-host of the podcast Writers With Wrinkles. When not scaring up ghostly adventures, she visits schools and libraries to discuss writing and books. She lives in Northern California with her husband, son, two dogs, and one very sneaky hamster. Lisa has previously published another ghostly story, Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: the Search For Lost Gold.

Carolina Vázquez is a freelance illustrator born in Buenos Aires, Argentina who was endlessly inspired by books and animation from an early age. She graduated from Palermo University with a degree in Illustration Design in 2021 and, since then, she has been working on children’s illustration projects such as picture books, magazines, and board games. She enjoys working mainly digitally, creating magical, nature-themed illustrations with cute characters and working with color and light to create an atmosphere that’ll immerse the viewer in the story. Along with creating art, Carolina enjoys swimming and spending time with her dog, Watson. To this day, she still loves reading novels and watching animated movies, which greatly inspire her work!