Dealing with themes and subjects from sci fi/fantasy to tongue-in-cheek mystery, Pete Hautman is a prolific author who has found publishing success not only in writing adult novels but as the author of several highly acclaimed works of fiction for teen readers. Lauded by critics for their imaginative, action-filled plots are Mr. Was, Stone Cold, and Hole in the Sky, all of which feature young protagonists whose confrontation with difficulties force them to follow unusual paths into adulthood. In Mr. Was, Hautman takes readers on an unusual time-slip adventure; Stone Cold is a first for young-adult fiction, tackling not drugs but a gambling addiction; and Hole in the Sky is a near-future what-if positing a plague that has reduced humankind to a fraction of its former number. Writing for adults, Hautman has also produced a number of off-the-wall mysteries featuring detective Joe Crow who humorously battles a...