I look at the clock: 4:23 a.m. In approximately three hours I have to wake up again to go to school, and I haven''t even gone to sleep yet. How can I possibly care about pop quizzes, bad hair days, and beauty makeovers now that I''ve found a major clue to the true identity of my missing father?

IDENTIFYING DATA

Subject: Portia Avatar -- Girl Psychoanalytic Detective

Background material: Twelve years old. Lives with earth mom, Indigo, and gray-and-white cat (who thinks he''s a dog) named Frederick. To date, Portia does not know the whereabouts of her mysterious father, Patch.

Recent developments: An earthquake shakes up Portia''s sleepy hometown of Palmville, California. A photograph of Patch is uncovered. Portia''s life, as she knows it, is about to change forever.