Showing results by author "Dan Gutman" in All Categories

A.J. and his friends are graduating from third grade. Eeeeek! The kids have the chance to choose a guest speaker for the ceremony, and their minds are all set on one person: the most popular singer and rapper in the world, Lil Mouse! Will they be able to get their favorite celebrity and have the greatest graduation in the history of graduations?

A.J. and his friends are having a sleepover in the playground by Ella Mentry School. There’s a campfire with plenty of yummy marshmallows, weird songs, and twinkling stars—what could be better? Ryan, Alexia, Michael, Andrea, Neil, Emily, and A.J. each get a turn to make up a silly, scary story. But what’s that lurking in the woods? Could it be some kind of weird monster? Did the kids’ creepy tales awaken something truly terrifying?

School’s almost out for the summer, and A.J. is dreaming about all the fun things he’s going to do on vacation. But A.J.’s dream quickly turns into a nightmare when three familiar spirits appear to show him summers past, present, and yet to come. Will they be able to convince him to leave his bad ways behind? Or will this summer end up being a total bummer?

Mr. Cooper's class is getting a pet! Alexia hopes it is something cool, like a snake. But is she ready to take care of the pet, or will it be one weird mess? Join A.J. and the gang from Ella Mentry School as they show young listeners why they attend the weirdest - and most fun! - school around.

When a kid is dragged to Central Park in New York on a Saturday (when he could be at home watching the ball game), the last thing he wants is a history lesson from his mom. But then his mother starts telling him a story. A story about the giant structure sitting in right in front of them—Cleopatra’s Needle. It turns out that an enslaved boy and hundreds of other people spent more than six hundred days carving the Needle out of stone and pulling it upright. And another kid’s drawings were used to create the hieroglyphs on its sides.

It’s Halloween, and you know what that means! Candy! Costumes! More candy! What would happen if a kid ate a million hundred pounds of chocolate in one night? One thing’s for sure - when A. J. and his friends from Ella Mentry School go trick-or-treating, it will be a Halloween to remember.

A.J. and the gang are tired of Miss Banks and her constant pranks. They decide to get her back and, afterward, the principal, Mrs. Stoker, suggests a weeklong prank competition between the students and the teachers. If the kids manage to pull off a win, they’ll get a candy party! And so begins the most epic prank war that Ella Mentry School has ever seen! But can the kids outprank their teachers before the week is up?

A.J. and the gang are all old enough now to participate in after-school clubs, but they’ve never heard of clubs like these. Forget Chess Club, Book Club, or Computer Club—Ella Mentry School only has wacky clubs like Lawn Mower Racing Club, Cloud Watching Club, and Underwater Hockey Club. And Miss Marge is in charge of every group! Will the kids be able to find the perfect club under these very weird circumstances?

One minute Qwerty Stevens is researching a last-minute report on the internet, and the next minute Benjamin Franklin is sitting on his bed! Thanks to the Anytime Anywhere Machine hooked up to his computer, Qwerty has snatched Franklin from July 4, 1776, the very day the Declaration of Independence was signed. Qwerty and his best friend, Joe, realize they have to get Franklin back in time for the signing, and they can't resist seeing it with their own eyes. Can the boys make sure the Declaration gets signed like history says it should? And can they make it back home?

I'm Rappy the Raptor, and I'd like to say I may not talk in the usual way. Meet Rappy the Raptor, a velociraptor who speaks in rhymes all of the time, whether it's morning or noon, October or June. Now, how did it happen that he started rappin'? Well, here's Rappy's story in all its glory!

Batter up! A.J.’s class is going head-to-head against Dirk School in a charity softball game. The losing team must clean one of the toilets in the winning school with a toothbrush! Retired baseball pro Mr. Ott is here to lead Ella Mentry School to victory. But will his weird coaching tactics be a home run, or a swing and a miss?

A. J. and Andrea are taking a class trip to the museum! Their museum guide has been warned that one of them might misbehave. But who will it be?

My Weirdtastic School #8: Mr. Plummer Is Dumber! has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Did you know that Theodore Roosevelt was shot before a rally, and went on to give his speech with the bullet in his chest? Or that he skinny-dipped in the Potomac River? Bet you didn’t know that he had a zebra, a lion, and a one-legged rooster at the White House! Siblings Paige and Turner have collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about the larger-than-life president, from his childhood and his Rough Rider days to his rise to politics and his complicated presidential legacy.

Did you know that Amelia Earhart loved heights so much she built a roller coaster in her backyard? Or that she used to race worms with her sister? Bet you didn’t know that she took photographs of garbage cans to pay for flying lessons! Siblings Paige and Turner do - and they’ve collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about the legendary pilot, from her childhood in the rural Midwest and the spark of her passion for flying to her record-smashing flights and her infamous disappearance over the Pacific Ocean.

Did you know that Muhammad Ali was so terrified of flying on planes that he would bring a parachute? Or that he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Bet you didn’t know that he had an official sweat-taster to determine how salty his sweat was after each match! Siblings Paige and Turner do - and they’ve collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about him, from his childhood and the spark of his boxing career through his time as heavyweight champion of the world.

Did you know that Albert Einstein was a high-school dropout and that he failed his physics class when he finally made it to college? Or that when he died, his brain and eyeballs were removed from his body? Have you ever wondered why his hair looked so wild? Siblings Paige and Turner have - and they’ve collected some of the kookiest and most unusual facts about him, from his childhood and school days through his time studying relativity and working on the atomic bomb.

When Rappy the Raptor's class goes to the library, it's all Rappy can do not to be noisy. Can he keep his rapping quiet, or will he start a book riot? When students are finding the library a bore, quick-thinking Rappy uses his rhyming skills to save the day!

Rappy the Raptor is going to the grocery store. What a bore! But Rappy finds himself actually having fun - that is, until he tips over a HUGE display of toilet paper rolls. The manager is angry, but the quick-thinking Rappy uses his rhyming skills to save the day!

Mr. Cooper's class is having a talent show. But A. J. has a problem - he doesn't have a talent! What will he do when the big day comes? Join A. J. and the gang from Ella Mentry School as they show young listeners why they attend the weirdest - and most fun! - school around.