New Releases by Bruce Hale

Clark the Shark and his friends build snowfish, have a snowball fight, and go sledding (gulp!) at Winter Wonderland in this second Clark the Shark Level 1 I Can Read Comic! Clark the Shark''s class is going on a field trip to Winter Wonderland! But when it''s time to go sledding and Clark sees the size of the glacier, he gets scared. Will Clark face his fears or will he learn that he doesn''t have to face them alone? Clark the Shark: Winter Wonderland is a Level One I Can Read Comic, which means it''s perfect for shared reading with young readers new to graphic novel storytelling. Don''t Miss More I Can Read Comics with Clark the Shark: Clark the Shark and the School Sing

Blast off into space and come along for an intergalactic mystery—with plenty of pizza—in this first book of the illustrated chapter book series, Outer Space Mystery Pizza Club! It’s another ordinary Friday night in the suburbs for the Garcia-Jackson family: Mateo and Valentina’s favorite show is on TV. Mateo’s best friend, Booker, is over. And their babysitter, Jennica, is definitely keeping an eye on them and not playing with her phone. But when Elvis, the family’s dog, bolts out of the house, barking uncontrollably at someone—or something—in the backyard, the kids go investigate…only to watch Elvis disappear through a mysterious portal! The three kids, with their babysitter in tow, have no choice but to follow him—adventuring through deep space, where they’ll encounter aliens, dodge asteroids, and defy gravity—as they attempt to find their furry best friend (and make it back home before bedtime!). Illustrator Luke Séguin-Magee brings this hilarious story to life with out-of-this-world black-and-white spot art.

From the Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale comes a hilarious story about a kid who likes to break the rules . . . until the rules try to break him. Cooper just wants to spend the summer before 7th grade drawing and having adventures with his best friend, Nacho. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that his dad’s new girlfriend and his mom’s announcement that she’s going to start dating. But when one of his adventures with Nacho goes too far, Cooper’s parents freak out. Either he joins the Boy Rangers, a dorky club that’s all about discipline and rules, or that dream cartooning camp at the end of his summer? Will get erased. At first it’s not so bad -- the troop is a disorganized mess. But then a new scoutmaster starts. Mr. Pierce is a gruff ex-Marine who’s never worked with kids before, especially not a ragtag team of misfits like Troop 19. As he tries turning them into a lean, mean, badge-earning machine, Cooper longs for freedom. He doesn’t want to break the rules, but the rules are going to break him!

"When you''re opening up your perfect gift Christmas morning, have you ever wondered how that gift made it all the way from the North Pole to under your Christmas tree? How does Santa visit every good boy and girl in the whole world while carrying millions of presents in just one winter''s night? Between traveling at 730,000 miles per hour and chowing down on 400 million cookies in one night, Kris Kringle is a Christmas superhero! Take a peek behind the scenes into Santa''s workshop and discover how a little science and engineering and a whole lot of Christmas magic all work together to make this special day sparkle."--Publisher''s description.

From the Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale comes a hilarious story of a boy and a dog...who become a dog and a boy Who''s a good boy?Twelve-year-old Parker Pitts hates a mess. Ever since his grandmother died, he''s much more comfortable when things are organized: He scrubs the kitchen counters at home, avoids the school bully at all costs, and never even speaks to Gabriella Cortez, the most interesting girl in the sixth grade. No muss, no fuss, no complicated feelings to worry about.But now Parker''s older sister is traveling abroad for the semester, leaving behind her obnoxious and extremely disorderly goldendoodle, Boof, for Parker to manage. Man''s best friend? More like boy''s worst nightmare!When an intense round of tug-of-war leaves both dog and boy with bumped heads, Parker and Boof wake up to the biggest disaster yet: they''ve switched bodies! Suddenly Boof has to find his way through a school day and Parker has to...eat dog food?!It''s a mess of truly epic proportions. Can Parker and Boof clean it up -- together?

When the museum is expecting a royal visitor, Danny and the dinosaur need to brush up on their manners! From saying "please" to holding doors, can Danny and the dinosaur work on behavior fit for a king?

Danny''s class is going on a field trip to the big city, and the dinosaur is invited, too! Even though the city is big, the dinosaur finds that from crowded subway cars to the carousel only big enough for humans, he may find fitting in to be a bit of

When the museum is expecting a royal visitor, Danny and the dinosaur practice their manners.

Will Fuzzy and his friends be able to fight against a plan to ban class pets, or will they be thrown out like yesterday''s juice box? Is this the end of class pets?When Fuzzy accidentally gets a kid hurt, he feels awful. But worse -- the PTA president demands to get rid of all the class pets!Fuzzy and his friends get to work. A cuteness campaign? Their selfies fall short. A hunger strike? The pets get hungry. Could the PTA president''s daughter be the key to staying in their classrooms, or will the pets get thrown out like yesterday''s juice box?

With tales of "playful horror" and "spine-tingling spookiness" the Goosebumps author offers "a comprehensive introduction to the horror genre for kids" ( School Library Journal). A harrowing array of scary stories that all have one thing in common: each either begins or ends with a scream! Scream and Scream Again! is full of twists and turns, dark corners, and devilish revenge. Collected in conjunction with the Mystery Writers of America, this anthology includes short stories from R.L. Stine—the godfather of Goosebumps –along with a selection of New York Times bestselling authors telling fearsome, frightening tales of wicked ice-cream trucks, time-travelling heroes, witches and warlocks, and of course, haunted houses. Read it if you dare! With twenty never-before-published scary stories from some of the most popular authors today—including: Chris Grabenstein, Wendy Corsi Staub, Heather Graham, Peter Lerangis, R.L. Stine, Bruce Hale, Emmy Laybourne, Steve Hockensmith, Lisa Morton, Ray Daniel, Beth Fantaskey, Phil Mathews, Carter Wilson, Doug Levin, Jeff Soloway, Joseph S. Walker, Alison McMahan, Daniel Palmer, Tonya Hurley, and Stephen Ross—it''s sure to leave readers screaming for more. "A good, old-fashioned collection of modern scary stories, offering humor, innocence, and just enough fright." — Kirkus Reviews

What do class pets get up to when students aren''t around? Adventure -- and lots of trouble! Class 5B has a substitute teacher -- and he''s the worst! Fuzzy might just be 5B''s pet guinea pig, but he will not stand by while his kids suffer. With the help of the Class Pets Club, Fuzzy is going to drive the terrible sub out of town ... or lose his whiskers trying!

Fuzzy is the ambitious and unfortunately named guinea pig of class 5B. He has big plans for this year -- namely, to be president of the Class Pets Club. Then the cutest, most charming new bunny shows up and spins Fuzzy''s plan like a hamster wheel.

Something is very wrong at Monterrosa Elementary -- again. Weird noises and funky smells are coming through the classroom vents. Could the school be haunted? When one of their classmates falls into a coma, best friends Carlos and Benny know it''s time to call in the best monster hunters they know: each other. This may well be their wackiest extermination challenge yet! In his third Monstertown Mystery, Bruce Hale delivers another silly, strange, and spooky tale for readers who like their chills with a side of chuckles.

Dinosaur decides to leave the museum and follow his friend Danny to school! But Danny''s bigger-than-life buddy can''t squeeze into the chairs or eat school lunch. So he decides to do school his own way--dino style--and it turns out to be the best school

Clark the Shark is excited about his class'' Secret Santa celebration, but he becomes so wrapped up in what he''s going to get that he forgets to give!

What do you do when your favorite teacher starts turning into a were-hyena? a) Flee in terror? b) Try to cure him? c) Bring him carrion snacks? Mr. Chu, the coolest teacher ever, has developed some very unusual habits, like laughing hysterically for no reason, sniffing people''s homework, and chasing chickens. When best friends Carlos and Benny decide to find out what''s happening to him, they get caught up in some moonlight madness. And it looks like just the beginning of the weirdness that has arrived in the town of Monterrosa. . . . This first entry in a silly, sassy, and suspenseful new series will leave readers howling with laughter.

Children’s Choice Book Award Finalist Clark the Shark is ready for his first big sleepover! He’s nervous about sleeping outside without his glow-fish night-light, but he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s just a teeny-tiny bit afraid of the dark. So Clark makes up a rhyme to help him stay cool: “Take heart, be smart, sharks aren’t afraid of the dark.” But when the sun sets and his friends begin telling spooky stories, Clark’s voice sounds quiet and small and not brave at all. In this empowering tale about conquering nighttime fears, Clark the Shark learns how friendship can help light the way through the dark. Featuring bright, colorful artwork from Guy Francis and hilarious read-aloud text from Bruce Hale, this Clark the Shark picture book is the perfect story for kids braving nighttime jitters!

"Max Segrado and the S.P.I.E.S. are on a mission to steal a powerful mind control device and to keep the Merry Sunshine Orphanage from closing"--

Don’t shed a tear, ''cause there’s nothing to fear! Clark the Shark has a loose tooth and needs to visit the dentist. But he''s heard that the dentist is scarier than a box of blue whales! Uh-oh, and oh no! Can Clark find a way to stay cool when it comes to tooth trouble? Beginning readers will be entertained and reassured by this clever, funny twist on a dentist visit in this I Can Read story featuring their favorite boisterous shark. The back matter also includes fun, bite-sized facts about shark teeth! With colorful illustrations from Guy Francis and lively text from Bruce Hale, this Level One I Can Read is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.

It''s Anna Angelfish''s birthday, and Clark wants to find the perfect present for her to show her how he feels. But when he tries to make a big impression with his usual zip, bang, and BOOM, things don''t go quite as planned. With help from his best friend, Joey Mackerel, our favorite boisterous shark learns that when it comes to showing that you care, something thoughtful and small could be the best of all. Featuring bright, colorful artwork from Guy Francis and hilarious read-aloud text from Bruce Hale, this follow-up to Clark the Shark and Clark the Shark Dares to Share will have kids and parents everywhere taking its warm message to heart!

Just when Max Segredo learned that his father is still alive, he also learned that Simon Segredo was working for LOTUS, an evil spy operation that wants to take down the Merry Sunshine Orphanage (a.k.a. the School for S.P.I.E.S.) and take over the world. Now Simon is on the run from LOTUS, and Max''s surrogate family at the orphanage is being threatened from without and within. LOTUS is trying to drive the school out of business, while the Ministry of Health is investigating an anonymous complaint about the orphanage. To top it all off, the trainee spies are riddled by fear and squabbling among themselves. Into this chaos strolls a mysterious billionaire who hires S.P.I.E.S. to steal a powerful mind control device. The fee for the job will help save the school, but there''s a catch: they''ve got just three days to pilfer the device from an ultra-secure facility before LOTUS steals it first. Can the S.P.I.E.S beat their rivals to the prize before the orphanage doors close for good? In this action-packed sequel to Playing with Fire, it is impossible not to root for Max, a spy-in-training with mad skills, a spunky attitude, a way with the ladies (well, okay, maybe not so much), and a big heart.

A funny, larger-than-life adventure for fans of No, David! Call in the fire engires and police cars! Someone delayed sweet Sammy''s nap a bit too long, or served him applesauce that was a bit too tart, and suddenly he''s morphed into . . . Big Bad Baby! Now this giant tyke is on the loose, and he''s taking the milk and cookie trucks by storm. No police, firefighters, or even librarians can stop him! Luckily Mom and his trusty hench dog are never far behind, and Mom has a few tricks up her sleeve. After all, every baby needs a blankie and hugs, even on really big bad days.

Juvenile delinquent and budding pyromaniac Max Segredo belongs in juvie hall. At least, that''s what his most recent foster family would tell you. Instead, Max ends up on the doorstep of Merry Sunshine Orphanage-their very heavily guarded doorstep. As he begins to acclimate to his new home, Max learns a few things straightaway: first, cracking a Caesar Cipher isn''t as hard as it seems; second, never sass your instructor if she''s also holding throwing knives; and third, he may not be an orphan after all. Soon, Max and the rest of the students are sent on a mission to keep a dangerous weapon out of the hands of LOTUS, an international group bent on world domination. Of course, all Max cares about is finding out more about his father, the man he''s now sure is still alive. As the stakes get higher, Max must make some difficult choices, including who to trust, and finally learns the true meaning of family.

Clark the Shark celebrates boisterous enthusiasm—and knowing when it''s time for indoor voices! A great choice for circle time or for sharing one on one with your energetic little shark. Clark is a shark with zing, bang, and BOOM. Clark zooms into school, crashes through the classroom, and is rowdy at recess. Clark loves life and always means well—but when his enthusiasm is too much for his friends, Clark''s teacher, Mrs. Inkydink, helps him figure out a way to tone it down. Clark the Shark is a great read-aloud picture book, with fun rhythm and rhyme, from the ever-popular Bruce Hale and Guy Francis. Kids love the energy and humor and ask for repeated readings. At the same time, they get the background message about how to work on impulse control.

Nate’s best friend Jeremy is missing, and Nate seems to be the only one worried that he’s been captured by hideous creatures that live in the sewers. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Chet Gecko’s investigations often show him the seamy underbelly of school life, but this case throws him for a loop. A deadly stink bomb is unleashed, a school building falls to rubble, money goes missing from the principal’s office, and that’s just a start. Chet’s endurance for trouble is tested, but so is his loyalty: Someone is trying to get his mongoose janitor pal Maureen DeBree fired. A true-blue P.I. doesn’t take that kind of monkey business lying down. Standing up, maybe. And stand up he will—to some very shifty school bullies. Chet keeps digging for the truth like a mole after an earthworm sandwich. Oh, foolish detective.

Cats are not meant to save the world. Fitz the cat is supposed to be enjoying the normal activities savored by those of the feline persuasion—napping (a lot), nibbling on house plants, sharpening his claws on expensive furniture, and, most importantly, never, ever doing what a human wants him to. But instead, thanks to Zeke, Stephanie, and Hector—those meddling, tuna-hatin'', whiskerless kids who dragged him down to Underwhere—Fitz has bigger fish to fry (though, of course, he prefers his fish raw). Not only has he started thinking like a human, he''s actually helping them recover the stolen Scepter of Underwhere, battle a wild pack of triceradoodles, outwit a roaming band of savage mice, and foil the plans of the strange new movie director in town, who happens to smell awfully familiar. . . .

Detectives Chet Gecko and his partner Natalie Attired try to solve the mystery of why Emerson Hicky Elementary school students have suddenly started acting strangely.