Most Popular Books by Bruce Hale

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!

Most folks know him as the best lizard detective at Emerson Hicky Elementary, but it''s not all knuckles and know-how with Chet Gecko. He''s also got his artistic side. If it wasn''t for his art, he might never have been sent to Principal Zero''s office, where he stumbled onto the mystery of Mr. Nice. Because whatever you can say about Principal Zero, one thing is certain: He is not nice. Until now. Chet knows something is wrong with this picture, and he''s just the gecko to solve this mystery. After all, who do you think put the art in smart aleck?

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.

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.

To save his own skin, private eye Chet Gecko sets out to solve the mystery of Emerson Hicky Elementary School''s disappearing football players.

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!

Chet and his partner, Natalie Attired, take on a case involving an actor gone missing from the school musical.

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?

Sometimes even sidekicks have to step up. Here''s the thing: Zeke''s busy being the so-called Prince of Underwhere. His prissy sister, Stephanie, is some sort of pirate queen. But Hector? Everyone treats him like a joker and a sidekick. Well, those days are over. Now only Hector can save the day—if he can survive the swarms of sharp-beaked midget flying dinos, smart-aleck flying horses, angry armies in their undies, a really, really bad hypnotist, and a duel with deadly toilet plungers. . . all the ordinary wedgie weirdness of the tighty-whitie world under our own.

"Fourth-grade gumshoe Chet Gecko takes on his most baffling case yet . . . Clever, good fun" from the author of The Big Nap and the Clark the Shark books" ( Kirkus Reviews). Chet Gecko doesn''t believe in the supernatural. His idea of voodoo is his mom''s cockroach ripple ice cream. But when a teacher reports seeing a monster by the light of a full moon, it falls to Chet and his sleek-winged partner, Natalie Attired, to answer the burning question: Is this the work of a vicious, supernatural werehamster on the loose? Or just another science fair project gone wrong? "The zany text reads like a mixture of stand-up comedy, Raymond Chandler mysteries, old films, and a fourth grader on an overdose of sugar."— School Library Journal The Chet Gecko Mysteries are . . . "Zesty and entertaining."— The Bulletin "Fodder for budding criminologists and stand-up comedians . . . Sassy."— School Library Journal "A choice series for reluctant readers."— Booklist

Clark the Shark’s mom is making brownies for school. But when Clark decides to taste just one, the impulsive shark can’t stop eating! Yum-yum-YUM. Will the class treat be ruined? With easy-to-read text and Clark’s trademark rhymes, this chocolaty Level One tale will have beginning readers ready to take a bite out of reading. Also included are Clark the Shark’s Bite-Sized Facts, real facts on shark communication, behavior, and more. Clark the Shark has been embraced in the elementary school classroom and at home. Kids laugh at his antics, and they also relate to the young shark who always means well but can get himself into scrapes due to his overabundance of energy. Clark the Shark: Too Many Treats is a Level One I Can Read, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own.

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

Chet Gecko is hired by Principal Zero to investigate the disappearance of valuable items from Emerson Hicky Elementary--including Mama Gecko''s pearls.