Most Popular Books by Chris Grabenstein

Do you love DOGS? Do you love CATS? Do you love ADVENTURE? Then put your paws together for DOG SQUAD, the hilarious, crime-fighting middle-grade series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello''s Library! When trouble calls . . . it’s Dog Squad to the rescue! But when calamity calls . . . call in Cat Crew! Fred, the loveable stray who became the star of the hit streaming sensation, DOG SQUAD, is back and working on a new show—Cat Crew! But wait a second—there’s something funny about these felines! And something suspicious about their animal trainer. Is this cat crew being electronically controlled?!?! And what exactly is the evil trainer plotting? Can Fred save the day . . .and the cats?! It''s time for an all paws on deck top-secret rescue mission! Get ready for book 2 in this action-packed, middle grade series that has kids (and canines) howling with laugher! Nothing''s too ruff for the Dog Squad!

In this #1 New York Times bestselling novel, get to know Jacky Ha-Ha, a funny class clown who loves to make people laugh—even when everything else in her life feels anything but silly. With her irresistible urge to tell a joke in every situation—even when she really, really shouldn''t—twelve-year-old Jacky Ha-Ha loves to make people laugh. And cracking wise helps distract her from thinking about not-so-funny things in her life, like her mom serving in a dangerous, faraway war, and a dad who''s hardly ever home. But no matter how much fun Jacky has, she can''t seem to escape her worries. So one starlit night, she makes a promise to keep her family together...even if she has to give up the one thing that makes her happy. But can she stop being Jacky Ha-Ha, if that''s who she really is? Bestselling author James Patterson captures the humor, and struggles, of standing out in all the wrongs ways in this tender, laugh-out-loud story introducing hilarious, #1 New York Times bestselling heroine Jacky Ha-Ha. Don''t miss Jacky Ha-Ha''s other hilarious stories: Jacky Ha-Ha: My Life is a Joke and Jacky Ha-Ha Gets the Last Laugh!

When a lifelong friendship just isn''t long enough, two friends connect from beyond the grave in this heartwarming ghost story from a New York Times bestselling author. One minute, Finn was biking home from school, and the next, he was run off the road by a maniac in a big van. Now, he''s a ghost. He can do lots of fun things, like try every ice cream flavor in the store, sneak up on people, and play as many video games as he wants. Finn even has a new ghost friend, Isabella, to show him the ropes. But he also has a lot of BIG questions, like: who wanted him dead? And can he stop the maniac from striking again? Packed with hilarious moments, epic friendships, and fun art, Best Nerds Forever celebrates the nerd in each of us and the joy of living life to its fullest.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello''s Library and coauthor of I Funny and Treasure Hunters, comes a series of spine-tingling mysteries to keep you up long after the lights go out. ZACK, HIS DAD, and new stepmother have just moved back to his father’s hometown, not knowing that their new house has a dark history. Fifty years ago, a crazed killer caused an accident at the nearby crossroads that took 40 innocent lives. He died when his car hit a tree in a fiery crash, and his malevolent spirit has inhabited the tree ever since. During a huge storm, lightning hits the tree, releasing the spirit, who decides his evil spree isn’t over . . . and Zack is directly in his sights. Award-winning thriller author Chris Grabenstein fills his first book for younger readers with the same humorous and spine-tingling storytelling that has made him a fast favorite with adults.

Perfect for Halloween! From the New York Times bestselling author of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello''s Library and coauthor of I Funny and Treasure Hunters, comes a series of spine-tingling mysteries to keep you up long after the lights go out. Halloween is near, the one day of the year when the ghostly plane is close enough to the human plane to allow mischief and mayhem. But the ghosts who have their eye on Zack aren''t thinking mischief, they are thinking murder. In the fourth volume of Chris Grabenstein''s popular Haunted Mysteries series, Zack must yet again do battle with malevolent spirits. And with perseverance and pluck, and the assistance of three dotty aunts, he must save his town from a 200-year-old threat. Once again Chris Grabenstein proves his mastery of the frightening and funny tale. Young readers, especially reluctant ones, have been inspired to read by Grabenstein''s quirky characters and deadly situations.

Previously published as The Smoky Corridor. From the New York Times bestselling author of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello''s Library and coauthor of I Funny and Treasure Hunters, comes a series of spine-tingling mysteries to keep you up long after the lights go out. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. It just doesn’t usually come from the grave. The basement of Zack’s new school is hiding something, or rather someones. Two ghosts, to be exact—Joseph and Seth Donnelly, brothers who perished in a suspicious fire. But the ghosts are the least of Zack''s problems. It’s what they warn Zack about that has him truly frightened: there’s an evil zombie lurking beneath the school. Fortunately, Zack has some new friends, Malik and Azalea, who can help in his paranormal adventures. Together they’ll attempt to dodge the zombie, a treasure-seeking hit man, a voodoo-savvy ghost just waiting fora new body, and more. But will they survive until recess or end up on the lunch menu? Read all of Chris Grabenstein''s Haunted Mysteries! The Crossroads The Demons'' Door The Zombie Awakening The Black Heart Crypt

A tiny talking mouse sets off on a giant adventure to rescue his friend in this fun, heartwarming illustrated adventure, perfect for fans of Stuart Little and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Talking mouse Isaiah is free from the experiments that left him with blue fur and a big voice, and living a picture-perfect life with his human friend, Hailey. But the evil scientists—and their evil talking cats—are hot on Isaiah’s trail. When they mouse-nap his friend Mikayla, it''s up to Isaiah and Hailey to rescue her. Their search takes them on a cross-country adventure, where they face foes and make unexpected friends. If they can find Mikayla, they might even find a way to free Isaiah''s siblings and create a happy ending for all of the lab mice. This endearing and whimsical tail tale from bestselling author James Patterson is a celebration of bravery and determination in all shapes and sizes.

In New York City’s Central Park, remarkable things happen after the sun goes down Nikki Van Wyck knows everything about Central Park. She can tell you how many benches it has, how many acres it is—and exactly where to find an adventure after dark. When she teams up with a few new friends to track down a treasure in the park, her expert knowledge comes in handy. But the place she thought she knew is transformed before her eyes as the statues begin to come to life! It turns out that Central Park has secrets that can’t be found in any guidebook. Magical secrets. And what Nikki thought was just a scavenger hunt is actually much more. Now she’s about to embark on an incredible adventure that will uncover the hidden enchantments in the park she loves—and reveal surprising things about herself, as well.

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

Called in to investigate the supposed suicide of a soldier recently returned from Iraq, police officer John Ceepak and his partner discover that the victim may have had knowledge of a conspiracy linked to U.S. involvement in the Middle East.

“Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series From the bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and co-author with James Patterson of I Funny, House of Robots, and Treasure Hunters, comes a hilarious illustrated series about all the wacky things that happen when you live in a motel! Eleven-year-old P. T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a fact: the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There’s only one thing the Wonderland doesn’t have, though—customers. And if the Wonderland doesn’t get them soon, P.T. and his friend Gloria may have to say goodbye to their beloved motel forever. They need to think BIG. They need to think BOLD. They need an OUTRAGEOUS plan. Luckily for them, Gloria is a business GENIUS, and OUTRAGEOUS is practically P.T.’s middle name. With Gloria’s smarts and P.T.’s world-famous stories and schemes, there’s got to be a way to save the Wonderland! BONUS: Includes fun extras like P. T. Wilkie’s outrageous (and sometimes useful) things you learn living in a motel. Installment 1: How to say “Help! The toilet is clogged!” in over twenty languages! Here''s What People are saying about Welcome to Wonderland! * A New York Times Bestseller * Sunshine State Young Readers Award List * Winner of the Sid Fleischman Humor Award * “Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars! Kids who check into this madcap motel will want to stay forever!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series "So funny I fell off my bed!"--Izzy B., age 10 "Classic Grabenstein. The mystery should satisfy Grabenstein’s “Mr. Lemoncello” followers, and the humor and visuals will appeal to fans of his collaborations with James Patterson. This new series should be a hit."—School Library Journal “A delight. P.T. is a hoot and a half. A funny, madcap dash. Grabenstein . . . threads in a mystery that blooms in the last act and that puts this particular read over the top."—Kirkus Reviews “Charm galore. Easy and breezy, this well-paced novel . . . belongs in the hands of any readers wanting their bad guys bad, their good guys great, and a little of Wonderland’s promised fun in the sun.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

This December, a girl who hates Christmas is in for the surprise of her life Ten-year-old Christina Lucci absolutely despises everything about Christmas. The carols, the eggnog, the decorations—and most of all, Santa Claus. And for good reason: It all reminds her of her firefighter father, who loved the holiday season but died on the job last Christmas. For Christina, no Christmas will ever be merry again. To make things worse, this year, her grandfather’s shoe repair shop is failing. Bills keep piling up and the bank is ready to seize the shop. What Christina needs is a Christmas miracle. With the holidays fast approaching, Christina’s miracle comes in the form of magical brownies, spunky little creatures who just happen to be great at repairing shoes. These tiny helpers have the power to turn Christina’s whole life around—and maybe even get her back in the Christmas spirit.

Bestselling author Chris Grabenstein and the Mystery Writers of America bring together twenty peerless puzzles—from bestselling authors such as Peter Lerangis, Stuart Gibbs, Lauren Magaziner, Kate Milford, and, of course, Grabenstein himself—in an anthology of mystery short stories that invite readers to try to unravel the riddles themselves. From tales of hapless superheroes and stolen squirrel monkeys to murderous triplets and haunted basements, these thrilling, puzzling, and hilarious cases have one thing in common—YOU get a chance to be the detective before the author reveals the solution. With twenty never-before-published mystery stories, this collection will leave young detectives sleuthing for more!

"Chris Grabenstein just might be the smartest writer for kids in the universe." —James Patterson The Smartest Kid in the Universe goes to genius camp in book two of this action-packed series from the New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello''s Library! Jake McQuade is the smartest kid in the universe—and he''s back to defend his title! This time, he is heading off to a camp for geniuses sponsored by billionaire tech mogul (and brilliant inventor) Zane Zinkle. But genius camp is not like regular camp. There are limo buses, robot polar bears, and high-tech cabins with high-tech toilets! But it isn’t all fun and brain games at camp, especially when Jake goes up against the artificially intelligent Virtuoso quantum computer—the smartest machine in the universe—which also happens to be Zinkle’s latest genius creation! It''s boy versus bot in this epic showdown packed with s''mores, puzzles, action, adventure, and hilarious, jelly bean-fueled fun! Bonus puzzle included!

aJames Patterson''s newest illustrated middle grade story follows the illuminating journey of a very special mouse, and the unexpected friendships that he makes along the way. What makes Isaiah so unique? First, his fur is as blue as the sky--which until recently was something he''d never seen, but had read all about. That''s right--Isaiah can read, and write. He can also talk to humans...if any of them are willing to listen! After a dramatic escape from a mysterious laboratory, Isaiah is separated from his "mischief" (which is the word for a mouse family), and has to use his special skills to survive in the dangerous outdoors, and hopefully find his missing family. But in a world of cruel cats, hungry owls, and terrified people, it''s hard for a young, lone mouse to make it alone. When he meets an equally unusual and lonely human girl named Hailey, the two soon learn that true friendship can transcend all barriers.

During rehearsals for a play based on his stepmother''s bestselling children''s books, eleven-year-old Zack discovers that the director is planning to raise a horde of evil specters from the dead by offering up a human sacrifice.