Most Popular Books by Jon Scieszka

release date: Oct 02, 2008

How did Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? Growing up as one of six brothers was a good start, but that was just the beginning. Throw in Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, jokes told at family dinner, and the result is Knucklehead. Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit.

Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

SPHDZ Book #1!

release date: Mar 08, 2011

The perfect combination of the age old experience of holding and pouring over a physical book with newest media technology that kids love!

Michael K. just started fifth grade at a new school. As if that wasn't hard enough, the kids he seems to have made friends with apparently aren't kids at all. They are aliens. Real aliens who have invaded our planet in the form of school children and a hamster. They have a mission to complete: to convince 3,140,001 kids to BE SPHDZ.

But with a hamster as their leader, "kids" who talk like walking advertisements, and Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their cover and pull off their assignment?

The Not-so-jolly Roger

release date: Jan 01, 2006

Once again, three friends are sent back in time by a magic book and they find themselves prisoners of the evil pirate Blackbeard.

Robot Zot!

release date: Sep 22, 2009

On a mission to conquer planet Earth, tiny but fearless Robot Zot and his mechanical sidekick leave a path of destruction as they battle kitchen appliances.

Trucks Line Up

release date: Jan 01, 2011

Jack truck takes the lead in this Ready to Roll, calling out colors and characteristics. All the trucks of Trucktown line up when it's their turn. But what about Pete? He's not red, or green, or pink, or blue. He doesn't have a scraper or flashers. Once he makes it to the line, it's a Trucktown parade of honks and hollers.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Goodreads Review: **You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong.** In this **hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point** of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.” “**In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version** of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs…. Smith's simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale.” —Children’s Literature **“Older kids (and adults) will find very funny.”** —School Library Journal

Summer Reading Is Killing Me! #7

Everyone's favorite time-travelers are changing their styles! The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka's wacky brand of humor.

Knights of the Kitchen Table

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

Sam Samurai #10

The Frog Prince, Continued

After the Princess kissed the frog, he turned into a handsome prince and they lived happily ever after... or "did they?" The Princess can't stand the Prince's froggy habits - the way he hops around on the furniture, or sneaks off to the lily pond. The Prince is unhappy, too, and decides that it would be best if he were changed back to a frog. But finding a witch who will do the job is harder than he expects. They all seem to have other spells in mind...

Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge?

Thanks to their magical book, Fred, Sam, and Joe inadvertently travel through time to 1877 New York City, where they and their granddaughters, who have also come from the future, help them find a way back to their own time.

Math Curse

Did you ever wake up to one of those days where everything is a problem? You have 10 things to do, but only 30 minutes until your bus leaves. Is there enough time? You have 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. Can you make 1 good outfit? Then you start to wonder: Why does everything have to be such a problem? Why do 2 apples always have to be added to 5 oranges? Why do 4 kids always have to divide 12 marbles? Why can't you just keep 10 cookies without someone taking 3 away? Why? Because you're a victim of the Math Curse. That's why. But don't despair. This is one girl's story of how that curse can be broken.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Picture books-2013 Summer Reading for Entering G 3-4

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales is the ultimate in fractured fairy tales. Not only do the characters create their own stories, they also design the structure of the book itself. Classic fairy tales are deconstructed and rewritten with different but recognizable names, such as The Princess and the Bowling Ball, The Really Ugly Duckling, The Tortoise and the Hair and Chicken Licken. These stories and their characters intersect and create a mish-mash of narratives. Scieszka also mocks the conventions of books in general; the title page, dedication, and even the public information page have all been deconstructed. For example, Scieszka sneaks in the line “Anyone caught telling these fairly stupid tales will be visited, in person, by the Stinky Cheese Man” on the publication data page.

Lists with This Book:

100 Books That Shaped The Century

100 Books Every Boy Should Read

School Library Journal top 100 picture books

Melvin Might?

by: Jon Scieszka, David Shannon, David Gordon

release date: Oct 28, 2008

Cement Mixer Melvin worries a lot. He worries he might get dirty. He worries he might get stuck. He even worries he might get worried. But one fateful day Rescue Rita is in need of a little rescuing, and Trucktown's biggest worrywart is the only one who can save the day. There's just one problem: He worries he can't. Jon Scieszka's latest racing and rollicking installment to the Trucktown franchise is a hilarious (and maybe even a little heartwarming) look at all the things a cement mixer can do...no matter how much he worries!

Spaceheadz

The campaign to save the earth from being turned off is going well, but Michael K. must enlist fellow fifth-graders Venus and TJ to help hide the SPHDZ from Agent Umber, especially when they become involved in a school play.

List with This Book:

Baloney (Henry P.)

by: Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

The twisted team that gave the world Squids Will Be Squids and The Stinky Cheese Man now delivers a whole lot of Baloney. Henry P. Baloney. Henry is an alien schoolkid who needs to come up with one very good excuse to explain why he is late for szkola, again. Otherwise, his teacher Miss Bugscuffle promises, it's Permanent Lifelong Detention.

Henry's tall tale of his lost zimulis-received from deep space by Jon Scieszka-is told in at least twenty different Earth languages and graphically recreated in Lane Smith's out-of-this-world illustrations.

The unbelievable trip into Henry's wild universe may be the most original excuse ever for being late for szkola. Or it might just be Baloney. Henry P. Baloney.

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor: Book One

by: Jon Scieszka, Brian Biggs

"I never thought science could be funny . . . until I read Frank Einstein. It will have kids laughing."
-Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

"Dear Frank Einstein,
Please invent time machine. Send your books back in time to me in 1978.
Also a levitating skateboard.
Tommy"
-Tom Angleberger, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Frank Einstein loves figuring out how the world works by creating household contraptions that are part science, part imagination, and definitely unusual. After an uneventful experiment in his garage-lab, a lightning storm and flash of electricity bring Frank's inventions-the robots Klink and Klank-to life! Not exactly the ideal lab partners, the wisecracking Klink and the overly expressive Klank nonetheless help Frank attempt to perfect his Antimatter Motor . . . until Frank's archnemesis, T. Edison, steals Klink and Klank for his evil doomsday plan! Using real science, Jon Scieszka has created a unique world of adventure and science fiction-an irresistible chemical reaction for middle-grade readers.

STARRED REVIEW
"In the final analysis, this buoyant, tongue-in-cheek celebration of the impulse to 'keep asking questions and finding your own answers' fires on all cylinders."
--Booklist, starred review

"Scieszka mixes science and silliness again to great effect."
-Kirkus Reviews

"In refusing to take itself too seriously, it proves that science can be as fun as it is important and useful."
-Publishers Weekly

"With humor, straightforward writing, tons of illustrations, and a touch of action at the end, this book is accessible and easy to read, making it an appealing choice for reluctant readers. A solid start to the series."
--School Library Journal

"Kids will love Frank Einstein because even though he is a new character he will be instantly recognizable to the readers...Jon Scieszka is one of the best writers around, and I can't wait to see what he does with these fun and exciting characters."
-Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl

"Jon Scieszka's new series has the winning ingredients that link his clever brilliance in story telling with his knowledge of real science, while at the same time the content combination of fiction and non fiction appeals to the full range of the market."
-Jack Gantos, Dead End in Norvelt

Science Verse (Golden Duck Awards. Picture Book (Awards))

by: Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

"Amoeba"
Don't ever tease a wee amoeba
By calling him a her amoeba.
And don't call her a him amoeba.
Or never he a she amoeba.
'Cause whether his or hers amoeba,
They too feel like you and meba.

What if a boring lesson about the food chain becomes a sing-aloud celebration about predators and prey? A twinkle-twinkle little star transforms into a twinkle-less, sunshine-eating-and rhyming Black Hole? What if amoebas, combustion, metamorphosis, viruses, the creation of the universe are all irresistible, laugh-out-loud poetry? Well, you're thinking in science verse, that's what. And if you can't stop the rhymes . . . the atomic joke is on you. Only the amazing talents of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the team who created Math Curse, could make science so much fun.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs: Book & Tape Package

by: Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

In this best-selling collaboration between author (and performer) Jon Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith, with music by noted composer Kurt Hoffman, you will hear Alexander T. Wolf tell the story from his point of view. Side one features narration and music, while side two has music alone, so that you can read it out loud by yourself.

Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci #14 (Time Warp Trio)

by: Jon Scieszka, Adam McCauley

You probably know that Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. Didyou know that he also invented an early version of a helicopter and a tank, and that he planned to execute the Time Warp Trio for spying on his inventions? Sam's bright idea to look for the inventor of the Book takes the guys to 15th century Italy to meet up with Leonardo. But it's going to take at least three more bright ideas, two magic tricks, and one great invention to get them out of trouble and safely back home. If not, it could be a lifetime of Italian army toilet-cleaning detail for Joe, Sam, and Fred.

The Swiss Family Robinson (Puffin Classics)

by: Johann D. Wyss, Jon Scieszka

Following a wild and raging storm, the Swiss family Robinson are stranded at sea. But the thundering waves have swept them off to a tropical island, where a new life awaits them. Their ship is laden with supplies and the island is packed with treasures, so they soon adapt and discover new dangers and delights every day . . . With an inspiring introduction by American author and America's first children's laureate Jon Scieszka.

Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger (Frank Einstein series #2): Book Two

by: Jon Scieszka, Brian Biggs