New Releases by Kirk Scroggs

Perfect for animal lovers and fans of Lumberjanes, here is a hilarious graphic novel about a boy named Finch with the not-so-secret ability to control animals, and his mission to save the school musical and win the heart of his crush. Finch Eaglehawk may seem like an average oddball with a taste for the dramatic and glam-rock musical numbers, but he has a secret. Finch is a PetWizard, with the ability to control the animal kingdom—well, the “et cetera” category of the animal kingdom. Though he loves his naked mole rats, bearded dragons, and boa constrictors, Finch yearns for more. With the help of his best friend, Aberdeen, a mysterious new kid named Erica, and an ancient PetMaster manual, Finch tries to learn how to own his powers and use them to help those in need, protect the vulnerable, and, most important, impress his crush, Ken Chu, the star of the upcoming school musical.

Kirk Scroggs, writer and artist of The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid, introduces a new type of best friend! Casey has always loved monster movies; in fact, he considers himself something of an expert on the subject. He spends his day doing normal kid things, like attending school and riding his bike around his town of Serena Mar-and filling his journal with helpful ways to take care of the various monsters who live all around them, who no one else seems to know exist. But as Casey delves deeper into the history of his spooky friends-or are they fiends?-he uncovers more than just skeletons in the closet. Turns out there’s a Frankenstein and maybe a werewolf tucked in there, too! And he’s just starting to wonder if it’s possible that his new friend, Zandra, has a secret of her own, as well... We Found a Monster is a fun, funny, and fast-paced tale about learning what true friendship is, and respecting the secrets we all have inside.

Warning! Anyone caught reading this notebook without my permission will be tossed in the bayou with a rabid snapping turtle! Seriously, I mean it! My name is Russell Weinwright and if you think you''ve got problems in middle school, try being a half kid, half algae swamp creature who''s terrible at sports! It''s not easy. I eat sunlight for lunch, I''ve got duck weed for hair, and I think a frog might be living in my tree trunk arm. I''m literally pond scum! Some kids call me Swamp Kid, but my best friends Charlotte and Preston keep me sane. I wish I could let you read this notebook to get the real scoop on being an eighth-grade outsider (please ignore the doodles and ketchup stains!), but things have gotten a little crazy lately. Men in black are spying on me, my science teacher might be an evil mastermind, and a hulking beast in the bayou may or may not be my super swamp mentor. Believe me, you don''t wanna know! Turn back now! This is The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid by writer and illustrator Kirk Scroggs, and you''ll never look at middle school the same way again.

This exciting comic features excerpts from THE SECRET SPIRAL OF SWAMP KID by acclaimed writer / illustrator Kirk Scroggs and BLACK CANARY: IGNITE by Meg Cabot, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and rising star artist Cara McGee. Russell is a middle schooler nicknamed "Swamp Kid" by his classmates who has algae for hair, a tree trunk of a right arm, a frog for a best friend, and a carrot for a finger. Russell details, in both hilarious text and color illustrations, what it''s like to be different, to be comfortable in his own skin (no matter how slimy), and to discover his true talents. In the second story, thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she''s going. First, she''ll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she''ll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock-star group of friends may even save the world, but first they''ll need to agree on a band name. Don''t miss your chance to sample these exciting titles from the DC Zoom line of graphic novels for middle grade readers.This exciting comic features excerpts from THE SECRET SPIRAL OF SWAMP KID by acclaimed writer / illustrator Kirk Scroggs and BLACK CANARY: IGNITE by Meg Cabot, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and rising star artist Cara McGee. Russell is a middle schooler nicknamed "Swamp Kid" by his classmates who has algae for hair, a tree trunk of a right arm, a frog for a best friend, and a carrot for a finger. Russell details, in both hilarious text and color illustrations, what it''s like to be different, to be comfortable in his own skin (no matter how slimy), and to discover his true talents. In the second story, thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she''s going. First, she''ll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she''ll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock-star group of friends may even save the world, but first they''ll need to agree on a band name. Don''t miss your chance to sample these exciting titles from the DC Zoom line of graphic novels for middle grade readers.

Book Three in this highly-illustrated, interactive mystery series is perfect for newly independent readers! Fourth-grade detectives Logan Lang and Gustavo Muchomacho have established themselves as Murkee City''s premier private eyes, but are they ready for the smelliest case yet? Their school lunches have been infested with stink bugs, and Lunch Lady Chives has been hauled off to Salisbury State Prison for the crime! Logan is convinced Chives has been framed, but who could come up with a plot so nefarious? Find out in this third installment of the wildly wacky Snoop Troop series! Over a dozen pages of bonus backmatter are loaded with extra puzzles and doodle activities!

This second book in the wildly wacky Snoop Troop series is just right for newly independent readers, with art on every page, interactive seek-and-find elements, and a chance to solve the mystery! Fourth-grade detectives Logan Lang and Gustavo Muchomacho have landed their next case: a sneaky ninja is stealing the town''s potato supply! The gumshoes are pretty sure a weirdo kindergartener named Chapster (who has a serious fondness for gouda cheese and cats) is the thief, but they soon discover that this case goes far beyond one crazy kid. There''s a whole army of Chapster clones waiting for them! Who is creating them, and why would the mastermind behind this nefarious plot want to take away tater tots and French fries from potato-loving children everywhere? Visit lb-kids.com to print out bonus content including puzzles and doodle activities!

Every newly independent reader will be rolling on the floor--and has a chance to solve the mystery--in this wildly wacky mash-up of chapter book and graphic novel, with art on every page, interactive seek-and-find elements, and more! In this first book of the series, fourth-grade detective Logan Lang is facing the biggest case of her career. Someone--or something--is stealing everything that kids love. Toys! The amusement park carousel! Even the school playground! All of them sucked underground without a trace. Logan will have to team up with her longtime nemesis and super cop wannabe Gustavo Muchomacho if she wants to stop this subterranean scoundrel. With her serious doodling skills and his arsenal of high-tech sky mustaches, they''ll race against the clock to unearth a master criminal. Bonus backmatter is loaded with extra puzzles, word jumbles, instructions for drawing suspects, and doodle activities!

This kooky, creature-crammed romp for early readers keeps the pages turning with pictures--and laughs--on every page. Prepare to rough it on a trip that will have you shivering in your hiking boots! In BIGFOOT BACKPACKING BONANZA, Wiley and his friend Jubal are rejected from the Spudscouts and decide to tackle the great outdoors on a crazy camping adventure of their own.

Wiley and Grampa set out for some fun in the sun at GinghamCounty''s finest water park, Castle Waterhösen. But when robot sharks and half human, half crawdad creatures attack and Nate Farkles goes missing, Wiley and Grampa must abandon dreams of conquering the mile-high slide and discover what masked phantom lurks in the bowels of the park. Will Wiley and his posse become fish food or will the crawdads be tossed into the boiling crockpot of justice? Get ready for a wild ride down MountFlushmore!

This utterly absurd, wacky and weird compilation of the first three books in the Wiley & Grampa''s Creature Features series is packed with monsters, mayhem, and pictures on every page! In the rip-roaring adventures, Wiley and goofy Grampa get mixed up with everything from vampires to zombies to a legendary sea monster and always manage to land in deep doodoo. Luckly, they have no-nonsense Gramma and a troop of neighborhood friends to swoop in and save the day! At over three hundred pages, this volume includes fan favorites Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular, Grampa''s Zombie BBQ, and Monster Fish Frenzy.

This kooky, creature-crammed romp for early readers keeps the pages turning with pictures--and laughs--on every page. In HAIRBALL FROM OUTER SPACE!, could Gramma really be brainwashed by aliens who want to take over the planet with fast food joints--serving dishes made from the good people of Gingham County? Wiley and Grampa, to the rescue!

Some fossilized dino dooky made its way into the pet food supply, and all of the Gingham County critters who ate it have reverted back to their ancient selves. Merle''s a sabre-toothed kitty, Paco the goldfish is now a dangerous Megalodon, Wiley''s new pet lizard, Lupe, has become a snarling T-rex, and poor Nate Farkles, the town vet, is up to his ears in dinosaurs. If only Grampa hadn''t mistaken a doggy biscuit for a gingerbread cookie, he and Wiley might''ve had a chance of taming the deadly dinos. But it''s never over ''til it''s over with this hilarious duo--Grampa may be ancient, but he''s agile!

THRILLS! CHILLS! CRAZY COYOTE-WEREWOLF PEOPLE! WHAT MORE COULD A KID WANT? Welcome to the extremely abnormal, weird and wacky, utterly absurd world of WILEY & GRAMPA''S CREATURE FEATURES, a hoot-out-loud early reader series. In the fourth book in the series, hapless, goofy Grampa and his grandson Wiley are in for another zany adventure: The Gingham County Cracklins--the Texas'' 100th ranked soccer team (on a scale of 1-50)--face the Carpathian Coyotes, the number one elementary soccer team in the nation, infamous for their monstrous abilities During the highlight of the game, Grampa''s bitten by their mascot in a full-fledged brawl. Suddenly, Grampa''s growing fangs and howling at the full moon--he''s transformed into a were-yote (half man, half coyote)--and escapes into the night! Can Merle''s keen sense of smell help Wiley track down the elusive half beast/half old guy? Will Grampa get his revenge on the mangy mascot? Only Dr. Hans Lotion knows how to reverse Grampa''s curse--but will he do it?

This wonderfully weird and wacky early reader series delivers laugh-a-page humor that is perfect for reluctant readers. In the seventh hysterical tale, a carton of rancid eggnog bubbles to life, devouring unfortunate citizens and plastic reindeer on the lawns of Gingham County. With the power to morph into the shape of people, the eggy menace seems unstoppable, withstanding spitballs and even a group of relentless Christmas carolers. Will Wiley and Grampa, with the help of Roberto Claus--the fruitcake-wielding owner of Santa''s Happytown Shanty Village--save the day, or will the killer eggnog leave a trail of chaos and nutmeg in its slippery path?

In the third book in the series, hapless, goofy Grampa and his grandson Wiley are in for another zany adventure: They''re out to capture Moby Fizz, the biggest, bloated, most deformed bass the world has ever known--dead, alive or deep-fried. Readers be warned: You''re about to see prehistoric fish the size of a small town, you''ll witness a terrifying pirhana attack, and you''ll even see Grampa wearing nothing but a grass skirt. That''s right, it ain''t pretty. And it ain''t easy plunging the depths of Lake Putrid to capture a whale--at least not without the help of Gramma and the reunited Gingham County Ladies water skiiing team, and Paco, Grampa''s prized pet goldfish.

When Grampa and Wiley sneak out of the house on a stormy Halloween night to attend Colonel Dracula''s Monster Truck Spectacular, they run into trouble from which only Gramma and an F5 tornado can save them.

When zombies show up at their annual barbecue, Wiley and Grampa try to find a way to stop the hungry creatures from eating the other guests until Gramma comes to the rescue with a surprise weapon.

This wonderfully weird and wacky early reader series is perfect for reluctant readers. In the ninth hysterical tale, Wiley & Grampa are bound find themselves in yet another bone-chilling adventure. These two are sure to get into mischief as they encounter the ghoulish side of Ginham County. You''re in for another kooky classic as Wiley & Grampa step in to save the day!