Most Popular Books by TONY ABBOTT

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! The city of Ut is a city of secrets. Mysteriously, it only appears once every one hundred years. And to enter, you need the key, which is kept in the magical bottle of Ut. Eric, Keeah, and the others need to get inside the city to help a friend. The good genie, Hoja, is being held prisoner there, and he needs rescuing! They have discovered the secret of the magic bottle, and so they know they can get inside the city walls. But what they don''t know is that Ut holds other secrets. Dark, dangerous secrets. Secrets that involve a certain sorcerer named Sparr...

Two reluctant readers and mischievous middle schoolers get transported into Bram Stoker''s vampire classic in this "lighthearted spoof" ( Publishers Weekly). Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—may be the best of friends, but they aren''t the best of students. After they''re busted for not reading Bram Stoker''s Dracula, their teacher sends them to the library to make amends by mending books. When they accidentally toss an ancient copy of the horror classic through the library''s broken metal detector, a huge crack opens in the wall—and sucks Devin and Frankie right into the novel itself. Now these sarcastic sixth graders will need a few stakes, a lot of garlic, and a sharp sense of humor to defeat the bloodthirsty count. In this first book in Tony Abbott''s Cracked Classics series, "Devin and Frankie are wisecracking underachievers and their characterizations and dialogue ring true. Abbott adroitly blends the language in Stoker''s tale with their conversations, resulting in laugh-out-loud scenes" ( School Library Journal).

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Everything in Droon is changing. Lord Sparr has disappeared. Ko and Gethwing have fled to the Dark Lands. And an old villain is back -- Ving, leader of the Hawk Bandits! This time, he has his twin sister in tow, along with her band of wicked pirates. Arrrg! They''re snatching magical stones from all over Droon, and using them to build an enchanted passageway that will transport nasty dragons from the past into the present. Can Eric and his friends put a stop to the pirates? Or will they be lost at sea?

Derek can''t claim to be a normal fourteen-year-old anymore. Not after what he discovered at the Red House. His role in the war against the dead is more pivotal --- and more terrifying --- than he could have imagined. And so it all comes down to this. The Rift between the worlds of the living and the dead has to be closed . . . forever. It seems like an impossible task. And it rests squarely on the shoulders of a slightly overweight, not especially brave kid named Derek Stone. If Derek is ever going to become a hero, now''s the time. "...kids looking for some down-home zombie action with a young hero to root for will likely find this a tantalizing appetizer for horrific bounty to come." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Oops! Julie made a big mistake when she brought a bracelet home from Droon. Now she''s upset the balance between worlds-and strange things are starting to happen. Eric''s dad has disappeared into Droon. And Lord Sparr himself might march into Eric''s basement with the help of his Golden Wasp!

Welcome to the Weird Zone, the UFO capital of the world, where crazy is ordinary and Martians will eat your brain! Life in Grover''s Mill is never boring. When best friends Liz, Holly, and Jeff arrive at the local lake one morning, they know it is only a matter of time before something weird happens. And unfortunately, they''re right. When disgusting alien zombies start rising from the center of the lake, the trio must escape—or their brains will become an afternoon snack! Now the three kids must put their heads together to stop the hungry monsters and save their town from destruction. But when Holly is marked as the next victim, can Liz and Jeff save her from a grisly fate?

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! The sea witch Demither is stirring up a storm in Droon. Keeah has to stop her! This mission could make or break Keeah''s wizard training. And Eric, Neal and Julie think they can help their friend. But many surprises await them in Demither''s underwater world-and many secrets will be revealed.

The Danger Guys head to the jungle on a quest to find an ancient treasure It’s Noodle and Zeek’s greatest adventure yet! The boys are excited to learn that they are going on a quest for the mysterious Golden Lizard with the Emersons, the famous husband-and-wife explorer team. What could be more daring and fun than a treasure hunt in the jungle? But as the group soon discovers, they aren’t the only ones after the Golden Lizard. When the Emersons are kidnapped, Noodle and Zeek know it is up to them to save the day. The boys must rescue the Emersons, fight off ninja linebackers, and find the Golden Lizard before the bad guys can. But the truth about the legendary Golden Lizard is something that Noodle and Zeek could never have imagined. Danger Guys and the Golden Lizard is the 6th book in Danger Guys, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric has been wounded during an epic battle with Ko and his beasts. Now, the young wizard lies in a coma, trapped in a dream-state halfway between fantasy and reality. Desperate to find a cure, Neal, Julie, and Princess Keeah rush to Samarindo, a beautiful but dangerous city famous for its dark magic. But they are immediately attacked by a group of bandits. Can the friends track down the cure before it''s too late?

Sixth graders Devin and Frankie try to save star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet when they''re magically transported into Shakespeare''s classic play. When their teacher assigns Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—the lead roles in their class production of Romeo and Juliet, the two best friends aren''t thrilled. How are they supposed to say their lines when they don''t even sound like they were written in English? Luckily, the library''s magic security gates come to their rescue again, and they leap into Shakespeare''s famous tragedy. Unfortunately, they land right in the middle of a sword fight between two warring families, the Montagues and the Capulets. When they find out that Romeo Montague has fallen in love with Juliet Capulet, Devin and Frankie decide it''s up to them to make sure this unlikely couple lives happily ever after. But can they change the book''s tragic end and save the young lovers from their fate? "The message that reading is important and can be fun comes through loud and clear," writes School Library Journal about the Cracked Classics series. "The short chapters make this an ideal read-aloud and a treat for reluctant readers."

"This affectionate if somewhat irreverent homage would probably win a chuckle from Twain himself" as pals tumble into Tom Sawyer ( School Library Journal). Sixth graders Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—are the greatest goof-offs in the history of their school. When their teacher tells them to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, they skip it. When there''s a surprise test on the novel, they hide. But when they accidentally drop the school''s prized Mark Twain autograph through the library''s magic metal detector, they find themselves transported to the world of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Soon these modern middle schoolers learn that being a troublemaker is timeless, as they whitewash a fence, run away from home, solve a murder mystery, become pirates, and search for hidden treasure along with Tom and Huck, the original slackers. "Reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne''s ''Magic Tree House'' series, but for an older audience," the second book in Tony Abbott''s Cracked Classics series is a perfect introduction to Mark Twain for reluctant readers ( School Library Journal).

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Ko''s beasts have taken over Doobesh, a dangerous city full of thieves and pirates. Now they''re hard at work at the magical forge in the nearby Dark Lands, creating powerful armor that will make them unstoppable. That is, unless Eric and his friends destroy the armor first. The race is on! Can the kids beat the beasts, flatten the forge, and dash out of the Dark Lands in time? On your mark . . . get set . . . GO!

Ned Banks is miserable. He''s the new kid in school--and he sticks out like a sore thumb. His life is going downhill fast. Until something happens. Ned''s not sure how he did it--but he beamed two kids from the year 2099 into his bedroom closet! Roop and Suzi are Time Surfers--cool kids who travel through time. And they want Ned to join them! Of course Ned says yes. He''s ready for excitement! Action! But he might get more than he bargained for.

Humongous Studios makes the weirdest horror movies ever, and in its next film, the monster is a real-life threat! Sean and Holly''s dad owns the wackiest business in Grover''s Mill: a horror filmmaking studio. For his newest movie, their dad has decided to feature a gigantic robot octopus as the star of the show. When Holly and Sean visit the studio with their friends, they are excited to get a first-hand look at how movies are made. Unfortunately, there is one problem: Gigantopus is completely out of control, and its alien master plans to use the star to take Grover''s Mill back to her home planet! In a fight fit for the big screen, Holly and Sean must battle Gigantopus and save their town from being sucked into space. This may turn out to be their dad''s oddest movie yet!

When an old nemesis reappears, Noodle and Zeek must save their town from a band of frozen cavemen Best friends Noodle and Zeek are on a skiing trip for Zeek’s birthday when they uncover more than just snow hidden away in the mountain: The boys have stumbled across cave dwellers who are thousands of years old! But when Noodle and Zeek come across their old nemesis, the evil Mr. Vazny, the boys are shocked to learn that he plans to resurrect the cavemen and make them destroy Mayville. Once again, the boys must work together to take down Mr. Vazny and stop his wicked scheme. But what happens if one of the cavemen escapes? It’s Noodle and Zeek to the rescue in this thrilling installment in the Danger Guys series. Danger Guys on Ice is the 5th book in Danger Guys, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

It''s time for the W. Reid Elementary science fair—home to the weirdest inventions ever, and a lot of trouble! Mike is sure he''s going to win the school science fair with his potato-powered radio, "Potadio." But when his contraption is electrocuted to life, Mike suddenly has more to worry about than winning first prize. Potadio has a bad attitude, and he now controls the minds of the teachers and students. With his army of minions, Potadio plans to take over the world! Mike must figure out how to beat this spud before becoming a brain-dead zombie himself. Luckily, he has access to a science fair full of crazy inventions that just might help him defeat his creation!

Huge Tiki heads with a grudge against Grover''s Mill are turning the town back into a jungle—it''s the Weird Zone''s weirdest trouble yet! All Mike and his friends want to do is play a game of baseball on their first day of summer vacation. But when Liz gets up to bat, home plate begins to shake. Suddenly, five odd-looking men carrying long sticks appear in the middle of the field. When they bang their sticks on the ground, Grover''s Mill turns into a jungle, and giant Tiki heads start popping out of the earth. Even worse, these evil Tiki heads are out for revenge against Grover''s Mill! An ancient prophecy predicts that the Tiki heads will destroy Grover''s Mill. The kids must find a way to prevent it from coming true—and then turn back time. But the Tiki heads seem too powerful to beat. Can the kids save the day before they get trapped in the past?

Liz and her friends battle a prehistoric dinosaur with a craving for junk food Everyone knows W. Reid Elementary has the grossest lunches—and the strangest problems. When piles of junk food start disappearing from the school''s cellar, Liz Duffey and her friends brush it off as another unexplainable mystery of life in the Weird Zone—their nickname for the zany town of Grover''s Mill. But when a scaly beast bursts out from underneath the cafeteria, they realize that what they thought was a mystery is a real monster with major hunger pangs! The kids must stop the creature from eating their entire school—and everyone in it. Is there anything this animal won''t eat? Liz has an idea, but she may not have time to put her plan into action before becoming a meal herself!

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! A new villain is running wild in Droon. Princess Salamandra is on a hunt for the flying Dragon Ship. Eric, Neal, and Julie must find it first, before Salamandra uses it to it try and take over the world! Only problem is that the ship is in pieces, and they are hidden in different places throughout Droon. It''s a scavenger hunt like no other - because magic can be found around every corner....

Bobby and his family are visiting Civil War battlefields on the eve of the war''s centenary, while inside their car, quiet battles rage. When an accident cuts their trip short, they return home on a bus and witness an incident that threatens to deny a black family seats. What they don''t know is the reason for the family''s desperation to be on that bus: a few towns away, their child is missing. Lunch-Box Dream presents Jim Crow, racism, and segregation from multiple perspectives. In this story of witnessing without understanding, a naïvely prejudiced boy, in brief flashes of insight, starts to identify and question his assumptions about race.