New Releases by Theo Baker

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by The New York Times “Poignant, maddening, and genuinely hilarious, How to Rule the World is to be devoured—and fast, before Stanford buys up and sets fire to every copy. (Talk about a burn book!)” —Mark Leibovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Town Winner of the George Polk Award for his investigation that brought down Stanford’s president, Theo Baker offers a revelatory and gripping account of Silicon Valley hubris Slush funds. Shell companies. Yacht parties. This is life for Silicon Valley’s favored teenagers. Seventeen-year-old Theo Baker showed up for freshman year at Stanford University as a tech-obsessed coder. It seemed like paradise. There were Rodin sculptures next to nuclear laboratories and inventors lounging with Olympians. But Baker soon discovered a culture that embraced corner-cutting, that vested infinite excess and access in the hands of kids with few safeguards to catch bad behavior. Stanford, he realized, was less a school than a business. Its annual budget was nearly twice that of Harvard or Yale and higher than those of 116 countries. The product? Students. Especially those special few identified as the next trillion-dollar startup founders. For them, there were secret societies, “pre-idea” funding offers, and social calls from billionaires, all with the expectation that these geniuses would soon join the ruling elite. At the helm of this business was Marc Tessier-Lavigne, a superstar neuroscientist and wealthy biotech executive. But when Baker joined the student newspaper and started poking around the Stanford president’s record, he discovered never-reported allegations of research misconduct in studies published across two decades bearing Tessier-Lavigne's name. Only one month into college and thousands of miles from home, Baker began receiving anonymous letters, going on stakeouts, and tracking down confidential sources. High-powered lawyers and public relations teams were hired to attack his reporting. Stanford opened an investigation into its own leader. And by the end of the year, Tessier-Lavigne was out as president. This is the incredible journey of a reluctant teenage reporter who uncovered a story that shook the scientific world and became front-page news across the country. It is also an unprecedented inside view of the students learning to rule the world—and what they’re learning from those who already do. How to Rule the World is a shocking, hilarious, and moving debut, showcasing Silicon Valley’s training ground as never before.

Will Hank’s school photo be another disaster on his parents’ shelf of shame? The latest novelization of the TV series based on the best-selling books by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. As seen on Universal Kids! Hank hates school photos. Something always goes wrong just before the FLASH — a spider lands on his nose, he bends down to tie his shoe, or his “smart-guy” pose ends up looking like a “nose-picker” shot. But this year, Hank is careful to take every possible precaution to ensure he takes a good picture. Unfortunately, between messy art class, a chocolate cake, and school bully McKelty, Hank’s picture-perfect appearance is in jeopardy. He’ll have to do some quick thinking (and quick changing) if he wants to get a good portrait before the photographer packs up. This likable character created by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver — inspired by Winkler's own childhood — returns for another side-splitting adventure in the popular series set in a dyslexia-friendly font.

An out-of-control pizza party. A lizard-feeding mishap. An overdue school project. What could go wrong? The world’s greatest underachiever is back! Hank Zipzer has a few tips for hosting an epic pizza party. No parents at home? Check. Pizza and ice cream galore? Accomplished. Friends invited? Check. History homework finished? Er, not quite. And Hank may have forgotten his vow never to pet-sit a lizard — especially a live-locusts-and-mealworms-eating one. Can Hank get his big project done before tomorrow, or will one disaster lead to another? Well, if history is any guide, the answer is pretty obvious. . . . The amiable character originated by Henry Winkler — inspired by his own childhood — returns in a comical adventure set in a font designed to boost readability for kids with dyslexia.

In Unexplained: Aliens and UFOs, readers in grades 4–8 will explore UFOs and the possibility of alien visitations. Readers are encouraged to use their imaginations and reasoning skills as they discover the history of UFOs, and seek an answer to that age-old question: Is anyone out there? The Unexplained series is designed for readers to be able to flip through until an image catches their interest. Each 32-page book includes spreads that feature a handful of info-packed sentences. Quick tidbits mean the book doesn't have to be read cover to cover, making this series perfect for reluctant readers.

Vibrant photos, exciting details, and historical context bring one of the hottest sports cars, the Maserati Gran Turismo, to life for readers of all ages.

Jones and his team must race across the surface of Venus carrying fragile cargo through dangerous terrain. But will they reach the finish before the pressure gets to them? Includes fun facts, websites, and other resources.

Earth kids meet alien kids in this action-packed series that follows young athletes throughout the universe competing in the Galaxy Games. Team Earth faces a hockey team that seems determined to play dirty because they are angry at Earthlings. But why are they so mad?

Underachiever Hank Zipzer goes on an unfortunate school camping trip in a comical, kid-friendly novelization of the popular BBC series based on Henry Winkler's best-selling books. What will it take for Mom and Dad to trust Hank to go to the mall unsupervised with his friends? Cooking a family dinner — er, disaster — doesn't exactly say “responsible.” But what if Hank signs up for the school's notorious survival camp and makes it through the whole weekend? Maybe he should factor in being teamed up with his nemesis, McKelty, in a leaky tent, not to mention a desperate search for a cell phone in a field of cow pies. . . . The amiable character originated by Henry Winkler — inspired by his own childhood — comes to life in a humorous adventure set in a font designed to boost readability for kids with dyslexia.

Detective T. Rex Smith teams up with police officer Genine Stieff to track down 14-year-old Cain Mapleson, who is being trained as a sniper by his family of right-wing extremists. The boy's target: a celebrity they regard as a heretic. T. Rex had been sexually molested as a boy by the neighborhood priest. Genine had encouraged her son to enlist in the Army where he was killed in Afghanistan. Both suffer from child-related traumas. Now as the clock counts down, they become romantically involved while trying find redemption by kidnapping Cain from the Mapleson clan before he's fully indoctrinated to kill.

Brave the elements while learning about all kinds of weather in this informative 8x8! Where does snow come from? Why does thunder crash? What's it like inside a tornado? In this easy-to-read 8x8 readers follow a team of scientists as they launch a weather balloon in various climates to discover the answers to these common questions and more. Despite increasing knowledge of weather patterns, many kinds of weather continue to mystify experts. Discover the wild world of weather—and don't forget your umbrella!

In this fourth book in the series of books based on the hit CBBC TV show, a school council seat is up for grabs at Westbrook Academy, and Hank's nemesis, Nick McKelty, and Hank's diabolical little sister, Emily, are launching campaigns to get it. Hank's plan to stop both of them from getting power is to run for the seat himself, and the election gets ugly fast. What won't the three do for votes?

Hard Hat Zone covers the concepts Community Workers & Helpers and Problem Solving. Construction sites are some of the most interesting places, especially for young boys. Join the workers as they use dump trucks, cranes, concrete mixers, backhoes, and payloaders to build a new skyscraper! Full of photographs, Hard Hat Zone is an exciting and informative read for children interested in how things are built.

Leo Lomax, the Sound Bender, returns in this globe-trotting sequel.Leo is back in New York, and things are worse than ever. His Uncle Crane has isolated him from his friends, pulled him from his school, and is keeping him under near-constant surveillance. When a strange mask once owned by his father begins to draw Crane's attention, however, Leo is presented with a devil's bargain. If he helps Crane find the mask's other half, he can return to his life and his friends. To sweeten the deal, Crane will even pay for a fact-finding mission to check out Leo's parents' plane crash. There's just one catch. In order to find the mask, Leo will have to travel across the world -- and take it from its rightful owners.

After their parents are declared dead, Leo and his brother Hollis are taken in by a wealthy but distant step-uncle, and when, on his thirteenth birthday, Leo acquires the ability to hear sounds from the past when touching certain objects, he tries to use the skill to rescue a dolphin, whatever the cost.