Best Selling Books by Tony Abbott

Think your town is weird? Step into Grover''s Mill—known to the local kids as the "Weird Zone"—from the award-winning author of the Secrets of Droon series. There''s no place like home. Seriously, there''s no place like the bizarre town of Grover''s Mill, home to friends Liz, Holly, Sean, Jeff, and Mike—but also to aliens, monsters, dinosaurs, giant robots, and a potato capable of mind control. It could have something to do with the location—in the middle of a triangle containing a secret UFO testing base, a dinosaur burial ground, and a cheesy horror movie studio. Whatever the reason, enter at your own risk . . . Zombie Surf Commandos from Mars!: When disgusting alien zombies start rising from the lake, Holly, Liz, and Jeff must escape—or their brains will become an afternoon snack. The Incredible Shrinking Kid!: After a blast of purple light zaps Holly''s brother, Sean—shrinking him to four inches—the friends need to make sure he doesn''t end up in an evil toy-store owner''s collection. The Beast from Beneath the Cafeteria!: Liz and her friends battle a dinosaur with a craving for junk food—and an appetite for destruction. Attack of the Alien Mole Invaders!: Not to make a mountain out of a molehill—but a colony of giant moles from outer space has tunneled under Grover''s Mill. With the help of a secret government invention, Jeff and Holly must stop them in their tracks. The Brain That Wouldn''t Obey!: Mike is sure he''s going to win the school science fair with his potato-powered radio, "Potadio." But when his invention is electrocuted to life and takes over the minds of the teachers and students, it''s boy vs. spud. Gigantopus from Planet X!: When Sean and Holly must battle a gigantic robot octopus controlled by an evil alien, it sucks big-time. Cosmic Boy Versus Mezmo Head!: After an alien blasts Jeff with an X-ray on his way to audition for his school''s outer space version of The Wizard of Oz, his favorite childhood toy, a Cosmic Boy space helmet, gets stuck on his head. The space invader has his own mind-controlling Mezmo head helmet, and now the two will butt heads . . . or, uh, helmets. Revenge of the Tiki Men!: There''s no time to lounge around—huge Tiki heads with a grudge against Grover''s Mill are turning the town back into a jungle. It''s up to the kids to fend off a total disaster.

In this hardcover storybook with foil on the cover, Peppa and her friends imagine the different jobs they could have when they grow up.

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?

Eric and his friends try to rescue Hoja the genie from the city of Ut, which is contained in a tiny bottle.

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!

From convict colony to great democracy Australia is one of the world''s great success stories: a land long hidden from outsiders, chosen as a convict dumping ground, where - since 1788 - people from many backgrounds have built one of the most free, fair and prosperous countries on earth. By the standards of a harsher time, the early governors tried to respect the original inhabitants and to encourage the outcasts of the British Isles to make a new start to a better life. This Indigenous heritage, British foundation and immigrant character have shaped the land of the ''fair go'' especially for those willing to ''have a go''. It''s not perfect, even now, yet mostly we have a history to be proud of. Within a century of settlement, Australia had not only the world''s highest standard of living but had become a global pioneer for democratic freedoms such as the secret ballot, the payment of MPs and voting rights for women. A country largely created by settlement and negotiation has evolved from ''White Australia'' at the time of federation into one of the world''s most colour-blind societies and has managed the transition from an old ''Anglo'' identity to a civic patriotism based on an overriding commitment to Australia. This book is intended to give anyone interested - as every Australian should be - an account of our past that''s positive, while not oblivious to our mistakes and imperfections as a nation. If to be an Australian is still to have won the lottery of life, the history that''s produced us is surely something to savour.

Aliens are literally popping out of the ground, but luckily, Jeff and Holly have a few tricks up their sleeves Jeff Ryan and his friends want to play street hockey, but someone has stolen their puck. When the kids try to get it back, they discover the culprit is a giant mole from space. A colony of aliens has tunneled under Grover''s Mill, and they want to take over the town by killing the humans—starting with Jeff''s friends! With the help of a secret government invention, Jeff and Holly race to rescue the captives and defend their turf before the moles attack. But will they be too late to save the day?

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! The home of Khan, king of the Lumpies, has been ransacked! A treacherous band of thieves, the Rat-faced Snitchers of Zoop, has stolen a mysterious treasure that the Lumpies had vowed to protect. Now Eric, Neal, Julie, and Keeah must pursue the Snitchers back to their hideaway on the edge of the Dark Lands. But they are not alone. For Ko, the kids'' most fearsome enemy, is after the treasure, too. Can Eric and his friends find it before the king of beasts?

For two sixth graders who feel about school the way Scrooge feels about Christmas, a magical trip into Dickens''s tale is just what their spirits need. It''s Christmastime at Palmdale Middle School, and the sixth grade class has organized a holiday banquet for local families in need. Best friends Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—are excited to eat, but they forgot to bring in food donations. They also didn''t read A Christmas Carol for Mr. Wexler''s English class. While the two fight over the school''s last copy, the library''s magic security gates suddenly transport them straight into Charles Dickens''s timeless tale, where they come face to face with grouchy Ebenezer Scrooge, who''s about to get a wake-up call from some ghosts on Christmas Eve. As the ghosts show the stingy Scrooge the consequences of all the selfish choices he''s made in life, Devin and Frankie come to realize that they too have a few things to learn about kindness and generosity. Reluctant readers "Devin and Frankie are wisecracking underachievers and their characterizations and dialogue ring true" in Tony Abbott''s Cracked Classics series ( School Library Journal).

When two sixth-grade friends magically enter classic literary books, their fun-filled adventures are "a treat for reluctant readers" ( School Library Journal). They just didn''t want to read the books! Instead, through their school library''s magic security gates, sixth graders Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—are zapped into great works of literature and new worlds of adventure, including Dracula, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Around the World in Eighty Days, A Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, and Romeo and Juliet. "The message that reading is important and can be fun comes through loud and clear" ( School Library Journal). Trapped in Transylvania: Transported into Bram Stoker''s vampire classic, the sarcastic sixth graders will need a few stakes, a lot of garlic, and a sharp sense of humor to defeat the bloodthirsty Count Dracula. Mississippi River Blues: These modern middle schoolers learn being a troublemaker is timeless, as they whitewash a fence, run away from home, solve a murder, become pirates, and search for hidden treasure along with Tom and Huck, the original slackers. What a Trip!: When you can travel into books, going around the world is easy. In the company of mad explorer Phileas Fogg, Devin and Frankie embark on a round-the-world journey by train, ship, and hot air balloon. Humbug Holiday: For two sixth graders who feel about school the way Scrooge feels about Christmas, an enchanted trip into Charles Dickens''s tale is just what their spirits need. X Marks the Spot: Devin and Frankie become marooned middle schoolers when they are swept away to Treasure Island and must match wits with legendary pirate Long John Silver. Crushing on a Capulet: Devin and Frankie try to save star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet when they find themselves in Shakespeare''s classic play.

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!

Could the road to the afterlife be a two way street? Derek just turned 14 and has lived in New Orleans his whole life. And, he''s on the run from the dead who seem to be after him. He doesn''t know why, but he also doesn''t have long to figure it out.

Travel deeper into the mysterious world of the Copernicus Legacy with the Copernicus Archives: exciting, fast-paced novellas that get you close to the characters and the heart of the adventure. The Copernicus Archives #2: Becca and the Prisoner''s Cross is studious language expert Becca''s thrilling first-person account of the next stop in the Kaplans'' perilous journey. As Becca and her family race through London, it''s up to Becca to make sense of the strange time blackouts she''s experiencing before the evil Teutonic Order beats them to the next relic. Or worse, hurts the people she loves. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson, Becca and the Prisoner''s Cross continues the thrilling Copernicus Legacy quest and brings one of the characters into the spotlight. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Oh no! The secret of Droon is a secret no longer. Eric''s mother knows about the rainbow staircase . . . and what''s worse, so does Gethwing. The Moon Dragon has sent his minions to the Upper World to search for a magical object that could give him power over all of Droon. Now no place is safe from Gethwing''s dark magic. . . .

The epic conclusion to the action-packed arc! It all comes down to this.Owen, Dana, Jon, and Sydney have to prevent Loki from finding the powerful Crystal Rune. That means they need to find it first, no matter what. But tracking down the rune is only the beginning. . . .Loki is taking his battle for power to the world of the Norse gods -- and he''s bringing an army of Underworldly creatures with him, including a fierce ice dragon. The stakes are high: Dana''s parents are missing, and Pinewood Bluffs is under attack. Loki is threatening to destroy our world - for good. Owen and his friends can''t let that happen. But do they stand a chance of stopping him?

Noodle and Zeek team up again to beat an evil scientist and save their school When best friends Noodle and Zeek get on a rocket ride at the carnival, they have no idea that they are about to be blasted into danger. The rocket turns out to be real, and when Noodle and Zeek crash-land, they are sucked into a secret laboratory under Mayville School. There they find their old science teacher Mr. Vazny—who’s about to blow it up! The boys must snap into action to stop Vazny from going through with his evil plan. But to do so, they must defeat a giant robot, learn to fly the rocket, and defuse the bomb before it’s too late. Can Noodle and Zeek save their school in time? The boys have their work cut out for them in this exciting Danger Guys adventure. Danger Guys Blast Off is the 2nd book in Danger Guys, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

This is make or break time for the Australian Constitution. Should we retain an allegiance to the Queen or should we reject two hundred years of constitutional heritage? These are the big questions canvassed by this book - which is essential reading for anyone who cares about Australia''s future. Tony Abbott has been a leading opponent of an Australian republic. In this book, he acknowledges the emotional power of the republican case and offers republicans an historic compromise that establishes an Australian head of state but preserves the existing system of government. His proposal, to turn the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief into an Australian President and head of state too, is the first significant attempt by a defender of the existing system to participate in the process of constitutional reform.

TV cameras follow Spencer Babbitt and his wacky friends around their Hollywood school, creating havoc at every turn. This story captures the excitement and humor of children''s sitcoms by fusing actual scripting techniques with traditional narrative style.

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric is tossing and turning in his sleep! And his wild dream can only mean one thing - he is being called back to the land of Droon. But when Eric, Julie, and Neal step off the rainbow stairs, they find that something is very wrong in their magical world. Someone has been stealing people''s dreams! And the kingdom of Droon is getting awfully tired of it. So now it''s up to our friends to stop this dream thief, before he becomes a serious nightmare...

Ned and the Time Surfers have received an urgent message. A weird signal is being picked up from an abandoned space station--and it''s their job to check it out. But when they get there, they soon realize they''re not alone. Two evil villains from Ned''s comic books--Vorg and Klenn--are waiting for the kids.