Showing results by author "Dan Gutman" in All Categories

School’s almost out for the summer, and A.J. is dreaming about all the fun things he’s going to do on vacation. But A.J.’s dream quickly turns into a nightmare when three familiar spirits appear to show him summers past, present, and yet to come. Will they be able to convince him to leave his bad ways behind? Or will this summer end up being a total bummer?

One minute Qwerty Stevens is researching a last-minute report on the internet, and the next minute Benjamin Franklin is sitting on his bed! Thanks to the Anytime Anywhere Machine hooked up to his computer, Qwerty has snatched Franklin from July 4, 1776, the very day the Declaration of Independence was signed. Qwerty and his best friend, Joe, realize they have to get Franklin back in time for the signing, and they can't resist seeing it with their own eyes. Can the boys make sure the Declaration gets signed like history says it should? And can they make it back home?

Mr. Klutz is retiring! (A surprise even to him, courtesy of scheming Dr. Carbles.) Vice principal Mrs. Jafee thinks it’s her time to shine, but Dr. Carbles has hired someone else for the job! Stand-up comedian Mrs. Stoker is ready to defend her place as principal in a joke-off against Mrs. Jafee.

Did you know that Theodore Roosevelt was shot before a rally, and went on to give his speech with the bullet in his chest? Or that he skinny-dipped in the Potomac River? Bet you didn’t know that he had a zebra, a lion, and a one-legged rooster at the White House! Siblings Paige and Turner have collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about the larger-than-life president, from his childhood and his Rough Rider days to his rise to politics and his complicated presidential legacy.

It's time for the annual Ella Mentry School fund-raiser, and guess who's in charge? Alexia's mom, Ms. Sue! She has the teachers selling everything from summer sausages and cheesy popcorn to dead goldfish in plastic bags to raise money for new playground equipment. But what happens when Ms. Sue crosses the line? Somebody's going to end up in the big house (and by "big house", we don't mean a big house!).

Test scores are low and stress levels are high at Ella Mentry School. Wellness expert Ms. Jo-Jo has come to help A.J. and his friends relax so they can ace the upcoming Fundamental Arithmetic/Reading Test. But can turtle yoga and crystal salt lamps really help A.J. and his friends relax and focus? Or will the F.A.R.T. end up blowing them all away?

Jimmy, David, and Henry are psyched. It's summer, school's out, and they are on their way to California, where they will be able to do some major skating. But on the plane, the unthinkable happens: They are hijacked by terrorists. As frightened as they may be, they take action and they succeed. Sort of. They may have beaten the terrorists, but now their plane has crashed in the middle of nowhere and all of a sudden, their summer vacation is about finding food, shelter, and a rescue. Can three normal 12-year-old boys find a way to get by without fast food and skate parks?

A.J. and the gang are all old enough now to participate in after-school clubs, but they’ve never heard of clubs like these. Forget Chess Club, Book Club, or Computer Club—Ella Mentry School only has wacky clubs like Lawn Mower Racing Club, Cloud Watching Club, and Underwater Hockey Club. And Miss Marge is in charge of every group! Will the kids be able to find the perfect club under these very weird circumstances?

Something weird is going on! First the school bus gets a flat tire, and then Mrs. Kormel is totally lost in the middle of nowhere! Mrs. Kormel is the weirdest bus driver in the history of the world, and she's driving everyone crazy!

How does the president get his job? How do people know who will win an election before everybody’s voted? Do the candidates hate each other? Dan Gutman takes on his strangest subject ever: the American political system. Reaching through history from the days of the founding fathers to today’s voting system, Gutman tackles complex subjects in a clear, easy-to-understand way. Even grown-ups will find something in here that they’ve never learned before.

When cows across the country go on strike and cause a nationwide cheese shortage, everyone initially welcomes Romano, Fontina, Mozzarella, and Monterey Jack. These cliche-cracking giant cheeseheads claim they will return cheese to supermarket shelves everywhere. But Funny Boy isn't fooled for a minute. He knows these moldy manipulators are malicious aliens. You can bet your bottom dollar that Funny Boy will burn the midnight oil to come up with an artillery of jokes to defeat these cheesy aliens.

Funny Boy, a superhero who disarms villains with his powerful sense of humor, must save the Earth from a trio of bubble-headed barbers from another planet.

A.J. and his friends are starting fourth grade. A new school year means a new teacher, and Miss Banks may be their weirdest one yet. She won’t stop playing practical jokes on the class, and A.J. has reached his breaking point. Will he and the gang learn to not fall for their teacher’s tricks? Or will Miss Banks prevail as the ultimate prankster?

Eddie "Air" Ball wants to win the Finkle Foods poetry contest for a chance to sink a million-dollar free throw at halftime of the NBA finals. He knows he can make the shot, no problem. He's not so sure he can write a winning poem, though. Luckily, Eddie has the help of his best friend, Annie "Oakley" Stokely. Not only is Annie as good at shooting baskets as Eddie is, she also knows a lot about writing poems.

We, the members of the Get Rich Quick Club, in order to form a more perfect summer, vow we will figure out a way to make a million dollars by September. We agree that neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will prevent us from achieving our stated goal, until death do us part.

When Joe Stoshack holds a baseball card, his hand starts to tingle. And if the card is old enough - like the rare Babe Ruth card his father gives him for his 12th birthday - Joe can travel back in time! One of baseball's greatest mysteries is whether or not the Babe actually called his fifth-inning home run in the 1932 World Series. With Joe's new card, he can solve that mystery once and for all. But when Joe and his father travel back in time, they find more than the answer to a baseball mystery.

A.J. and the gang have been invited to attend a live taping of Uncle Fred’s Funderama, a hilarious Saturday morning kids TV show full of music, games, puppets and more. Uncle Fred sings, dances, and jokes his way into his audience’s hearts. But what will the kids do when they learn that Uncle Fred’s childlike behavior isn’t just an act? Can Uncle Fred grow up?

Mr. Cooper's class is having a talent show. But A. J. has a problem - he doesn't have a talent! What will he do when the big day comes? Join A. J. and the gang from Ella Mentry School as they show young listeners why they attend the weirdest - and most fun! - school around.

A special guest has arrived at Ella Mentry School! Professor Pitt is the president of a local museum and has all sorts of wacky ideas about art. A.J. thinks it’s all a total snoozefest…until the piece he turns in for an art assignment gets praised as a work of genius! Suddenly, Professor Pitt is introducing A.J. as the next big thing to happen to the art world. What could possibly go wrong?

Join the gang from Ella Mentry School in this hilarious, hijinks-filled sports story as they show young readers and listeners why they attend the weirdest - and most fun! - school around. With help from Coach Deen, Ryan wants to form a sports team with A.J. and Andrea, but it's for one of the weirdest sports there is: curling! Will the sweepers be able to get the stones to the house, or will trouble among the teammates end in one weird mess?