Humorous Fiction Family

Monsters, aliens, ghosts, giant frogs, and a tragic angel are just some of the ingredients of this madcap adventure that is quite possibly Bruce Coville's strangest novel yet. Bruce himself appears on this recording as Gaspar Morley, head of a strange family of monsters that draw Anthony (our narrator) and his little sister Sarah into a galaxy - spanning adventure with the very souls of Earth's dead at stake.

Q: Who wants their five star funny story included in Oakfield School's story book? A: Everyone! But what will Tom write about? Inspiration strikes when he looks at his excellent collection of odd objects and remembers the funny stories behind each one. Starting with Great Great Aunt Aggie's fake bird hat, the weird stone with a hole and his very special doodle pen. Marcus wants to write about Tom (which is annoying), Amy's got a funny poem and Norman's story is all about...cheese. But Mr Fullerman can only choose the five star stories – will Tom get his work in on time?

Frankie Laundau-Banks is no longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer. Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society. Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places. Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.

It's Halloween, and Splat is determined to be the scariest cat in the class. Unfortunately he's just too much of a scaredy-cat. He's afraid of a little spider, and everyone says his costume looks more silly than scary. And when Mrs. Wimpydimple tells a ghost story in the dark, Splat gets so frightened that he tips over his jack-o'-lantern. But when the lights go back on, the entire class is scared silly by a small, black, furry creature with a big pumpkin head. Whooooo can it be?

Liam is too big for his boots. And his football strip. And his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he's the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force defying Cosmic rollercoaster - or be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn't all about being a grown-up.

Georgia Khatchadorian plans to excel at Hills Village Middle School in all the places her troublemaking brother failed. She's even bet him that she'll quickly become one of the most popular girls in school. But Rafe left a big mark at HVMS, and no one will give Georgia a chance! Even worse, Rafe has sneakily signed up her band to play at the school dance, and she's terrified to embarrass herself in front of the snooty "Princesses" who run the school and the boy who's caught her eye. Will she be able to overcome her fears and win her bet with Rafe?

Spike's your average awkward 11-year-old, funny and cheeky and with a mum to reckon with. When he becomes the first presenter ever to be sacked from hospital radio, he decides to carry on from a makeshift studio in the garden shed, with the help of his best friends, Artie and Holly, disguising his voice and going by the moniker Radio Boy. Week by week word gets around, and soon Spike is a star...if only people knew it was actually him.

In Arthur's Mystery Envelope, it looks like trouble when the principal asks Arthur to take home a large envelope marked CONFIDENTIAL. In Arthur and the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club, Arthur and his pals can't wait for the next book in the Scare-Your-Pants-Off series, only to find out when the book arrives at the library that the series has been banned!

Waylon has lots of ideas for making life more awesome through science, like teleportation, human gills, and attracting cupcakes by controlling gravity. But it's impossible for him to concentrate on his inventions when he's experiencing his own personal big bang.

Being Pinkalicious is pinkatastic, especially when she's accompanied by her pet unicorn, Goldilicious. Goldie is a roller-skating, kite-flying, high-jumping unicorn who will protect Pinkalicious from the evil wizardry of her little brother, Peter. Together, Pinkalicious and Goldilicious can conquer anything!

Some people rob banks because they’re greedy. Others enjoy the adrenaline rush. Me? I robbed a bank because of guilt. Specifically: guilt and a Nepalese scented candle.... When 15-year-old Dylan accidentally burns down the house of the girl he’s trying to impress, he feels that only a bold gesture can make it up to her. A gesture like robbing a bank to pay for her new home.

The Crim family is full of notorious criminals. Notoriously inept, that is. Uncle Knuckles once tried to steal a carnival. Great-Uncle Bernard held himself hostage by accident. Aunt Drusilla died slipping on a banana peel. But Imogen is different. She was born with a skill for scandal. A knack for the nefarious. A mastery of misdemeanors.

Martin Moone is 11 and completely fed up with being the only boy in a family of girls. He's desperate for a decent wingman to help him navigate his idiotic life. So when best mate Padraic suggests Martin get an imaginary friend - or IF for short - he decides to give it a go. His first attempt is Loopy Lou, a hyperactive goofball who loves writing rubbish rap songs. But Martin soon gets fed up with Lou and decides to trade in his IF for someone a little less wacky.

Carter Jones is astonished early one morning when he finds a real English butler, bowler hat and all, on the doorstep - one who stays to help the Jones family, which is a little bit broken. In addition to figuring out middle school, Carter has to adjust to the unwelcome presence of this new know-it-all adult in his life and navigate the butler's notions of decorum. And ultimately, when his burden of grief and anger from the past can no longer be ignored, Carter learns that a burden becomes lighter when it is shared.

Every morning, Judy measures Stink, and it's always the same: 3 feet, 8 inches tall. Stink feels like even the class newt is growing faster than he is. Then one day, the ruler reads 3 feet, 7 and 3/4 inches! Can it be? Is Stink shrinking? Stink tries everything to look like he's growing, but wearing up-and-down stripes and spiking his hair don't seem to be fooling anybody into thinking he's taller.

A little boy turns the perfect crime into a work of art.

Dylan is the only boy living in the tiny Welsh town of Manod. His parents run the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel garage - and when he's not trying to persuade his sisters to play football, Dylan is in charge of the petrol log.

Rot is a mutant potato. Like most mutant potatoes, Rot loves mud. He plays games in it, he eats it, he even sleeps in it! So, when Rot sees the most magnificent, messy mud pit ever, he can’t wait to dive right in. But then, Rot’s big brother warns him: Watch out for the Squirm! The Squirm is slippery and slimy and gross and grimy, and it lives in the beloved mud. Now, Rot’s too scared to jump into the puddle. Can anything help him feel brave enough to take the plunge and face...the Squirm?

Pinkalicious loves the color pink, but all the girls at school like black. They tease her, saying that pink stinks and pink is for babies. But Pinkalicious doesn't think so - that is, until her friends stop playing with her. Now Pinkalicious has a case of the blues. But could she ever turn her back on her favorite color?

It's Christmas time for Emily Elizabeth and Clifford! While they count down the days to their favorite holiday, Clifford gets a tree, a stocking, and a surprise under the mistletoe.

It was never easy for Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez to fit in, so he's dreading the day when his genius mom insists he bring her newest invention to school: a walking, talking robot he calls E—for "Error". Sammy's no stranger to robots—his house is full of a colorful cast of them. But this one not only thinks it's Sammy's brother... it's actually even nerdier than Sammy. Will E be Sammy's one-way ticket to Loserville? Or will he prove to the world that it's cool to be square?