Most Popular Books by Bill Doyle

The humor and heart of Modern Family meets wacky contests in book two of this series, which asks: What could be more fun than a fun house? A local theme park called Funland is hosting a huge contest to turn one family’s home into the ultimate fun house. Who wouldn’t want a slide from the bedroom to the backyard, a bumper-car kitchen, or a ball pit for a living room? The Talaska family is eager to compete! And the stakes are high. Their house is falling apart, and they might have to move away from Piedmont Place forever. Cal knows that his family can win, but it won’t be easy. First he and his sister, Imo, need to win a competition at school. Then the whole family has to live at Funland and find a hidden object. Can they really search every corner of the park in just five days? There’s only one way to find out. Let the contest begin!

The lovable wackiness of Modern Family meets zany contests in this delightful new series that will have readers laughing out loud! Cal Talaska can’t wait for his family to win the Great Grab Contest! The prize? Twenty minutes to grab anything in the world-famous Wish Shoppe! He knows his family will leave the competition in the dust, but first he has to convince them to compete! To get their eyes on the prize, Cal focuses on what his family wants from the Wish Shoppe—a gym for Mom, a whole orchestra for Dad, tools to build a spaceship for little sister Imo, and candy for baby brother Bug! Cal would do anything to get them to compete, even if that means tricking them into it . . . They’ll thank him later! When it comes to the Talaskas, family always comes first. But can Cal convince them to go for first place too?

Activity book meets adventure in this series that is Choose Your Own Adventure meets I Survived meets doodle book! Doodle, decide, and demolish your way out of history''s greatest events--the perfect book for fun and educational summer reading! Reader, beware! Once you open this book, there is no turning back. You will have three chances to survive the Titanic''s fateful voyage. Decide which path to take first. Passenger: Exploring the ship is fun! Just don''t get caught on the wrong deck when there''s an iceberg ahead! Crew Member: You work for a family in first class. Can you persuade them to save you along with their beloved dog? Stowaway: You snuck onto this ship. Can you draw your way onto a lifeboat? In the Escape This Book! series, YOU are the star of history! Doodle your way through adventures as you decide the best path for survival. Don''t be afraid to rip or fold a page. . . . Your escape may depend on it!

Are you ready for some Bigfoot-ball? Karl and the rest of the Scream Team kick off football season with a new monster on the squad! It''s Dr. Neuron''s nephew. And this cranky creature is pulling out every prank to keep victory on the sidelines. Not good news for Karl who''s howling ready to play in the Wolfenstein Muck Bowl, or for Beck whose big feet have become the league''s biggest joke. One thing''s for sure, the game of football has never been so funny!

New to the Random House list is author Bill Doyle with a tale of monsters, magic, and mayhem. After Keats and Henry lose their bikes, they need money—fast. So the help-wanted ad at the supermarket seems ideal for them. All they have to do is weed Hallway House''s garden, find some lightbulbs in the attic, sweep the garage . . . and battle a shark-headed zombie. But no one told them about the giant bookworms in the library, the toe-biting carpet in the halls, and the kitchen sinkhole!

Each book in the Crime Through Time series is hosted by a different child member of the famous Fitzmorgan detective family. While the young sleuth unravels a fictional mystery, readers learn about the real historical setting and actual crime-solving methods from the different eras. In sidebar activities, readers take on the role of assistant, helping to crack the case. Breathtakingly suspenseful but never violent and always age-appropriate, the books read like private investigative journals, with photos, maps, news clippings and crime scene sketches. In book 6, set in 2031, Otis Fitzmorgan finds himself in the middle of an evil art fraud mystery in space. On his way back to earth via the new space elevator Otis is forced to use his outlawed private detective skills to get to the bottom of the mystery that is threatening to kill all of those on board.

Breathtakingly suspenseful but never violent, this title kicks off a new forensic fiction series for middle grade readers. Young Fitz Morgan unravels a mystery aboard one of the new Continental Express trains in 1906. Readers learn about the real historical setting and actual crime-solving methods from the era. Illustrations.

In 1969, fourteen-year-old Mal enrolls in a rural California boarding school where he finds himself caught up in a plot involving endangered animals and an illegal pesticide.

Each book in the Crime Through Time series is hosted by a different child member of the famous Fitzmorgan detective family. While the young sleuth unravels a fictional mystery, readers learn about the real historical setting and actual crime-solving methods from the different eras. In sidebar activities, readers take on the role of assistant, helping to crack the case. Breathtakingly suspenseful but never violent and always age-appropriate, the books read like private investigative journals, with photos, maps, news clippings and crime scene sketches. In book 2, set in 1925, G. Codd Fitzmorgan arrives at a storm-battered mansion for a party. But more than an engagement celebration seems to be afoot, as our detective unravels a mystery involving a seance, a reckless aviator, and sale of liquor banned under Prohibition.

Don''t fall apart. Try to hold yourself together. This is no time to go to pieces. There''s a zombie at the finish line! It''s time for the Junior Monster League''s track-and-field competition. Unfortunately, Patsy the Zombie just can''t seem to hold herself together for any of the events. She''s trained for the Die-athalon but keeps losing her head before she can finish. But then the team pulls together and realizes that they all have a special talent for their own event...even Patsy.

In this illustrated interactive adventure, travel to Mount Everest where you decide the fate of your team as you climb the world’s highest mountain. On this epic climb up Mount Everest, readers are part of the youngest team ever to climb the world’s tallest peak. Only YOU can make the right choice about your own survival and then experience the consequences of those choices. Will you summit Mount Everest and return to base camp safely? Will you be forced to turn back early or worse? Only you can determine your own fate! Highly illustrated in comic book style, and based on real, true-life facts about mountain climbing, Mount Everest, and Himalayan culture, this book will be a surefire hit with anyone craving adventure and a fun, visual reading experience.

This portfolio of photographs, selected from Bill Doyle''s body of work from the Aran Islands, spanning four decades, records both the timeless landscape of the islands and the islanders themselves: their schooling, worship, fishing, sport, crafts and folkways. Photographic sequences depict events in the Aran year--St Bridget''s Eve, St John''s Eve, the blessing of the currachs--as well as historic moments like the arrival of Galway''s Druid Theatre company to perform Synge''s The Playboy of the Western World. Through Doyle''s lens we also witness the ceremonial process of death on Aran: the coffin-maker in his workshop, the coffin being transported by bicycle, and the mourners making their way to the grave. In his faces we see three generations, their stories and way of life still vivid and real.--From publisher description.

FOUR KIDS. ONE EARTH. AND YOU ARE THE HERO THEY NEED. From the creator of the interactive Escape This Book! series, join the climate superheroes as they master the powers of earth, wind, sea, and creatures and use YOUR help to choose the right story line and save the planet! The Calamity Corporation is determined to destroy Earth. Their latest plot leaves “ugly” animals in the cold—literally. Any less-than-cute critter will be frozen and blasted into space. Luckily, five climate heroes have the skills to save the day. JARRETT can talk to animals…even if they don’t always listen. MALIK masters water…but the floating garbage is a challenge. FREYA ‘s wind power everyone away..sometimes too powerfully. AGNES can dig up dirt and soil any evil plan. And YOU are THE FIFTH HERO! Make three decisions in this interactive adventure to help the heroes put the Calamity Corporation on ice. Choose incorrectly and it''s game over. But choose wisely, and you might save the planet—and the story!

Activity book meets adventure in this series that is Choose Your Own Adventure meets I Survived meets doodle book! Doodle, decide, and demolish your way out of history''s greatest events--the perfect book for fun and educational summer reading! Reader, beware! Once you open this book, there is NO turning back. You will have THREE chances to escape this ancient Egyptian tomb. You must choose a path first: Pharaoh: Want to be the top ruler of ancient Egypt? Choose this path and become one of history''s greatest pharaohs. Pyramid worker: You''ve built some of the world''s most amazing monuments. Will that help you escape before being turned into a mummy? Archaeologist: You make incredible discoveries, and you''re about to enter an ancient, hidden tomb . . . but can you discover a way out? In the Escape This Book! series, YOU are the star of history! Doodle your way through adventures as you decide the best path for survival. Don''t be afraid to rip or fold a page . . . your escape may depend on it! Looking for another escape? Don''t miss Escape This Book! Titanic.

Following Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie and Stampede of the Supermarket Slugs is Bill Doyle''s third tale of monsters and magic. Mr. Cigam has a new job for Keats and Henry—a job working for his mixed-up stepsisters, Lillian and Beatrice. The sisters have lost a magical compass at the Tophat Junkyard, and ever since then, they''ve lost their sense of direction as well. Now they need pleh! (That''s help spelled backward.) But for Keats and Henry, finding the compass isn''t going to be easy. Something else is searching for it, too—a magic-sniffing junkyard hog with wings, long sharp tusks, and an appetite for destruction!

CHOOSE YOUR PATH. CHANGE THE STORY. SAVE THE EARTH. From the creator of the interactive Escape This Book! series comes a new adventure series about climate superheroes in which YOU get to help save the planet by choosing which story line you think is the right one! The Calamity Corporation is determined to end life on Earth as we know it. The company has built hotels that orbit Earth and small cities on the moon and has plans to move the human population to Mars. The sinister corporation knows if they destroy Earth, people will have no choice but to leave it. Not so fast! Four kids who secretly possess the powers of land, air, sea, and creatures are about to change the course of history. These kids may not be the likeliest of heroes, but they are determined to stop Calamity Corporation from destroying Earth. And they have a secret weapon: a fifth hero. YOU! Throughout the book, there are three chances for you to help change the course of the story alongside our fearless team. Choose incorrectly and it''s game over. But choose wisely and you might save the planet!

Fast on the fins of Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie is Bill Doyle''s second tale of magic and mayhem. Mr. Cigam has a new job for Keats and Henry. All they have to do is capture one little slug in the Purple Rabbit Supermarket. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! First, the slug isn''t so little. Second, there''s way more than just one. And to top it off, the supermarket has gone all kooky—Mr. Cigam''s mixed-up magic has swirled down every aisle! There are pests in the produce and an angry snowman in frozen foods. Can Keats and Henry clean up this supermarket mess?

Part activity book, part adventure novel, The Escape This Book series makes YOU the star of history! Doodle, decide, and demolish your way through the Apollo 11 Moon landing--the perfect book for fun and educational reading! Reader beware! This book is filled with adventure that is out of this world! You will have three chances to join the space program and help the Apollo missions reach the moon! Flight Director: You''re the boss at Mission Control! Can you make split second decisions to keep the astronauts safe on their trip to the moon? Flight Commander: You''re the astronaut in charge on the spacecraft. You''ll face problems as big as an explosion on the ship and as small as what to eat in space! Moon Buggy Driver: You get to explore the moon''s surface...if you can safely land on its surface first! In the Escape This Book series, YOU are the star of history! In this third book, you''ll complete challenges similar to what the astronauts faced on Apollo 11 and 13 and get to meet famous NASA employees like Neil Armstrong and Katherine Johnson! Don''t be afraid to rip or fold a page. Your mission might depend on it!

While working for a traveling disco show accompanying the King Tut exhibition in 1977, fourteen-year-old Zeke investigates a series of mishaps involving the cast and crew, mysterious messages, centuries-old artifacts, and an ancient curse.

Each book in the Crime Through Time series is hosted by a different child member of the famous Fitzmorgan detective family. While the young sleuth unravels a fictional mystery, readers learn about the real historical setting and actual crime-solving methods from the different eras. In sidebar activities, readers take on the role of assistant, helping to crack the case. Breathtakingly suspenseful but never violent and always age-appropriate, the books read like private investigative journals, with photos, maps, news clippings and crime scene sketches. In book 5, set in 2007, Nick Fitzmorgan unexpectedly returns home early from detective training camp, only to find his screenwriter father vanished and the house in disarray. The house isn''t just messy, though: it''s carefully set up with clues that will lead Nick all the way to Everest, and his father''s rescue.

While working for a traveling disco show accompanying the King Tut exhibition in 1977, fourteen-year-old Zeke investigates a series of mishaps involving the cast and crew, mysterious messages, centuries-old artifacts, and an ancient curse.

This is a 50-page blank comic book for your imagination to run wild, whether you like creating super heroes, anime or your own comic book universe.

Eight stories of real-life heroes who took risks for their country and others behind enemy lines.