Best Selling Books by Jim Benton

An all-new series from New York Times bestselling author, Jim Benton! From New York Times bestselling author Jim Benton, meet Catwad! He''s blue, he''s a bit of a grouch, and his best friend is a dim-witted cat named Blurmp who can see the bright side of anything. From pizza and computers, to love and happiness, this crabby tabby has a funny take on just about everything, and he''s not afraid to share it. This collection of short comic stories will make even the grumpiest of grouches crack up and is not to be missed!

Jamie Kelly shares with her diary her excitement about the fact that students from Wodehouse Middle School will be going to Mackerel Middle School temporarily.

Return to Mackerel Middle School with a special full-color extra-dumb diary from the New York Times–bestselling author! Life at Mackerel Middle School is as dumb as ever—but Jamie Kelly may have finally found the key to fame, fortune, and fabulousness. Together with Isabella and Angeline, she’s come up with a moneymaking idea, and it has to do with food. Everyone likes food! They’re going to be rich! The only problem? They have to come up with something that people actually want to eat. Jamie has some sophisticated thoughts on food, like, “She was manipulating us like dough. Like the sweet, delicious dough that we are. And she was baking us into the type of delicious cookies you can only get from dough like us. And she was putting sprinkles of us on top of us, and—forget it. I’m hungry. I want some cookies.” This is sure to go well. Praise for Jim Benton’s books “An amusing antic sensibility.” —Publishers Weekly “Preteens will be onboard immediately.” —Kirkus Reviews

Goosebumps and Bill Nye the Science Guy fans, meet Franny! Franny K. Stein didn’t think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn’t think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that’s what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. So Franny does what any respectable mad scientist would do—she goes back in time to change her name. However, things don’t turn out quite as she calculated, and Franny ends up having to face her teenage self in a warped, fourth-dimensional, kid-versus-teen, good-versus-evil, Franny-versus-Franny battle of the minds!

The three-headed book: Lunch walks among us; The invisible Fran; The Fran that time forgot.

Franny K. Stein jumps into action as a mad scientist when Igor swallows the doomsday device.

Franny K. Stein is back with another laugh-out-loud experimental adventure in the ninth book in the Mad Scientist series from Jim Benton, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of the Dear Dumb Diary and It’s Happy Bunny series. Franny K. Stein isn’t a good baker. But when she sees that the fundraisers for the art and music departments at her school aren’t making enough money, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Using her genius mind and kitchen, which is really just another type of laboratory, she sets out to create The Most Delicious Muffin On Earth! Sales, of course, go through the roof. But bad things can happen when people become exposed to the best thing they’ve ever tasted. They can become...overenthusiastic.

Fans of Goosebumps and Bill Nye the Science Guy will fall head over heels for Franny K. Stein, who is back with another laugh-out-loud experimental adventure in the tenth book in the Mad Scientist series. Franny K. Stein has had quite enough of her feelings getting in the way. So she physically removes them with the help of one of her machines. But it turns out that not having feelings can make things even worse, especially when you’ve accidentally released a virus that’s turning everybody into toads. Good thing she has the help of her grandma, Granny Fran, and her Sense of Duty to help her shake the apathy.

Frannie tries to prevent chaos when her new lab assistant, Igor, a dog of many breeds, accidentally lets loose a giant, fifty-foot, arrow-shooting cupid.

In what is described as “an 8 year old’s fever dream,” New York Times bestselling author introduces us to Bill Waddler. Bill is a duck who dreams of being smothered by farting snakes. He also has a special gift. He is able to hear appliances complain. Imagine what toilets would complain about. Bill doesn’t need to imagine. While working as a cash-only hay seller (that doesn’t accept credit cards) , Bill doesn’t know that he, and a very confused orange juice sales clerk, are about to save the world. If you could hear this book complain, it would be saying “where have you been all my life?”

As Jamie continues to grapple with middle school''s Big Questions, she drops even more snarky gems of wisdom like, "Everybody knows that the more you love somebody, the less you try to look nice for them."

One silly monster searches for his super stinky socks in this clever counting book from the New York-Times–bestselling author of the Catwad series! Jim Benton, “the mastermind behind the It’s Happy Bunny and Dear Dumb Diary series” (Publishers Weekly), presents a rollicking new book that will leave toddlers laughing while they learn about counting . . . 1 stinky sock. I’ll tell you why it stinks. I used it to wash dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. 2 stinky socks. I found one in my shoe. It’s black and white just like a skunk and smells as bad—pee-eww!

Franny K. Stein is back with another laugh-out-loud experimental adventure in the eighth book in the Mad Scientist series from Jim Benton, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of the Dear Dumb Diary and It’s Happy Bunny series. Franny K. Stein isn’t a fan of glamour. She doesn’t style her hair, the thought of wearing makeup makes her want to gag, and she couldn’t care less about wearing dressy dresses when she’d much prefer her lab coat. But sometimes Franny wonders if her mom wishes she were different. Which gives Franny an idea…for an experiment! What if she can turn the beauty products her mom loves into something more exciting? Every experiment has its experimental error, and when Franny’s hair takes on a life of its own, Franny must save the day (and her hair) to finally realize her mom loves her just the way she is.

Read the hilarious, candid (and sometimes not-so-nice), diaries of Jamie Kelly, who promises that everything in her diary is true -- or at least as true as it needs to be.They were just a soft, ordinary pair of thrift-shop jeans until Jamie Kelly tried them on . . . Then they became a tight, scratchy, slightly smelly, and utterly ordinary pair of thrift-shop jeans with an embarrassing haunting problem. Do the pants have the power to soothe a vengeful beagle, vanquish The Prettiest Girl in the World, or make the wearer irresistible to the eighth cutest guy in the grade? Are the haunted pants so dazzling they can hurt and maybe permanently damage the eyes of onlookers? Or are the haunted pants just, well, haunted (which is kind of gross when you think about it)?

Sneak a peek inside the NY Times bestselling diary of Jamie Kelly, who promises that everything she writes is true -- or at least as true as it needs to be.Dear Dumb Diary,Isabella is probably right. She almost always is.When I think back on all the things I''ve seen Angeline do, the one thing they have in common is that they''re all dumb. (They''re all strawberry-scented, too, but I think that''s just her conditioner -- although her body might actually secrete its own strawberry scent.)But of all the dumb things she''s ever done, this has got to be the dumbest. . . .

Bestselling author Jim Benton is back, with a brand-new spin on a favorite series! Bestselling author Jim Benton is back, with a brand-new spin on a favorite series!Dear Dumb Diary is a hilarious hit! Now after 12 books (each covering a month of her life), Jamie Kelly''s upcoming diaries have a fresh look and a fun twist. It''s Dear Dumb Diary: Year Two! The diary entries are still laugh-out-loud funny -- but this is a whole new beginning. Everything is another year dumber!As Jamie grapples with school, grades, and middle school''s Big Questions, don''t miss even more of her words of wisdom like, "If someone is really, really intelligent, it would be polite if they would ugly it up a bit before they left the house."(Jamie STILL has no idea that anybody is reading her diary. So please, please, please don''t tell her.)

The hilarious and bestselling series from Jim Benton continues! Jamie, Isabella, and Angeline have known each other for a long time. They''ve even become friends -- whether Jamie likes it or not. But when the trio starts a friendly competition, all bets are off. The loser will be treated to a game of Dare or Worse Dare... with Isabella. (And Jamie''s pretty sure that''s like having a banana-peeling contest with a starving monkey. The monkey always wins.) What could go wrong? Probably everything. And it''s probably all that blondwad Angeline''s fault. Probably. Jamie still has no idea that anyone is reading her diary, so please, please, please don''t tell her. And definitely don''t tell her that she''s the star of her very own Dear Dumb Diary movie, available on DVD. (Her glamorous ego might not be able to handle it.)

Read the hilarious, candid (and sometimes not-so-nice), diaries of Jamie Kelly, who promises that everything in her diary is true -- or at least as true as it needs to be.Jamie is crushing on Hudson. Someone too-gross-to-be- named is crushing on Jamie. And Hudson is crushing on . . . Princess Turd of Turdsylvania (a.k.a. The Prettiest Girl in the World). Middle school may be grim, but it''s no fairy tale. And crazy doesn''t even begin to cover it.

Whatever you do, DON''T read Jamie Kelly''s bestselling diaries! The bestselling Dear Dumb Diary series is a hilarious hit! Now Jamie Kelly''s diaries have a fresh look and a fun twist. Dear Dumb Diary Year Two is still laugh-out-loud funny -- but everything is another year dumber!As Jamie continues to grapple with middle school''s Big Questions, she drops even more snarky gems of wisdom like, "Everybody knows that the more you love somebody, the less you try to look nice for them," and "People don''t appreciate how much willpower it takes to do the wrong thing."(But Jamie STILL has no idea that anybody is reading her diary. So please, please, please don''t tell her.)

Franny K. Stein fans are urged to watch out for creepy-crawly creative crafts, alarming activities, and ridiculous riddles, in this fun activity book that comes with a page of warped window clings. Illustrations. Consumable.

Like a light shining through the darkness comes a particularly snarky guide that can truly illuminate the differences between right and wrong, good and evil, just and unjust, hot and gross--all handled the It''s Happy Bunny way. Full color.

Bestselling author Jamie Kelly is back with an all-new, all-funny diary! But she has no idea that anybody is reading it. So please, please, please don''t tell her.School''s out for the summer, and that means no more Meat Loaf Thursdays, Sunday homework-cramming, or teachers (way way unsuccessfully) trying to act cool. It also means that certain Mackerel Middle Schoolers have a lot of time on their hands . . . and seriously empty pockets. Isabella is going to change all that. And Jamie and Angeline are going to help --- whether they like it or not. It''s the best kind of teamwork: When a whole bunch of people work together to do something wrong, instead of doing it wrong one at a time.

ERNEST FANN IS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BATMAN…FAN! And as the most knowledgeable about all things super-heroic, it is up to Ernest to recruit the finest crime-fighters on Earth! Together with his babysitter, Harriet, his best friend, Jack, and his faithful fido, Ernest is ready to teach his recruits all about secret identities, the best ways to lurk, and how to stop crime…maybe? Join New York Times bestselling writer-illustrator Jim Benton (Catwad, Franny K. Stein) for the laugh-out-loud adventure of a lifetime!

A new series from the bestselling author of Dear Dumb Diary and Franny K. Stein! Fresh from his intergalactic adventure, Victor is casting about for something new to apply his formidable know how to. The obvious next step is cello-making. However, the not so mellifluous sounds that emanate from his creations are enough to wake the dead. That''s right, there are zombies let loose and it''s up to Victor, Patty, and the long-suffering, always faithful Dumpylumps to not get eaten.

When her dog Igor swallows her Doomsday Device, Franny has no choice but to shrink herself and go where no mad scientist has gone before to save the world.

Batman fan Ernest Fann takes on the secret persona Gerbilwing and sets up a crime fighting unit with his friends and dog, but things become a little too real when Ernest and his friends visit a bank in the middle of a robbery. In graphic novel format.

Jamie''s struggles continue with school issues, grades, and getting along with others.

Bestselling author Jim Benton returns, with a brand-new spin on a favorite series! Dear Dumb Diary is a hilarious hit! Now after twelve books (each covering a month of her life), Jamie Kelly''s upcoming diaries have a fresh look and a fun twist. It''s Dear Dumb Diary: Year Two! The diary entries are still laugh-out-loud funny but this is a whole new beginning. Everything is another year dumber! As Jamie grapples with school, grades, and more of middle school''s Big Questions, don''t miss even more of her words of wisdom like, "If someone is really, really intelligent, it would be polite if they would ugly it up a bit before they left the house." Jamie STILL has no idea that anybody is reading her diary. So please, please, please don''t tell her.)

Jamie Kelly shares with her diary her search for inner beauty, dealing with fund raising, and problems in Phys ed class.

"Jim Benton''s tales from Mackerel Middle School."