New Releases by Tony Abbott

The Singapore Lecture Series was inaugurated in 1980 by the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) with a founding endowment from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and augmented by generous donation in 1983 from Exxon Mobil Asia Pacific. The Singapore Lecture is designed to provide the opportunity for distinguished statesmen, scholars, and writers and other similarly highly qualified individuals specializing in banking and commerce, international economics and finance and philosophical and world strategic affairs to visit Singapore. The presence of such eminent personalities will allow Singaporeans, especially the younger executive and decision-makers in both the public and private sectors, to have the benefit of exposure to — through the Lecture, televised discussions, and private consultations — leaders of thought and knowledge in various fields, thereby enabling them to widen their experience and perspectives. On 29 June 2015, the 35th Singapore Lecture was delivered by The Honourable Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia under the distinguished Chairmanship of Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, Singapore.

Filled with pulse-pounding action and cryptic codes, The Golden Vendetta is the third engrossing book in bestselling author Tony Abbott''s cloak-and-dagger series for young readers. Fans of Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson will love this adventurous series. It''s been two months since the Kaplan family hunted down the Serpens relic, but when the evil Galina Krause suddenly and violently reappears, Wade, Darrell, Lily, and Becca have no choice but to face her again. Now they must race to find an artifact said to be crafted by Leonardo da Vinci himself—perhaps the strangest Guardian of all. Along the way, they uncover another layer to Galina''s sinister endgame . . . and there might not be enough time to stop it. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts

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! Zoom! It seems like all of Droon is competing in the Quest! And Princess Keeah wants to win the prize, since it might break the magic spell on her mother. But some people aren''t playing fair. Can Eric, Neal, and Julie stop the other racers from stealing a victory?

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Aha! Lord Sparr has put Princess Keeah under a magic spell. Eric, Julie, and Neal can help her if they go to the Land of the Lost. But only ghosts live there. And if they don''t get out soon, the kids will turn into ghosts themselves!

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Somebody has robbed the Lumpies'' village! And it can''t be Lord Sparr - because he has mysteriously disappeared. The rumor is that a terrible beast is behind the crime. So Eric, Julie and Neal set off with Khan and Princess Keeah to find the creature. Instead they find a big surprise!

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Lord Sparr has found a new weapon to use against the city of Droon. He''s woken up a mean old giant that will now obey his every command! It''s a good thing Eric, Julie, and Neal are around to help their friends try to stop Lord Sparr. It''s a giant job, but somebody''s got to do it!

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric, Julie, and Neal have just found something magic in Eric''s basement. They have discovered a staircase to another world! The world of Droon is amazing - full of magic, flying lizards, and fun, furry creatures. But how will Eric, Julie, and Neal find their way home? Maybe their new friend, Princess Keeah, can help?

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Uh-oh! Neal has a problem. He''s turned into a bug-again. Eric and Julie hope someone in Droon can help. Princess Keeah thinks there might be a cure in the City in the Clouds. Too bad the friends only have one day before the city disappears!

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Eric, Julie, and Neal have a problem. The nasty Lord Sparr has stolen a magic jewel from their friend Princess Keeah. The princess really needs their help. The good news is the jewel is in Lord Sparr''s secret palace. The bad news is the secret palace is in a volcano!

A hidden door. A magical staircase. Discover the world of Droon! Brrr! Jaffa City is under a spell of ice and snow. Even Galen the wizard is frozen solid! Eric, Julie, Neal, and Princess Keeah have to figure out a way to break Lord Sparr''s curse. But they better hurry or they might get frozen, too.

Bestselling author Tony Abbott returns with the next full-length book in the Copernicus Legacy series, a globe-trotting adventure packed with more riddles, puzzles, and secret histories. The hunt for Copernicus''s first relic sent Wade, Darrell, Lily, and Becca to the far reaches of the world and put them in serious danger. But they never imagined Sara Kaplan—Darrell and Wade''s mother—would be kidnapped by the conniving Galina Krause. Now they must race the evil Teutonic Order to find the Serpens relic and rescue Sara before it''s too late. Fans of Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson will love this epic series, which is filled with suspense and action. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts

The quest for the relics continues. 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. Wade and the Scorpion''s Claw picks up right where The Copernicus Legacy: The Forbidden Stone left off, with the Kaplan family seeking the next Copernicus relic. Now Wade, the curious, analytical, yet starry-eyed member of the group, leads the chase for another relic through the busy streets of San Francisco while on the run from one of Galina Krause''s most treacherous henchmen. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Ridley Pearson, Wade and the Scorpion''s Claw continues the thrilling Copernicus Legacy quest and brings one of the characters into the spotlight. Supports the Common Core State Standards

Two sixth graders are magically swept away to Treasure Island, where they must match wits with legendary pirate Long John Silver. When best friends Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—get a tough assignment in their English class, they know there’s only one way to handle it. Read the book? Nah, that’s for suckers. Devin and Frankie just take the novel to the library and toss it through the magic metal detector, which sucks them into the world of the book, allowing them to experience the novel firsthand. Most of the time, this works great. This time, they get marooned on Treasure Island. The moment they step into Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic pirate novel, Devin and Frankie find themselves neck deep in a hunt for buried treasure along with Long John Silver and his gang of cutthroats. These two wisecracking slackers will need to avoid rocking the boat—or they may have to walk the plank. School Library Journal has called the Devin and Frankie novels “reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne’s ‘Magic Tree House’ series, but for an older audience.” X Marks the Spot is another lively introduction to the classics for reluctant readers.

“A treat for reluctant readers,” as two sixth graders discover, when you can travel into books, going around the world is easy (School Library Journal). Middle schoolers Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—have found a unique shortcut to passing English. When their teacher gives them a book to read, they just toss it through the magic metal detector in their school library, which transports them into the world of the novel, allowing them to live the book firsthand and always get an A. The system works great until the librarian hires a repairman to fix what the kids call the “zapper gates.” While trying to distract him, Devin and Frankie drop a book through the detector, and find themselves on a whirlwind tour of the globe in Jules Verne’s classic adventure. 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. But they’ll have to race to beat the clock, or risk getting stuck in the book forever. As with other books in Tony Abbott’s Cracked Classics series, “the message that reading is important and can be fun comes through loud and clear. The short chapters make this an ideal read-aloud and a treat for reluctant readers” (School Library Journal).

“This affectionate if somewhat irreverent homage would probably win a chuckle from Twain himself” as pals tumble into Tom Sawyer (School Library Journal). Sixth graders Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—are the greatest goof-offs in the history of their school. When their teacher tells them to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, they skip it. When there’s a surprise test on the novel, they hide. But when they accidentally drop the school’s prized Mark Twain autograph through the library’s magic metal detector, they find themselves transported to the world of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Soon these modern middle schoolers learn that being a troublemaker is timeless, as they whitewash a fence, run away from home, solve a murder mystery, become pirates, and search for hidden treasure along with Tom and Huck, the original slackers. “Reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne’s ‘Magic Tree House’ series, but for an older audience,” the second book in Tony Abbott’s Cracked Classics series is a perfect introduction to Mark Twain for reluctant readers (School Library Journal).

Two reluctant readers and mischievous middle schoolers get transported into Bram Stoker’s vampire classic in this “lighthearted spoof” (Publishers Weekly). Devin and Frankie—short for Francine—may be the best of friends, but they aren’t the best of students. After they’re busted for not reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula, their teacher sends them to the library to make amends by mending books. When they accidentally toss an ancient copy of the horror classic through the library’s broken metal detector, a huge crack opens in the wall—and sucks Devin and Frankie right into the novel itself. Now these sarcastic sixth graders will need a few stakes, a lot of garlic, and a sharp sense of humor to defeat the bloodthirsty count. In this first book in Tony Abbott’s Cracked Classics series, “Devin and Frankie are wisecracking underachievers and their characterizations and dialogue ring true. Abbott adroitly blends the language in Stoker’s tale with their conversations, resulting in laugh-out-loud scenes” (School Library Journal).

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).

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?

All Jeff wanted was a part in the school play, but now he has to be a real hero . . . It’s hard to be a normal kid in the Weird Zone! Jeff Ryan wants to play the Wizard in his school’s outer-space version of The Wizard of Oz. To help with his audition, Jeff plans to bring his favorite childhood toy: a Cosmic Boy Space Helmet. But the Weird Zone seems to have other plans. On Jeff’s way to school, a strange man with an even stranger face blasts him with an X-ray, and Jeff’s Cosmic Boy helmet gets stuck on his head. He soon discovers that the man is actually an alien who plans to take over the world with his own mind-controlling Mezmo Head helmet! But the alien is not the only one with a supernatural weapon. Jeff’s helmet gives him amazing powers, and now Cosmic Boy must save the world!

Welcome to the Weird Zone, the UFO capital of the world, where crazy is ordinary and Martians will eat your brain! Life in Grover’s Mill is never boring. When best friends Liz, Holly, and Jeff arrive at the local lake one morning, they know it is only a matter of time before something weird happens. And unfortunately, they’re right. When disgusting alien zombies start rising from the center of the lake, the trio must escape—or their brains will become an afternoon snack! Now the three kids must put their heads together to stop the hungry monsters and save their town from destruction. But when Holly is marked as the next victim, can Liz and Jeff save her from a grisly fate?

Humongous Studios makes the weirdest horror movies ever, and in its next film, the monster is a real-life threat! Sean and Holly’s dad owns the wackiest business in Grover’s Mill: a horror filmmaking studio. For his newest movie, their dad has decided to feature a gigantic robot octopus as the star of the show. When Holly and Sean visit the studio with their friends, they are excited to get a first-hand look at how movies are made. Unfortunately, there is one problem: Gigantopus is completely out of control, and its alien master plans to use the star to take Grover’s Mill back to her home planet! In a fight fit for the big screen, Holly and Sean must battle Gigantopus and save their town from being sucked into space. This may turn out to be their dad’s oddest movie yet!

It’s time for the W. Reid Elementary science fair—home to the weirdest inventions ever, and a lot of trouble! Mike is sure he’s going to win the school science fair with his potato-powered radio, “Potadio.” But when his contraption is electrocuted to life, Mike suddenly has more to worry about than winning first prize. Potadio has a bad attitude, and he now controls the minds of the teachers and students. With his army of minions, Potadio plans to take over the world! Mike must figure out how to beat this spud before becoming a brain-dead zombie himself. Luckily, he has access to a science fair full of crazy inventions that just might help him defeat his creation!

Crazy toymakers, disappearing houses, and shrinking boys: Just another day in the Weird Zone! A blast of strange purple light zaps Sean Vickers while he is riding his bike in Grover’s Mill. His sister Holly assures him that nothing is wrong, but Sean is not so certain—and the creepy new toy-store owner in town is not making him feel any better. When Sean rapidly starts shrinking, he knows the purple light is to blame, But how can he save himself when he is only four inches tall? Holly and her friend Jeff must snap into action and figure out how to reverse the process before Sean disappears forever and becomes part of the evil toymaker’s permanent collection!

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!

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?

The Danger Guys find themselves in a real-life scary movie, and the ending is up to them It’s Halloween, and best friends Noodle and Zeek have decided to make a horror movie in honor of the holiday. To show the boys how real films are made, Zeek’s family takes them to Paragon, the oldest studio in Hollywood. During the tour, a huge lightning storm separates Noodle and Zeek from the rest of the group. The two boys suddenly find themselves in a world of famous sets and exciting props. It’s the perfect location for their own movie! But it turns out that Paragon Studio has more than a little danger—and not just the staged kind. The lightning damaged the studio’s central control center, and all the electronic props are now going crazy. Noodle and Zeek must battle an evil robot, a sneezing dinosaur, and a deadly mummy in order to find and warn Zeek’s family. Little do they know that Zeek’s family is also under attack! With some luck and a lot of movie drama, the Danger Guys show Paragon Studio what real heroes look like. Danger Guys: Hollywood Halloween on Ice is the 3rd book in Danger Guys, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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.

Can Noodle and Zeek stop international treasure hunters and rescue their town? The Danger Guys are at it again! During a trip to the beach, best friends Noodle and Zeek try to relax and have a quiet, danger-free afternoon. But trouble follows these boys wherever they go. Before they know it, Noodle and Zeek find themselves stranded on a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean. To escape, the boys jump on a surfboard and ride a giant wave to a nearby island. The island is where their town’s founder, Captain May, was shipwrecked hundreds of years ago. Noodle and Zeek soon discover that treasure hunters are on the island, searching for Captain May’s lost gold. But to find it, the hunters are going to blow the ship out of the water, which would cause a tidal wave big enough to destroy Mayville! With some quick thinking—and a little bit of help from some old friends—the boys fight to save their town from disaster. Danger Guys Hit the Beach is the 4th book in Danger Guys, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Fans of Dav Pilkey''s The Adventures of Ook and Glook and Patricia Reilly Giff''s ZigZag Kids will flock to this chapter-book mystery series full of slapstick humor and silly situations by the wildly popular Tony Abbott, author of the Secrets of Droon series. Jeff, Mara, Brian, and Kelly are Goofballs and proud of it. Goofball private eyes. Together, they solve mysteries. How do they discover the truth? They use funny disguises, nutty inventions, and their secret weapon: Sparky the Goofdog! Objects have been disappearing from Ms. Becker''s kindergarten classroom - blocks, an easel, even the class goldfish! Luckily, the Goofballs are ready to go undercover to help their former teacher learn the truth. But posing as teachers is hard work, especially when the entire class may be as smart as Kelly, as observant as Jeff, as creative as Mara, and as goofy as Brian. Everyone''s a suspect, and every time the Goofballs turn their backs, something else vanishes. Soon, the whole classroom will be gone! Have the Goofballs been out-goofed? These young sleuths have never failed so solve a case, and they don''t intend to start now!