The nugget is back! After his tasty alter-ego felled the Furious Fry, Fern Goldberg went back to being his regular skinny self at Bert Lahr Elementary. But when a mad food scientist named Dr. Myron Ned-Grant--inventor of the thirty-pronged fork and other culinary contraptions--comes for a friendly school visit, Bert Lahr’s head bully Dirk Hamstone hits a very big sore spot, pointing out that “Ned-Grant” sounds kind of like “eggplant.” Tormented by his nasty nickname, poor Dr. Ned-Grant finally succumbs the dark side—that is, the dark purple side. Now it’s up to Super Chicken Nugget Boy to stop an army of evil eggplants bent on world domination! Villainous vegetables beware! Here comes the most formidable food fighter in history!

Super Chicken Nugget Boy, normally a student at Bert Lahr Elementary School, must step in to save the day when an army of evil eggplants attacks after the school bully, Dirk Hamstone, makes fun of a mad food scientist named Dr. Myron Ned-Grant by calling him "eggplant.".

Reaching Reluctant Young Readers features 150 middle-grade books. Each profiled title has the potential to hook the reluctant reader and lure them to read the entire book. To specifically encourage elementary and middle-school-age reluctant children to read, there is first a pitch to get the reader’s attention. That is followed by a short reading passage to “set the hook” and encourage the young person to read the rest of the book on their own. Further, the book contains several hundred additional recommended titles. The books selected for this collection were chosen following the criteria of reluctant reader books created by the Quick Picks committee sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association. While these guidelines were designed for young adult books, they also work well for middle-grade books. The criteria include: clear writing (no convoluted long sentences with sophisticated vocabulary), high interest “hook” in the first few pages, well-defined characters, interesting plot, and familiar themes.

He’s faster than fast food! Crispier than Chex Mix! He’s . . . . Super Chicken Nugget Boy! When Fern Goldberg arrived at Bert Lahr Elementary School, he was just an average kid: nearsighted, a touch on the skinny side. Then he fell into the pool of radioactive green goo behind Bogie’s Burger Barn. Now whenever his skin comes into contact with condiments, he transforms into a bona fide, deep-fried superhero who’s not afraid to take on villains great and small, from the class bully to the giant, mutated French fry who threatens to crush the whole school beneath his massive, starchy feet . . . . Villainous vegetables beware! Here comes the most formidable food fighter in history!

On the outskirts of Gordonville, deep in the heart of the burkeburke hills, lives a creature so strong, so fearsome and so meaty….Yes, that’s right meaty….that even the most fearless, tender and breaded of heroes might not be strong enough to foil him. He’s Massive Meatloaf Man. And once Fernando Goldberg gets a load of the meaty monster, he decides it may just be best to steer clear. But Dirk Hamstone has other ideas. He aims to find fame and fortune by luring the Loaf in and putting him on display. Does Dirk care that trying to tame the beefy barbarian is endangering himself, his classmates, and everyone else the maniacal meatman comes across – carnivore, vegetarian, or even vegan? Not a chance! It will take a whole lot of quick-thinking to cut the mustard—or, er, the ketchup—once this ferocious, succulent and sumptuous beast unleashes his fleshy fury onto the innocent citizens of Gordonville. Will Super Chicken Nugget Boy send the creature packing? Or will the Massive Meatloaf Man make mincemeat of the entire town?

The Chicago Food Encyclopedia is a far-ranging portrait of an American culinary paradise. Hundreds of entries deliver all of the visionary restauranteurs, Michelin superstars, beloved haunts, and food companies of today and yesterday. More than 100 sumptuous images include thirty full-color photographs that transport readers to dining rooms and food stands across the city. Throughout, a roster of writers, scholars, and industry experts pays tribute to an expansive--and still expanding--food history that not only helped build Chicago but fed a growing nation. Pizza. Alinea. Wrigley Spearmint. Soul food. Rick Bayless. Hot Dogs. Koreatown. Everest. All served up A-Z, and all part of the ultimate reference on Chicago and its food.