The author of Dad Humor offers an entertaining look at American history’s geniuses, leaders, and dunderheads in a clever quest to define brilliance. With dry humor and a wealth of fascinating trivia, Bart King explores what it means for a person to be brilliant. What he discovers is that brilliant people are those who walk farther, think deeper, and talk louder than the rest of us. They do what it takes to get the job done—and then some. The masters of brilliance profiled here include presidential candidate John Lindsay, who released chickens into his opponent’s crowd to spur on a debate; the first female journalist, Anne Newport Royall, who forced an interview with John Quincy Adams after catching him skinny dipping; and Benjamin Franklin, who of course coined the phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned," but also offered the lesser known "A man who lives on hope, dies farting."

Abracadabra ! Hocus-pocus! Allakazam! Happis crappis! Say it together now-magic! Take a peek inside the magician's secret wardrobe to discover the tricks of the trade, the tales of derring-do, and the people who made the magic happen. Demystifying the mystical is the popular, raucous, ready-to-trick-his-own-mother Bart King! But what, you may ask, can Bart do? He can show the ways of the most secretive magicians in the world.

The greatest leaders and geniuses in history were mischief makers. They were the brave women who looked at how unfair the world was and said, “I can do better than that.” They were the stalwart men who saw stupidity and asked, “Why do we have to do it that way?” And they were the delightful children who ganged up on the neighborhood bully and hit him with wet noodles until he said, “Uncle!” Yes, history's mischief makers had the courage to point out that things like slavery, global warming, and turtleneck sweaters are bad. And they also pulled off some of the greatest hoaxes and practical jokes of all time. Their achievements include the Boston Tea Party, the “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast of 1938, and the Cheese Whiz Disaster of 2008. In honor of them, we introduce The Pocket Guide to Mischief, the perfect addition to any prankster's collection, as well as a fun-filled how-to for the budding troublemaker in all of us.

As a middle school teacher, author Bart King listened carefully to the wisdom of his girl students. Along with his five sisters (!), their knowledge made The Big Book of Girl Stuff a classic that Parenting magazine has called “a must-have for girls.” This updated and redesigned edition of The Big Book of Girl Stuff is still loaded with fascinating facts, activities, quotes, games, and insightful information and advice on important topics. This humorous and informative resource is filled with everything a girl needs to know and celebrates all the things that make being a girl so wonderful. And not only is it a perfect handbook for preteens, ’tweens, and teens, but it will delight moms, aunts, and big sisters as well!

The author of The Big Book of Superheroes presents a hilarious look at science, nature, and the human body in a book full of good laughs and bad smells. From boogers, B.O., and belches to sneezes, diseases, and demon cheeses, The Big Book of Gross Stuff is chock-full of practical knowledge about things you shouldn’t discuss at the dinner table. Kids can take a Gross Quiz to find out how their sensibilities stack up against the rest of society, and learn about the World's Most Disgusting Jobs (whale-feces research, anyone?). With the turn of every page, The Big Book of Gross Stuff will challenge your gag reflexes as it introduces topics, terminology and trivia about toilets, scabies, decaying bodies, and much more. For instance, did you know: · In 1971, a band named Hot Poop released a record titled Does Their Own Stuff! They were never heard from again. · When using fake vomit, the key to faking people out is to sprinkle water on the stuff to make it look more realistic. · Belly button lint is composed of dust, dried sweat, fat, dead skin, and bits of cotton.

A re-issue of a forgotten favourite, FIREWEED is an evocative and unflinching story of wartime survival for younger readers Bill is a fifteen-year-old runaway evacuee, and he's finding that surviving on the streets of London is pretty easy, thank you very much. He's fed by a local cafe owner, he earns some cash as a barrow-boy in Covent Garden, and sleeping in the Underground air-raid shelters is cosy - if a bit smelly. Things get more complicated for Bill with the arrival of Julie. She's a runaway too, and although she's a bit posh, she's just as determined as Bill to stay free of interfering parents and 'the social'. But although it's fun for a while to duck Jerry missiles and camp out in bombed-out houses, the reality of living through the Blitz quickly begins to set in. Winter is coming, and Bill and Julie will discover that playing at being grown-ups can be a very dangerous game.... First published in 1969, and winner of the 1970's Book World Festival Award, FIREWEED evokes a time of tin Spitfires, powdered eggs, warm woollen mittens and reading by firelight. Perfect for readers young and old, this book is a beautifully written classic, full of adventure, heroism and British wartime courage.

Noah Grow is a bird-watcher. If you're picturing some kid in a big floppy hat, peering up into trees through giant binoculars . . . well, good job. That's exactly what he does. Right now, Noah is on a quest to find a wood duck. According to his calculations, aka the Drake Equation, the odds are good -- really good -- for spotting one. That's why he gets off the bus at the wrong stop. And that's how he ends up running down a hill, crashing into a fence, and landing right next to a strange, glittery disk. Noah and his best friends, Jason and Jenny, soon discover that the mysterious disk is, well, mysterious. It gives Noah peculiar powers. As things go from odd to outrageous, Noah is swept up in a storm of intergalactic intrigue and middle-school mayhem. There's much more at stake than Noah realizes. Bart King delivers a hilarious sci-fi adventure with just the right mix of heart and humor that will have readers looking out for birds-and strange alien objects.