Showing results by author "Lin Oliver" in All Categories

Hi there, I’m Hank. Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t try to make the kids in my class laugh, but somehow I do. Spelling is my worst subject. (Come to think of it, so are math and reading!) I try hard - I really do. So why does my brain always freeze into a popsicle? When Hank hears that his class is putting on a play, he’s the only one who’s not excited. That’s because every time he tries to read the script, his brain swirls, and it feels like his head is filled with soggy oatmeal! Can Hank get his act together and get a part?

Hank Zipzer: He's smart. He's creative. He's funny. His pencils are sharpened. His binders are bound. He wants to do well in school, he really does. He tries not to be lazy, like his parents claim he is. So why is he always getting into trouble?

Hi there, I'm Hank. Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t try to make the kids in my class laugh, but somehow I do. Spelling is my worst subject. (Come to think of it, so are math and reading!) I try hard - I really do. So why does my brain always freeze into a popsicle? More than anything, Hank wants a dog. But before he can get one, his dad is laying down some rules. First, Hank has to improve his grades. Next, he has to prove that he’s a responsible pet owner. Can Hank get his brain to cooperate, so he can get his new furry best friend?

It's time for Moorepark Middle School's annual Speak Out Challenge, and Billy Broccoli thinks he's got it made. With his best friend Hoover Porterhouse - the ghost with the most - by his side, Billy's got the competition in the bag. Who wouldn't vote for a demonstration on mind reading? But when Billy lands a spot on the seventh grade team, he starts spending more time with his new teammates than he does with Hoover. And the Hoove plays second fiddle to no one! If Billy's not careful, his secret weapon might vanish.

With Halloween approaching, Hank and his friends decide to watch a scary movie to get ready for the holiday. But the movie turns out to be a bit too scary for Hank, and suddenly he sees zombies every time he closes his eyes. Everyone says zombies aren’t real, but then people around him start moaning and acting like the undead, and he isn’t so sure. Hank isn’t taking any chances - not when there might be zombies on the loose!

Hank's school is hosting its first-ever Build-a-Robot competition, and Hank is ready to win. There's just one problem: He completely forgot about the contest! While other kids have been working on their robots for a month, Hank has just two days to create an amazing robot that will wow the judges and win him the trophy. To make matters worse, there might be another problem, too. Hank has no idea how to build a robot! With help from Jaden, a robot expert at his school, Hank and his friends construct their robot, Stanley, just in time.

It's time for PS 87's annual Olympiad, the most anticipated day of the school year! But when Hank Zipzer is chosen as his team's softball pitcher, the pressure is on. Can Hank lead his team to victory, even though he thinks he is the worst athlete in the history of the world?

Hi there, I’m Hank. Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t try to make the kids in my class laugh, but somehow I do. Spelling is my worst subject. (Come to think of it, so are math and reading!) I try hard - I really do. So why does my brain always freeze into a Popsicle? When Hank is chosen to take care of the principal’s pet frog over the weekend, he promises he can handle the job. But when he forgets to put the lid back on the tank, the frog escapes! Can Hank find the missing frog by Monday?

It's report card day, the most dreaded day of Hank Zipzer's school year. And when Hank gets his grades, they're his worst nightmare come true: a D in spelling, a D in reading, a D in math. This is not going to make his parents happy. This will certainly get him grounded for life. Hank needs help. And he needs it fast!

It's science-project time, which is bad news for Hank. He loves doing science experiments, but writing a whole report is another story. Finally, Hank comes up with a science project: he'll take apart the cable box and figure out how it works. But Hank wasn't counting on his sister Emily's iguana laying 18 eggs inside the cable box! How will Hank finish his project now and will he ever be able to watch TV again?

When Hank's class takes a field trip to the zoo, he quickly gets lost after his partner (and nemesis) ditches him. Unable to read the map, Hank wanders and finds himself locked in a habitat with Elsie, an elephant recently rescued and kept isolated. He begins a game of soccer with her, and they become fast friends. But when Hank notices how lonely Elsie is, he's determined to help her find her own animal friends.

No one is shocked by the six-eyed alien strolling around the Universal back lot. The tourists just think he's part of the show. It doesn't take long for Buddy to land a role on a popular TV show, playing (of course) an alien. He becomes an overnight heartthrob and is suddenly faced with legions of adoring fans, rides in glamorous limos, and appearances at "all-the-shrimp-you-can-eat" red carpet parties. But can Buddy maintain his secret identity while in the spotlight?

When a well-known author of a beloved book series visits Hank's school, he and his two best friends get the chance to be her guide for the day and introduce her at an assembly. But Hank, embarrassed by his struggles with reading, tries to hide the fact that he's never actually finished reading the author's books - or any book, for that matter! So Hank gets creative and makes up his own version of the story. But will everyone be able to tell fact from fiction?

When Taddy the Tadpole goes missing, Detective Duck and her friends in the Pond Squad are on the case. What first seemed like a simple search and rescue mission gets more complicated when her friends find a pipe leaking a strange brown liquid along with a cluster of peculiar blue-green plants that make it difficult for the pond creatures to breathe.

Hank’s sister Emily wants Ralph’s Reptile Show to perform at her birthday party more than anything, but Ralph is booked solid. So Hank comes up with a plan: he’ll disguise himself as a magician called The Westside Wizard and pull a snake from thin air! But when Hank’s true identity is revealed during his performance, his good deed might just turn into a huge disaster.

Billy Broccoli is new to the neighborhood, and wants cool friends and a spot on the baseball team more than anything. But the one thing he never wanted is his own personal ghost. So imagine his surprise when he ends up sharing a room with Hoover Porterhouse, a funny ghost with a whole lot of attitude.

Willow Feathers McBeaver, aka Detective Duck, is a crime-solving (and very precocious) little duck. She and her animal pals live on Dogwood Pond, a beautiful pond in New England adjacent to Lazy Days, a human campground. Dogwood Pond has always been a pristine spot with clear water, abundant wildlife, and shady willow trees, but now it is encountering puzzling problems—mysteries that arise from human-caused disruptions in nature, such as water pollution, refuse, warming climate, and human encroachment.

Buddy's out-of-this-world adventures continue! Since Citizen Cruel failed to capture Buddy, the Supreme Leader is left with no other choice: he must go to Earth himself to make sure Buddy is returned to his home planet for the ultimate punishment. While an unsuspecting Buddy is acting on his Hollywood sitcom, the Supreme Leader's powers of mind control weave a delicate web to entrap him. Will Buddy be caught? Will he succumb to these menacing powers? Will the Earthlings ever find out who Buddy Burger truly is?

Billy Broccoli is on a mission. If he can help Hoover learn to be responsible then he may be able to move on...and Billy may finally get his room to himself! Billy has come up with the perfect plan and gets Hoove a pet - a cute, cuddly one he won't be able to resist caring for. But, as it turns out, Hoover is not exactly an animal enthusiast. Billy has got to turn Hoover into a mother hen soon if he ever wants to get some peace and quiet!

"We Love Nature Day" is fast approaching, and everyone in Hank's class gets to write and perform a poem. One problem: Hank has no idea where to start. Luckily his mom has a great idea - the family will go camping. Out in nature, Hank will be able to find plenty of inspiration. But when a rainstorm threatens to ruin their night, it's up to Hank to make sure the night doesn't turn into a soggy, foggy failure. Can he find the words for his nature poem - and the courage to help his family survive the night?