Mary Amato: 16 books

When their parents steal a monkey from the zoo to help them pick pockets, our heroes rush into action and return the wily animal using disguises, inventions, and old-fashioned shoe leather. They also learn what a monkey can do in 11 minutes: 1) Stick his fingers in your right nostril. 2) Lick your...

On odd days, Tripp uses a school practice room to let loose on a borrowed guitar. Eyes closed, strumming that beat-up instrument, Tripp escapes to a world where only the music matters. On even days, Lyla Marks uses the same practice room. To Tripp, she's trying to become even more perfect—she's...

When their parents steal a Hollywood star (a white poodle) to hold it for ransom, our young heroes leap into action. Too bad the spoiled star will not raise a paw to help. Barks and howls will be the result of anyone reading Book Two of Good Crooks. Author Mary Amato is a star of state master...

Good Crooks Book Three: Sniff a Skunk! brings back our favorite pair of do-gooder crooks in a hilarious adventure that brings about an odiferous encounter with a skunk. Author Mary Amato is a star of state master and children's choice lists and returns to the age category of her popular Riot Brothers chapter book series with this funny, silly new series.

When the coolest girl in the class invites you to her exclusive after-school club, how can you say no? Even if it means skipping out on Songwriting Club? Even if she's always been too popular to give you the time of day?  Even if she asks you to paint the walls and serve the tea...?  Soon...

Riot Brother Rule Number One: Make something exciting happen every day. It's no easy task, but Wilbur and Orville Riot are up to the challenge. Whether it's catching a bank robber, finding hidden treasure while cleaning the house, or overthrowing a wicked king, the Riot brothers are clever,...

Are you bored? Do you like exciting and dangerous adventures? Then it's your lucky day, because Orville and Wilbur Riot are back with all-new escapades—because, you know, you can't do the same mission twice. (That's Rule #15!) As the brothers say, a bad day is like bad breath... it...

Life is miserable for sixth grader Lerner Chanse at her new shool, where the MPOOE (Most Powerful Ones On Earth) Club ruthlessly rules over the SLUGs (Sorry Losers Under Ground). It looks as if Lerner is destined to be a SLUG, until she finds a magical worm that eats printed words instead of dirt. If Fip eats a word, that item simply disappears from the world -- forever.

Minerva has been raised by her single mother after her father left them. On her 17th birthday, she is shocked to discover that he has been trying to keep in touch, and that her mother has been sabotaging his attempts. Furious at her mom, Minerva begins to investigate her dad, a famous marine biologist,...

Mrs. Penrose has a secret, and Alexander H. Gory, Jr., thinks he knows just what it is. To spread the word, Alexander passes around his notebook, in which he details his proof that their mild-mannered teacher has become a blood-sucking creature of the night. The news spreads like wildfire,...

Tomorrow is April Fool's day, the best holiday of all, and the Riot Brothers have only one goal: FOOL MOM! This April Fool's day they're determined to finally do it—but Mom isn't an easy mark.  If fake rats don't do the trick, what will?  And what happens when Mom fools them first? Always...

It's the first day of summer vacation, and life is great... Until the Riot Brothers find out their cousin is coming to visit. How can you complete secret missions and make exciting things happening when you have to drag around a guest? Luckily, it turns out Cousin Amelia is the kind of cousin...

When her father begins a long-distance romance with a Washington, D.C. zookeeper, twelve-year-old Frankie sends fabricated email letters to the zookeeper in an attempt to end the relationship, in this story about family, friendship, and growing up.

When Lacy wakes up dead in Westminster Cemetery, final resting place of Edgar Allan Poe, she's confused. It's the job of Sam, a young soldier who died in 1865, to teach her the rules of the afterlife and to warn her about Suppression—a punishment worse than death. Lacy desperately wants to...