Autobiography

• Playing With Words (1994) with Michael Craine (Illustrator)

Fiction

• A Night without Stars (1983)
  Maria Tirone is frightened. She's in the hospital, about to undergo open heart surgery. And no one -- not her friends, not her family, not even her doctors -- can tell her what to expect.
  
  Then she meets Donald, badly disfigured in a fire years before. The other kids in the hospital call him Monster Man, and tell Maria to stay away from him. But Maria sees the human being hidden behind Donald's scars and his bitterness, and finds in him what she needs most of all -- answers to her questions, and a friend.

• How the Ewoks Saved the Trees (1984) with Walter Velez (Illustrator)
  Wicket and Kneesaa, two furry Ewok children who live on the tiny moon Endor, catch a pair of giant Phlogs in the act of cutting down the ancient forest revered by the Ewoks.

• The Day the Teacher Went Bananas (1984)
  A class's new teacher, who leads the children in a number of very popular activities, turns out to be a gorilla.

• A Love Note For Baby Piggy (1986) with Kathy Spahr (Illustrator)

• There's a Monster Under My Bed (1986) with David S. Rose (Illustrator)
  There was a monster under his bed. Simon knew it. He could hear him breathing. Maybe more than one. Maybe two. Maybe even three or four. Five monsters crawling up the side of his bed!
  
  Why had he agreed that he didn't need a night light? His younger brother, Alex, had one. What was wrong with a night light?
  
  But there was a flashlight. Did he dare get up and look? And if he did, what would he find? For there was something under his bed!

• I Wish I Were a Butterfly (1987) with Ed Young (Illustrator)
  Story of a cricket who refuses to make music because he thinks he’s ugly. It takes the wisdom of The Old One, his spider friend, to enable him to see his own beauty.

• The Hospital Book (1994) with Mal Warshaw (Illustrator)
  A guide to a stay in the hospital discussing what happens there, the people one meets, what will hurt, and how one gets better and goes home.

• There's a Dragon in My Sleeping Bag (1994) with David S. Rose (Illustrator)
  Alex is intimidated by his older brother Simon's imaginary dragon, until he is able to create his own friend--a camel named Calvin.

• When You Go to Kindergarten (1994) with Betsy Imershein (Illustrator)
  Text and photographs explain what it is like to go to kindergarten.

• The New Nick Kramer (1995)
  Fourteen-year-old Nick signs up for a babysitting and child care class to be near a beautiful new girl at school, but his first attempts at real babysitting prove to be less than successful.

• Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores (1999)
  The tale of three mice who are best friends. Dolores is the ringleader. One day the two boy mice join the Mega-Mice all boys’ club and Dolores is left to join the Cheese Puffs, the club for girls. Forced into stereotypical “boy” and “girl” behavior, the three eventually rebel and form a club of their own – the “Frisky Whisker Club,” where everyone is welcome.

• The Misfits (2001)
  Set in the seventh grade, this novel is for older elementary as well as middle school and early high school age readers. Among the four misfits of the title is Joe Bunch, who at twelve knows he’s gay and figures it’s up to the rest of the world to deal. Having always been somewhat outrageous, he’s used to being called “faggot” and “fairy.” What he isn’t used to is his growing desire to have a boyfriend at a time when others around him are beginning to date. With the three other “misfits”, Joe forms a political party to end name-calling in his school.

• Horace and Morris Join the Chorus (but what about Dolores?) (2002) with Amy Walrod (Illustrator)
  Best friends Horace, Morris, and Dolores do everything together. So when they try out for the chorus and Dolores (who sings notes no one has ever heard before) doesn't get in, she feels hurt and angry and -- not like Dolores at all -- sorry for herself. But mostly she feels lonely, with her friends too busy rehearsing to have time to share adventures with her. So Dolores does what she does best and takes matters into her own hands. But can she prove to Moustro Provolone that there's a place for every kind of voice in the chorus?

• 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen (2003)
  No one will want to skip any of the twelve short stories and one poem that make up this collection by some of the most celebrated contemporary writers of teen fiction. The big bar mitzvah that goes suddenly, wildly, hilariously out of control. A first kiss -- and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A crush on a girl that ends up putting the boy who likes her in the hospital. A pair of sneakers a kid has to have. By turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant, the moments large and small described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen.

• Kaddish for Grandpa in Jesus' Name Amen (2004) with Catherine Stock (Illustrator)
  When Emily was two, her grandpa sang songs to her. When she was four, he read her stories. When Emily is five, her beloved grandfather dies. Her family decides to remember him in two ways: with a Christian funeral, because Grandpa was Christian, and a Jewish service, because Emily's family is Jewish. Both ways are beautiful. But Emily finds a way of remembering her grandpa that is just as beautiful and meaningful...and that's all her own.

  In this tender story for all families a young girl learns how to say goodbye to her grandpa without letting go of his memory.

• Totally Joe (2005)
  Meet Joe Bunch. Lovable misfit and celebrity wannabe from Paintbrush Falls, New York. Like his longtime best friends Addie, Skeezie, and Bobby, Joe's been called names all his life. So when he's given the assignment to write his alphabiography -- the story of his life from A to Z -- Joe has his doubts. This whole thing could be serious ammunition for bullying if it falls into the wrong hands.
  
  But Joe discovers there's more to the assignment -- and his life -- than meets the eye. Especially when he gets to the letter C, which stands for Colin Briggs, the coolest guy in the seventh grade (seriously) -- and Joe's secret boyfriend.
  
  By the time Joe gets to the letter Z, he's pretty much bared his soul about everything. And Joe's okay with that because he likes who he is. He's Totally Joe, and that's the best thing for him to be.
  
  Here is an exuberant, funny, totally original story of one boy's coming out -- and coming-of-age.

• Houndsley and Catina (2006) with Marie-Louise Gay (Illustrator)
  Catina wants to be a famous writer. Houndsley is an excellent cook. Catina thinks Houndsley is a wonder. Houndsley thinks Catina is a very good friend. So what should Houndsley say about Catina's seventy-four-chapter memoir? And can Catina find the right words of comfort for Houndsley after the big cooking contest fiasco? James Howe's funny and endearing world of ginger tea, no-bean chili, and firefly watching is brought to life in cozy watercolors by Marie-Louise Gay in this tender chapter book about what it means to be friends.

• Houndsley and Catina and the Birthday Surprise  (2006) with Marie-Louise Gay (Illustrator)
  Houndsley is sad. Not because it is raining or because there are holes in his sweater, but because he doesn't know when his birthday is. All of a sudden Catina is sad, too. But friends are very good at cheering each other up, and Houndsley and Catina are the very best of friends. So it won't be long before they each discover, in a most surprising way, how a first-rate friend can brighten even the saddest days.

Juvenile

Bunnicula Series

• Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery (1979) with Deborah Howe and Alan Daniel (Illustrator)
  This book is written by Harold. His fulltime occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived.
  
  Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester's suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading.

• The Celery Stalks at Midnight (1983) with Leslie Morrill (Illustrator)
  Bunnicula is missing! Chester is convinced all the world's vegetables are in danger of being drained of their life juices and turned into zombies. Soon he has Harold and Howie running around sticking toothpicks through hearts of lettuce and any other veggie in sight. Of course, Chester has been known to be wrong before...but you can never be too careful when there's a vampire bunny at large!

• Bunnicula Escapes! (1994) with Alan Daniel and Lea Daniel (Illustrators)
  When Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, escapes while at the county fair, the other family pets attempt to track him down.

• Nighty-Nightmare (1997) with Leslie Morrill (Illustrator)
  In this further witty adventure of the Bunnicula crowd, Harold and Howie find themselves out in the woods on the one night of the year that evil spirits come out to prey. Ages 8-12.

• Bunnicula's Pleasantly Perplexing Puzzlers: A Book of Puzzles, Mazes, & Whatzits! (1998) with Alan Daniel (Illustrator)

• Bunnicula Strikes Again! (1999) with Alan Daniel (Illustrator)
  It's happening again. The Monroes's kitchen is littered with the remains of vegetables, drained of all color. To Chester, it's obvious: Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, is up to his old tricks.
  
  But Harold is more frightened for Bunnicula than of him. The poor bunny doesn't look too good. Is he sick? Or just unhappy? Or has Chester finally gone too far in his attempt to make the world safe for veggies?
  
  One thing's for sure: Harold isn't going to let anything bad happen to his long-eared pal -- even if it means leaving the comfort of his home, losing his best friend, and risking his own life. And if he fails -- could this be the end of Bunnicula?

• Bunnicula's Long-Lasting Laugh-Alouds: A Book of Jokes & Riddles to Tickle Your Bunny-Bone (1999) by James Howe and Louis Phillips with Alan Daniel (Illustrator)
  Features Harold, Chester, Howie, and that vampire bunny himself -- Bunnicula -- in a variety of frighfully funny jokes riddles knock-knocks ...and lots more!  This book is guaranteed to make you howl with delight!

• Scared Silly (1999) with Jeff Mack (Illustrator)
  It's Halloween night and many spooky things are happening at the Monroe house. The wind is howling. The walls are creaking. Bunnicula's eyes are gleaming red. But worst of all, there is a witch in the kitchen!
  
  Harold the dog, Chester the cat, and Howie the dachshund puppy are all scared silly. Are they doomed to be part of a witch's brew? And does Bunnicula have anything to do with the strange goings-on?

• Bunnicula-in-a-Box (2004)
  Bunnicula, Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight

• Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (2006) with Eric Fortune (Illustrator)
  The Monroe house is going mad with excitement. Pete has just won a contest, and the prize is a school visit from none other than M. T. Graves, Pete's idol and the bestselling author of the FleshCrawlers series. He's even going to stay with the Monroes while he's visiting! Harold and Howie are thrilled, but Chester the cat is suspicious. Why does Graves dress all in black? Why doesn't the beady-eyed crow perched on his shoulder say anything? Why has a threatening flock of crows invaded the backyard? And most worrisome of all: In each of the FleshCrawlers books, why does something bad always happen to the pets? Suddenly, Graves's interest in all of the animals -- especially Bunnicula -- looks far from innocent. It's up to Chester, Harold, and Howie to find out if M. T. Graves and Edgar Allan Crow are really devising a plot to make their beloved bunny. . . NEVERMORE

Bunnicula and Friends

1. The Vampire Bunny (2004) with Jeff Mack (Illustrator)
   One dark and stormy night, the Monroes bring home a new pet: a little black-and-white rabbit. Because the Monroes found him at a Dracula movie, they name the rabbit Bunnicula. Harold the dog thinks Bunnicula is just a cute little bunny. But Chester the cat is worried. Bunnicula sleeps all day and wakes up at night. And Bunnicula doesn't have little bunny teeth -- he has fangs.

   Is Bunnicula really just a harmless little bunny? Or is he something much, much more scary?

2. Hot Fudge (1991) with Jeff Mack (Illustrator)
   Mr. Monroe made chocolate fudge. Will it be safe? Harold the dog and his fellow pets Howie and Chester stand guard to make sure. No one is going to steal the chocolate from under their noses! But they fall asleep -- and the fudge suddenly turns white. Then it disappears altogether! Is this really the work of the candy criminal...or has Bunnicula the vampire bunny struck again?

3. Scared Silly (1999) with Jeff Mack (Illustrator)
   It's Halloween night and many spooky things are happening at the Monroe house. The wind is howling. The walls are creaking. Bunnicula's eyes are gleaming red. But worst of all, there is a witch in the kitchen!

   Harold the dog, Chester the cat, and Howie the dachshund puppy are all scared silly. Are they doomed to be part of a witch's brew? And does Bunnicula have anything to do with the strange goings-on?

4. Rabbit-Cadabra! (1993) with Jeff Mack (Illustrator)
   A magician is coming to town and Toby can't wait. Maybe he'll get to be his assistant! But Harold the dog, Howie the dachshund puppy, and Chester the cat aren't as excited. They know how powerful the Amazing Karlovsky really is. With one wave of his wand he can make things disappear. And even worse -- he can pull a rabbit out of a hat.
   
   What is the rabbit is a vampire just like Bunnicula? And what if -- as Chester fears -- he pulls out another and anothe and another? If someone doesn't stop the amazing Karlovsky soon, there could be hundreds of vampire bunnies on the loose!

5. The Fright Before Christmas

Tales From the House of Bennicula

1. It Came from Beneath the Bed! (2003) with Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
   Dear possible reader of this book,
   
   I want to be a writer, just like my uncle Harold, who wrote a bunch of books about our friend Bunnicula. So I wrote this story. And boy! Did I ever get into trouble! My friend Delilah stopped speaking to me because I put her in my book. Uncle Harold stopped speaking to me because I didn't put him in my book. A writer's life isn't easy!
   
   But back to my story: It's about how a talented and lovable (not to mention smart) wirehaired dachshund puppy named Howie saves the world from a disgusting, evil menace named...oops, that would give away the story. But trust me, this menace is disgusting and evil, all right!!!
   
   Your friend,
   
   Howie

2. Invasion of the Mind Swappers From Asteroid 6! (2002) with Brett Helquist
   Dear possible reader of this book,
   
   After I wrote my first book, It Came from Beneath the Bed!, my editor asked me to write another one. (Another one! This is hard work! I'd like to see him write another one!) So anyway...in this book the lovable and smart (not to mention talented) wirehaired dachshund puppy named Howie and his friend, the beautiful and brilliant Delilah, face their biggest challenge yet: the Mind Swappers from Asteroid 6!™ Along the way Delilah gets turned into a squirrel and has to beg for acorns. (Hey, don't ask me! Read the book!)
   
   My uncle Harold (who wrote a bunch of books about our friend Bunnicula), says he likes my book a lot, but it has too many adjectives. Delilah says I have a lot to learn about writing girl characters.
   
   I have no idea what they're talking about. I just hope you like the story.
   
   Your friend,
   
   Howie

3. Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom (Tales From the House of Bunnicula) (2002) with Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
   Dear possible reader of this book,
   
   My editor asked me to write a third book in my series, Tales from the House of Bunnicula. And did I have trouble getting started! I was afraid I used up all my ideas. But faster than a writer can say "What if?" I came up with a story! It's about a lovable and smart (not to mention cute) orphan wirehaired dachshund puppy named Howie, who has a mysterious pain in his leg and is mysteriously invited to attend the Dogwiz Academy for Canine Conjurers. Together, Howie and his best friend, the very, very, very smart Delilah, who speaks in a British accent in this book for some reason, discover they must fight a sinister foe...The-Evil-Force-Whose-Nam-C'not-Be-Spoke!!!
   
   Your friend,
   
   Howie

4. Screaming Mummies of the Pharoah's Tomb II (2003) with Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
   Dear possible reader of this book,

   I wasn't sure I'd be able to write a book ever again after Canine Quarterly reviewed my series, Tales from the House of Bunnicula. They said I would never win the Newbony Award. Was I depressed! And I didn't even know what a Newbony was! Luckily Delilah's read a lot of Newbony books, so she helped me write this one. It's about a poor (but very cute) orphan dachshund puppy named Howie Monroe, who lives on the prairie and yearns for a chicken bone. (I know. Trust me.) Things really get exciting when Howie and his best friend, the smart and well-read Delilah, find a time machine and travel back to ancient Egypt where they uncover...the mystery of the Pharaoh's tomb!!!

   Uncle Harold (who wrote a bunch of books about our friend Bunnicula) says he thinks Delilah and I learned a lot about working together. I'm just glad we're still speaking to each other, and I hope you like the story.

   Your friend,

   Howie

5. Bud Barkin, Private Eye (2003) with Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
   Dear Reader,
   
   The guy who usually writes these letters asked me to do it instead. Maybe he was having a bad writing day. Maybe he wanted me to play the sap for him. Or maybe he ran into Trouble with a capital T.
   
   Well, Trouble's my business. I'm a dog. I'm a detective. The name's Bud Barkin. And this book is about a case I had involving a dame named Delilah Gorbish, whom I would call Trouble with a capital T except I've used that metaphor already, and a clown named Crusty Carmady whose calling card is a teakettle that he heaves through windows. Nice pair of birds. The mystery deepens with another character called the Big Fish, who isn't really a fish and who's addicted to the Home Shopping Network.
   
   Hey, I don't write 'em -- I just solve 'em. If you're interested you might want to come along for the ride, which is wilder than a bunch of English teachers at a grammar fair. Just remember: I do all the similes.
   
   Yours truly,
   
   Bud Barkin, P.E.

6. The Odorous Adventures of Stinky Dog (2003) with Brett Helquist (Illustrator)
   Dear possible reader of this book,

   What's faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a pound of Gorgonzola cheese? It's Stinky Dog, the hero of my new book. By a stroke of fate (or is it destiny?) the lovable (not to mention cute) Howie Monroe is transformed into Stinky Dog, protector of the innocent. (Don't worry, he's still lovable.) (Not to mention cute.) The secret of Stinky Dog's power is Super Stench -- an odor so strong it can bend steel! (Am I good or what?) Joined by a smart-mouthed sidekick, a sparrow named Little D, Stinky Dog tries to save Center City from villainous, low-life, miserable, rotten, wicked, kindergarten-scissors-stealing gangs who roam the streets, knocking down little old ladies and running off with their handbags!

   Your friend,

   Howie

Harold and Chester Series

1. Harold & Chester in the Fright Before Christmas (1988) with Jeff Mack (Illustrator)
   Christopher hates Christmas. He calls it a howl-iday, not a holiday. The fat man in a red suit? Santa Claws. That eight-reindeer vehicle? A slay. And Chris isn't kidding. Welcome to Christmas at Graveyard School. It's sure to be very merry. And very, very scary. You'll be dying to go to class at Graveyard School. It's sure to be very merry. And very, very scary.
   
   You'll be dying to go to class at ... Graveyard School.

2. Scared Silly (1989) with Leslie Morrill (Illustrator)
   The Monroes leave their cat and two dogs alone on Halloween night, unaware that their pets are about to be visited by a strange figure who might be a wicked witch.

3. Hot Fudge (2004)
   Mr. Monroe made chocolate fudge. Will it be safe? Harold the dog and his fellow pets Howie and Chester stand guard to make sure. No one is going to steal the chocolate from under their noses! But they fall asleep -- and the fudge suddenly turns white. Then it disappears altogether! Is this really the work of the candy criminal...or has Bunnicula the vampire bunny struck again?

4. Harold & Chester in Creepy-Crawly Birthday (1991) with Leslie Morrill (Illustrator)
   Bunnicula and his buddies turn Toby's birthday party topsy-turvy when they investigate the seven mysterious moving suitcases in Mr. Monroe's study. There's an added bonus--a special pull-out surprise from Bunnicula!

5. Rabbit-Cadabra! (1993) with Alan Daniel (Illustrator)
   When the animals in the Monroe household see a picture of Bunnicula the rabbit on a poster for a magician, they jump to an alarming conclusion about vampire rabbits.

Pinky and Rex Series
  (with Melissa Sweet (Illustrator), unless otherwise noted)

Short chapter books featuring seven-year-old best friends Pinky and Rex.  Pinky is a boy whose favorite color is pink. Rex is a girl with a thing for dinosaurs. The books tell stories of friendship, family, and dealing with the trials and tribulations of being seven. “Being different” is a theme that runs quietly through the series. The only book that deals with the issue directly is Pinky and Rex and the Bully, in which Pinky is picked on for liking the color pink and having a girl as a best friend.

• Pinky & Rex (1990)
  Pinky has twenty-seven stuffed animals, and Rex has twenty-seven dinosaurs. They have everything the same, and that's the way it should be with best friends. So what do they do when there's only one pink dinosaur in the museum gift shop, and they both want it? Could Pinky's pesky little sister Amanda have the answer?

• Pinky and Rex Get Married (1990)
  Nothing is much fun without your best friend, as Pinky discovers one day when he wants to play and Rex isn't home. It turns out Rex has been at a wedding, and that gives Pinky an idea. If he and Rex get married, they'll never be apart again!

• Pinky and Rex Collection 1990)

• Pinky And Rex And The Spelling Bee (1991)
  Rex is a terrible speller, and she's afraid she's going to embarrass herself in front of the whole class at today's spelling bee. Pinky, on the other hand, is a great speller, and he's sure he's going to be champion of the second grade again.
  
  But Pinky isn't counting on the new kid in class, who's a great speller, too. And he's certainly not counting on embarrassing himself in a way so terrible that winning or losing doesn't even matter. It's a good thing he can count on Rex to make him feel better on the worst day of his life

• Pinky And Rex And The Mean Old Witch (1991)
  Pinky and Rex's neighbor Mrs. Morgan isn't really a mean old witch. But she sure acts like one, yelling and waving her broom around every time the kids step onto her lawn. Now she's taken their ball, just because it accidentally rolled into her yard.

  So Rex and Pinky and Pinky's sister, Amanda, come up with the perfect trick to play on the Mean Old Witch. But somehow, seeing Mrs. Morgan sitting all alone in her living room makes Pinky think getting even isn't such a good idea after all. He tries a different plan, with results that surprise the kids as well as their neighbor.

• Pinky And Rex Go To Camp (1992)
  Pinky and Rex are going to camp for the first time. Rex keeps telling Pinky how much fun they're going to have, but Pinky just wants to stay home where he belongs. Can the "Dear Arnie" column in the newspaper help Pinky figure out what to do?
  
  Arnie give Pinky some good advice, and so does Pinky's mother. But it's his best friend Rex who tells Pinky what he really needs to know.

• Pinky And Rex And The New Baby (1993)
  Rex's parents are adopting a baby, and Rex doesn't like the idea at all. Suppose her parents are so busy with the new baby they forget about her?

  So she comes up with a plan. If she can be the perfect big sister, her parents will have to pay attention to her. The trouble is, being the perfect big sister is a lot of work, and it doesn't leave time for much else -- like her best friend, Pinky.

• Pinky And Rex And The Double-Dad Weekend (1995)
  Pinky and Rex are looking forward to a camping adventure with their dads. They'll hike in the woods and roast marshmallows over a campfire. But a thunderstorm has come along to ruin all their plans. How can the best friends save their double-dad weekend?

• Pinky And Rex And The Bully (1996)
  Pinky's favorite color is pink, and his best friend, Rex, is a girl. Kevin, the third-grade bully, says that makes Pinky a sissy. Deep down, Pinky thinks Kevin is wrong, but he's still worried. Does Pinky have to give up his favorite things, and worse, does he have to give up his best friend?

• Pinky And Rex And The New Neighbors (1997)
  Pinky's neighbor, Mrs. Morgan, is going to move. Sure, she used to be a mean old witch, but now she's a special friend to Pinky and Rex. They know they'll visit Mrs. Morgan often at her new apartment, but who will be Rex's new neighbors? And what will they be like?

• Pinky And Rex And The School Play (1998)
  Pinky really wants to be an actor and is sure he'll get the lead in the school play. Rex, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with being on stage. She's afraid she'll forget her lines -- or worse. Everything changes when Pinky convinces Rex to go with him to the tryouts. Will Pinky and Rex still be best friends when the show is over?

• Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin (2001)
  When Rex accompanies Pinky and his relatives on their traditional trip to pick and carve pumpkins, she feels left out because of the jealous behavior of Pinky's cousin Abby.

• Pinky and Rex and the Just-Right Pet (2001)
  Pinky's family is getting a pet! The problem is, by a three to one vote, they've decided to get a cat, and Pinky wants a dog. And when they get a kitten, Pinky's sister, Amanda, says that Patches is hers. Why should Pinky care? He didn't want a cat in the first place. But Patches may have her own ideas about whose cat she is.

Sebastian Barth Mysteries

1. What Eric Knew (1985)
   Who pushed Eric down the stairs?
   
   Right before he moved away, Sebastian Barth's friend Eric had an unfortunate accident. Now he's sending Sebastian mysterious notes hinting it wasn't an accident at all.
   
   Was it the ghost in the cemetery?
   
   Was Eric's accident linked to the ghost that' haunting the cemetary?
   
   Sebastian doesn't really believe in ghosts, but he's seen the shadowy figure in black and heard her moan and cries.
   
   What did Eric know?
   
   If Sebastian and his friends can decode Eric's strange notes, maybe they can solve the mystery of the ghost. But before Sebastian discovers what Eric knew, he must face a modern day evil more dangerous than any ghost from the past.

2. Eat Your Poison, Dear (1986)
   Cafeteria food may be hazardous to your health.
   Poor Milo Groot -- he's sprawled on the cafeteria floor, his cracked glasses inches away from his white face. Could it be the apple chili dogs?

   Could it be poison?

   Kids at the middle school are dropping like flies, and Sebastian Barth suspects there's something fishier than tuna dreamboats behind the epidemic. The trouble is, too many cooks have had the chance to spoil the stew.

   Sebastian finds out.

   At least he thinks he does, but he soon discovers that whipping up a dramatic disclosure without all the ingredients is a recipe for disaster.

3. Stage Fright (1987)
   Someone who knows a lot about movie star Michaele Caraway's past is sending her unsigned notes. At first they appear to be innocent fan letters, but then they turn threatening.

   Next the accidents started happening.

   To someone as superstitious as Michaele, it seems as if her new play is jinxed. But Sebastian Barth knows the backstage mishaps aren't accidents at all.

   Who's out to get the movie star?

   Sebastian has to find the answer, or opening night may mean the final curtain for the star.

4. Dew Drop Dead (1990)
   Snooping around the mysteriously abandoned Dew Drop Inn, Sebastian Barth and his best friends, David Lepinsky and Corrie Wingate, are startled to come upon what they are certain is a dead body. Sebastian is the first to put into words what they all believe: A murder has been committed.

   When they return with the police, however, the body is gone! "A homeless man sleeping off a drink," is the police chief's explanation. But Sebastian and his friends are not ready to believe that. They are sure the body they saw was dead, not unconscious.

   As the three undertake their own further investigation, more and more questions arise: Who was the man? Was he alone? And most important of all, is there a connection between the man they saw and one or more of the homeless people Corrie's father, a minister, is trying to help? The answers to the questions do not come until the three have made a number of discoveries, some of them more horrifying than they had expected.

   Dew Drop Dead is the fourth mystery in the Sebastian Barth series. Using rural Connecticut as a background, this tension-filled story is told with a unique blend of humor and seriousness, as it unravels a challenging puzzle and explores a difficult social problem.

• The Watcher (1999)
  A mysterious girl, dubbed The Watcher, spins tales of rescue from her lonely perch above the beach. She closely observes the actions of two people she has never met: a fourteen-year-old boy whose family seems perfect and a handsome eighteen-year-old lifeguard. Their lives become intertwined -- and their troubling truths are revealed.

• A Book of 3 Spooky Plays (1997)
  3 Spooky Plays to Produce: Creepy-Crawly Birthday, The Fright Before Christmas, and Scared Silly: A Halloween Treat. Drama productions as a learning process for the class.

• The Secret Garden (1993) by Frances Hodgson Burnett, adapted by James Howe
  What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.

  But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him.

• It's Heaven To Be Seven (2000)
  One of five anthologies that include stories by such beloved authors as A.A. Milne, Beverly Cleary, E.B. White, James Howe, Judy Blume, Patricia MacLachlan, Paula Danziger, Roald Dahl, Syd Hoff, and more. Each collection targets its very own special age group - will want to collect them all!

• The Color of Absence: 12 Stories About Loss and Hope (2001)
  In this stunning collection of short fiction, thirteen of the most accomplished writers for young people today turn their considerable talents to a theme that resonates in the hearts and minds of adolescents -- loss. As James Howe suggests in his introduction to the collection, it is in adolescence that we feel our losses as if for the first time "...with a greater depth of pain and drama than we are aware of having experienced ever before." And those losses may take many forms -- the death of a parent or grandparent or pet; the departure or disappearance of a true and trusted friend or sibling; the end of a relationship; or even the end of a defining chapter in one's life. But with loss comes the opportunity for reevaluation and change and growth, which is what often allows these stories to be as funny as they are touching, and as uplifting as they might be sorrowful. Whatever their emotional responses, young adult readers will be challenged to think about their own lives in new ways, to consider what has gone by, and, more important, what is yet to come.