Books with author Ben Clabaugh

"Same Planet...Different World," a Mom's Choice Award winner and Transformational Author Contest finalist, is a story for kids and adults about loss, friendship, how quickly life can change, and how the quality of our lives is determined by how we choose to feel about those changes. David Fuller’s parents have uprooted him, moved him from his home and friends to a lame Midwest suburb at the beginning of summer. When a new family moves in next door with a boy David’s age, his mom forces him to hang out with the kid, Shelton—a wide-eyed weirdo who can’t catch a ball, stares at anthills for hours, and greets dogs by sniffing their butts. The word “special” comes to mind. Turns out, Shelton is as strange as he seems—but that’s not all bad. David’s ambivalence for Shelton morphs into wonder as he catches more and more glimpses of Shelton’s universe: an expansive, delicious balance of strangeness and familiarity, tension and serenity, and the ultimate oneness that entwines all things in a symphony of life. An unlikely friendship develops, and David begins to learn that whatever happens, it’s up to him to decide what it all means. But that lesson is tested when David notices men-in-black poking around, watching Shelton with telephoto lenses from inside dark, unmarked SUVs. Just how special is Shelton? What do these men want with him and what will they do to get it? The answers force David to make the most difficult decision of his life.

The Loser, the Psycho, and the Retard is an action adventure story for kids and adults with a shocking twist about the folly of first impressions, the danger in underestimating your enemies, and the redemptive power of friendship.It’s the first day at a new school and David Fuller feels nervous, a little guilty, and, for the first time since Janie died, optimistic. He is both nervous and optimistic because as “The New Kid” he knows he knows he has about 5 seconds to make a good impression, which could very well determine his social standing for life. He feels guilty because even though Shelton Skievaski was a good summer-time friend, the last thing he needs is to be seen walking into class with someone like, well--like Shelton.So when he arrives late with Shelton in tow, falls in love with Stacey, the prettiest girl in school (who turns out to belong to social alpha Kevin Ballard), then totally screws up with his teacher, the principal, and the gym coach, David figures he needs a change in strategy. Like a mountain man of the old west that has strayed deep into hostile territory, he must lay low, avoid attention, and above all, stay away from Shelton.At first, the plan works, sort of. But when he sees Kevin and his goons repeatedly tormenting Shelton and other, weaker, kids, he can’t help what happens next. Suddenly, David finds himself deeper, and deeper into trouble. It turns out that David’s enemies are more numerous, more devious, and more powerful than he could ever have imagined. He quickly realizes he needs all the help he can get. His plan now? Simple. Survive.

Smelling the Sky : An Entertaining Award Winning Story for Kids Part of the "Same Planet-Different World" SeriesThe Same Planet - Different World Book Series is a story for kids and adults about friendship, loss, how quickly life can change, and how the quality of our lives is determined by how we choose to feel about those changes.In Smelling the Sky, the climactic third and final book of the series, the three school outcasts, David, Shelton, and Lonnie arrive at the Evergreen Participatory Education and Rehabilitation Program, where the motto is "Building minds, bodies, and character all at once." At the School Board hearing when the school principal, Mr. Agerton, recommended a few weeks at the work camp as an alternative to juvenile prison, the boys' parents practically swooned with gratitude. And upon arriving and seeing the extensive, nicely groomed stables, horse pens, and training arena, the boys are relieved, as well, at first. But after just a few days of hard labor with little or no food under the cruel and unstable, caretaker and self-pronounced judge and jury, Jeeves, and his even more unstable pitbull, Chopper, the boys begin to wonder if they will ever be allowed to return to "the company of good folks."And then David stumbles upon a sinister secret buried deep in the woods behind the camp placing the boys in more danger then they could have ever imagined and igniting a series of events which force David to reexamine everything he has seen, heard, thought and felt, beginning with the day his sister, Janie, was killed.Other Books in the Series

Book I: "Same Planet...Different World," a Mom's Choice Award winner and Transformational Author Contest finalist, is a story for kids and adults about loss, friendship, how quickly life can change, and how the quality of our lives is determined by how we choose to feel about those changes.David Fuller’s parents have uprooted him, moved him from his home and friends to a lame Midwest suburb at the beginning of summer. When a new family moves in next door with a boy David’s age, his mom forces him to hang out with the kid, Shelton—a wide-eyed weirdo who can’t catch a ball, stares at anthills for hours, and greets dogs by sniffing their butts. The word “special” comes to mind.Turns out, Shelton is as strange as he seems—but that’s not all bad. David’s ambivalence for Shelton morphs into wonder as he catches more and more glimpses of Shelton’s universe: an expansive, delicious balance of strangeness and familiarity, tension and serenity, and the ultimate oneness that entwines all things in a symphony of life. An unlikely friendship develops, and David begins to learn that whatever happens, it’s up to him to decide what it all means.But that lesson is tested when David notices men-in-black poking around, watching Shelton with telephoto lenses from inside dark, unmarked SUVs. Just how special is Shelton? What do these men want with him and what will they do to get it? The answers force David to make the most difficult decision of his life.The story of David and Shelton continues In Book II: The Loser, the Psycho, and the Retard, an action adventure story for kids and adults with a shocking twist about the folly of first impressions, the danger in underestimating your enemies, and the redemptive power of friendship.It’s the first day at a new school and David feels nervous, a little guilty, and, for the first time since his little sister, Janie died, optimistic. He is both nervous and optimistic because as “The New Kid” he knows he knows he has about 5 seconds to make a good impression, which could very well determine his social standing for life. He feels guilty because even though Shelton Skievaski was a good summer-time friend, the last thing he needs is to be seen walking into class with someone like, well--like Shelton.So when he arrives late with Shelton in tow, falls in love with Stacey, the prettiest girl in school (who turns out to belong to social alpha Kevin Ballard), then totally screws up with his teacher, the principal, and the gym coach, David figures he needs a change in strategy. Like a mountain man of the old west that has strayed deep into hostile territory, he must lay low, avoid attention, and above all, stay away from Shelton.At first, the plan works, sort of. But when he sees Kevin and his goons repeatedly tormenting Shelton and other, weaker, kids, he can’t help what happens next. Suddenly, David finds himself deeper, and deeper into trouble. It turns out that David’s enemies are more numerous, more devious, and more powerful than he could ever have imagined. He quickly realizes he needs all the help he can get. His plan now? Simple. Survive.

Winner of the 2009 Mom's Choice Award and a 2011 Transformational Author Contest award winner, "Same Planet...Different World" Book I is a fast paced story for kids and adults about friendship, loss, how quickly life can change, and how the quality of our lives is determined by how we choose to feel about those changes. It’s the beginning of summer, and David Fuller is bored and alone because his parents uprooted him from his life and all his friends by moving them all to some lame Midwest suburb. When a new family moves in next door with a boy David’s age, his mom forces him to hang out with the kid, Shelton—a wide-eyed weirdo who can’t catch a ball, stares at anthills for hours, and greets dogs by sniffing their butts. The word “special” comes to mind. Shelton is as strange as he seems and, it turns out, that’s not all bad. An unlikely friendship develops, and David begins to learn that whatever happens, it’s up to him to decide what it means. But things turn creepy when David notices several men-in-black skulking around the neighborhood, their telephoto lenses aimed Shelton's house from inside dark, unmarked SUVs. Just how special is Shelton, anyway? What do these men want with him and what will they do to get it? The answers force David to make the most difficult decision of his life.

It’s the first day at a new school and David Fuller feels nervous, a little guilty, and, for the first time since Janie died, optimistic. He is both nervous and optimistic because as “The New Kid” he knows he knows he has about 5 seconds to make a good impression, which could very well determine his social standing for life. He feels guilty because even though Shelton Skievaski was a good summer-time friend, the last thing he needs is to be seen walking into class with someone like, well--like Shelton. So when he arrives late with Shelton in tow, falls in love with Stacey, the prettiest girl in school (who turns out to belong to social alpha Kevin Ballard), then totally screws up with his teacher, the principal, and the gym coach, David figures he needs a change in strategy. Like a mountain man of the old west that has strayed deep into hostile territory, he must lay low, avoid attention, and above all, stay away from Shelton. At first, the plan works, sort of. But when he sees Kevin and his goons repeatedly tormenting Shelton and other, weaker, kids, he can’t help what happens next. Suddenly, David finds himself deeper, and deeper into trouble. It turns out that David’s enemies are more numerous, more devious, and more powerful than he could ever have imagined. He quickly realizes he needs all the help he can get. His plan now? Simple. Survive.

In Smelling the Sky, the third and final book of the “Same Planet – Different World” series, school outcasts David, Shelton, and Lonnie arrive at the place where they must serve their sentence: Evergreen Participatory Education and Rehabilitation Program, where the motto is “Building minds, bodies, and character all at once.” When the school principal, Mr. Agerton, suggested it as an alternative to juvi lock-up, the boys’ parents practically swooned with gratitude and relief. But this place isn’t what it seems. It’s hard labor and hardly any food. Under Jeeves, the cruel, unstable caretaker and selfpronounced judge-and-jury, and his crazy pitbull “Chopper,” the boys start to wonder if they will ever be allowed to return to “the company of good folks.” But things get freaky when David stumbles on a sinister secret buried deep in the woods behind the camp. Suddenly the boys are in more danger then they could have ever imagined, and a series of bizzare events force David to reexamine absolutely everything he has seen, heard, felt or believed up to now, beginning with the day his sister, Janie, was killed.

David Fuller is a bored twelve-year old tangled in feelings of isolation and guilt over the death of his little sister. That summer, Shelton - a pudgy weirdo kid who spends hours staring at anthills and greets dogs by sniffing their butts - moves in next door. Can David really be friends with someone like Shelton? His wariness turns to suspicion, then fascination as he uncovers what it is that makes Shelton special. But he's not the only one. When men in dark suits driving black SUVs start showing up, David realizes what's really at stake. Now he faces the hardest decision of his life.