Books with author James Preller

Featuring friendship, school, family, and a diverse community, these early illustrated chapter books from James Preller have it all. Got a mystery to solve? Jigsaw Jones is on the case. Anything that ever goes missing or lost, Jigsaw and his partner, Mila, can find. Then, during a magic show, they watch a toy dinosaur disappear, right in front of their eyes! Even the magician can't seem to bring it back. Luckily Jigsaw doesn't believe in magic, and he's determined to find that dinosaur!James Preller's wry, witty, Jigsaw Jones books are once again available to inspire the next generation of young readers, featuring both new titles and classroom classics!

"Perfect for fans of adventure novels by Jean Craighead George, Peg Kehret, and Gary Paulsen."Carter and his older sister Grace thought the hike with their dad and their dog would be uneventful. If anything, they figured it was Dad’s way of getting them off their screens for a while. But the hike on Blood Mountain turns ominous, as the siblings are separated from their father, and soon, battling the elements. They are lost. They are being hunted, but who will reach them first? The young ranger leading the search? Or the mysterious mountain man who has gone off the grid?

In this middle grade novel by James Preller, a father and son journey along the Lewis and Clark Trail―from Fort Mandan to the shining sea―offering readers a genre-bending blend of American history, thrilling action, and the personal discovery that comes with facing an illness.Will has no choice. His father, a professor of American history, drags him along on a wilderness adventure in the footsteps of the legendary explorers Lewis and Clark―whether he likes it or not. All the while, Will senses that something about this trip isn’t quite right. His parents are divorced, and he hasn't spent much time with his father. Why now? And why is Will's mother practically pushing him out the door? Along the journey, Will meets fascinating strangers and experiences new thrills, including whitewater rapids and a heart-pounding encounter with a bear. This, along with getting to know his dad, tests Will in ways he hasn't faced before. But the biggest test of his courage isn't on the road; it's facing an illness that will be life-changing. The Courage Test is a heartfelt novel about adversity and resilience, told from the first-person perspective of a young boy. This title has Common Core connections. Praise for The Courage Test:“Preller stirs doses of American history into a first-rate road trip that does traditional double-duty as plot device and coming-of-age metaphor. Will is initially baffled and furious at being abruptly forced to accompany his divorced father, a history professor, on a long journey retracing much of the trail of Lewis and Clark. . . . Will survives a meeting with a bear and a spill into dangerous rapids--tests of courage that will help him weather the bad news that awaits him at home.” ―Booklist, starred review“Whatever young explorers look for on their literary road trips, they’ll find it here.” ―The Bulletin “The lively narrative is interspersed with Will’s entries for a school writing assignment, which contain lots of facts about the original journey, as well as postcards to his mother. Despite the emotional heft, there is plenty of action, including white-water rafting and a close encounter with a bear. A middle grade winner to hand to fans of history, adventure, and family drama.” ―School Library Journal

"Perfect for fans of adventure novels by Jean Craighead George, Peg Kehret, and Gary Paulsen."Carter and his older sister Grace thought the hike with their dad and their dog would be uneventful. If anything, they figured it was Dad’s way of getting them off their screens for a while. But the hike on Blood Mountain turns ominous, as the siblings are separated from their father, and soon, battling the elements. They are lost. They are being hunted, but who will reach them first? The young ranger leading the search? Or the mysterious mountain man who has gone off the grid?

Step into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with The Potterhead Cookbook! With this cookbook, dining at Hogwarts is as easy as the wave of a wand. With 25 exciting recipes, you can easily whip up spellbindingly delicious dishes inspired by your favorite Harry Potter stories, such as:• Homemade Pumpkin Pasties• Classic Butterbeer• Kreacher's French Onion Soup• Almond and Peach Treacle Tart• Exploding Bonbons• Bangers and Mash...and many more!With a sprinkle of magic and a dash of imagination, this cookbook will help you conjure up the desserts, entrees, drinks and snacks you need to bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter right into your kitchen! Grab The Potterhead Cookbook and start casting your culinary spells today!

Eric is the new kid in seventh grade. Griffin wants to be his friend. When you're new in town, it's hard to know who to hang out with—and who to avoid. Griffin seems cool, confident, and popular. But something isn't right about Griffin. He always seems to be in the middle of bad things. And if Griffin doesn't like you, you'd better watch your back. There might be a target on it. As Eric gets drawn deeper into Griffin's dark world, he begins to see the truth about Griffin: he's a liar, a bully, a thief. Eric wants to break away, do the right thing. But in one shocking moment, he goes from being a bystander . . . to the bully's next victim. This title has Common Core connections.

Featuring friendship, school, family, and a diverse community, these early illustrated chapter books from James Preller have it all. Got a mystery to solve? Jigsaw Jones is on the case. Eddie Becker has the idea of a lifetime, and creates plans for what he promises is going to be a million-dollar invention. Then the plans get stolen. Worst of all, after Jigsaw does some digging, he suspects the principal may be the thief! Now Jigsaw has to invent a gadget of his own to find out the truth. James Preller's wry, witty, Jigsaw Jones books are once again available to inspire the next generation of young readers, featuring both new titles and classroom classics! This title has Common Core connections.

Featuring friendship, school, family, and a diverse community, these early illustrated chapter book Jigsaw Jones Mysteries from James Preller have it all.It's the biggest―okay the most stressful―night of the year . . . Parents' Night! And Geetha Nair's painting has just gone missing. The stakes are high, but Jigsaw Jones and Mila Yeh have never encountered a mystery they couldn't solve. Can they track down their friend's art in time for the most important show of the year in The Case of the Vanishing Painting?James Preller's wry, witty, Jigsaw Jones books are once again available to inspire the next generation of young readers, featuring both new titles and classroom classics!

The summer before his senior year, Jude (yes, he's named after the Beatles song) gets his first job, falls in love for the first time, and starts to break away from his parents. Jude's house is kept dark, and no one talks much—it's been that way since his little sister drowned in a swimming pool seven years ago when Jude was supposed to be watching her.Now, Jude is finally, finally starting to live. Really live. And then, life spins out of control. Again. Acclaimed author James Preller explores life, death, love, faith, and resilience in his first young adult novel that will grip readers from the book's dramatic first few pages to its emotional end.

Step into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with The Potterhead Cookbook! With this cookbook, dining at Hogwarts is as easy as the wave of a wand. With 25 exciting recipes, you can easily whip up spellbindingly delicious dishes inspired by your favorite Harry Potter stories, such as:• Homemade Pumpkin Pasties• Classic Butterbeer• Kreacher's French Onion Soup• Almond and Peach Treacle Tart• Exploding Bonbons• Bangers and Mash...and many more!With a sprinkle of magic and a dash of imagination, this cookbook will help you conjure up the desserts, entrees, drinks and snacks you need to bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter right into your kitchen! Grab The Potterhead Cookbook and start casting your culinary spells today!

Two teams, six innings, one game.A lively cast of characters―baseball-loving boys between the ages of eleven to thirteen―are playing the biggest game of their lives. With acrobatic catches, clutch hits, dramatic whiffs, and costly errors, this game is full of action. But as the book unfolds, pitch by pitch, a deeper story emerges, with far more at stake: Sam and Mike, best friends, are trying to come to terms with Sam's newly diagnosed cancer. And this baseball diamond becomes the ultimate testing ground of Sam and Mike's remarkable friendship as they strive to find a way to both come out winners.This is for the championship.This is for life.Six Innings is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.