Books with author Patrick Merrell

It all started when a group of mad-scientist-type plumbers asked Uncle John a question, "Why should computers have the only worldwide network?" His answer: "They shouldn’t!" So Uncle John put together a top-secret plumbing team to link together all the world's sewer lines and create...Presto flusho!...the Interpipe! Then he found a world-famous puzzle master to create 96 pages of interactive Interpipe adventures. With one flush of a turbo-charged toilet, a player can travel the world from Walla Walla to Katmandu, Transylvania to Timbuktu. But wait! It gets even better! Set the floater ball and flapper just right and toilet travelers can swirl backward in time. Best of all, travelers don't have to go down the toilet alone. A charming rat named Dwayne hosts each iFlush Swimming in Science adventure.- As they flush their way through the Interpipe, players must solve puzzles to go from page to page.- Puzzle solutions lead readers back and forth through the book, so that every time they open Uncle John's iFlush Swimming in Science, it's an all-new adventure!- Every page is packed with the kind of fantastic factoids readers expect from books in Uncle John's Bathroom Readers FOR KIDS ONLY series.

The newest Game On! Awesome Activities for Clever Kids title, this activity book has dozens of new and challenging brain games for ages 8 to 12. More than 100 colorful puzzles feature the excitement and adventure of the United States, including crosswords, secret codes, word scrambles, spot the differences, mazes, and much more. It's the perfect book for at home or on the go, and the fun starts with just a pencil — no electricity or batteries needed! Complete solutions appear at the end of the book.

The follow-up to Game On! Awesome Activities for Clever Kids, this book serves up a second helping of baffling brain games for ages 8 to 12. More than 100 colorful puzzles feature all kinds of kid-friendly themes and activities, including unique and challenging crosswords, secret codes, word scrambles, spot the differences, mazes, and much more. It's the perfect book for at home or on the go, and the fun starts with just a pencil — no electricity or batteries needed! Complete solutions appear at the end of the book.

Dwayne the lab rat is about to blast through the Interpipe astride the amazing TP Flyer! What’s the TP Flyer? It’s a rocket-fast device for sluicing through the sewers, and now our ratty host can travel through 96 pages of interactive Interpipe adventures faster than ever to find the greatest heroes who ever lived and see just how heroic they actually were! In this exhilarating escapade, readers use clues in the history-filled stories and factoids to solve puzzles. Once a puzzle is solved, Dwayne flushes himself through the Interpipe to the next historical destination and the iSwirl gives readers a choice: solve the puzzle and turn the page, or jump through time to the next heroic adventure. Which heroes will we meet in this exciting addition to the iFlush series? How about Cher Ami, the bravest pigeon in WWI, the Star Trek star who was a hero to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the newsies who brought media moguls to their knees, the top ten eco-heroes of all time, and many more!

Fresh (or not so fresh) from swimming through the sewers of science, our charming host--Dwayne, the rat--hurtles into history for more Interpipe Adventures. What’s the Interpipe? We’re glad you asked! Copying how computers have been connected to form the Internet, four mad-scientist-plumbers (Plumb Bob, Phyllis Tanks, P. Liddy, and Portia Potty) linked the world’s sewer lines together to create the Interpipe. Next, the Four P’s created a waterproof device called the iSwirl that can be used to travel back in time with a mere flush of the toilet! Finally, Uncle John found a world-famous puzzle maker to chronicle every Interpipe adventure, and the rest is iFlush history!Here’s how it works:- Every page is packed with the kind of amazing true stories and fantastic factoids readers expect from Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers FOR KIDS ONLY.- Readers use clues in the history-filled stories and factoids to solve puzzles.- Once a puzzle is solved, Dwayne, our ratty host, flushes himself through the Interpipe to take readers to their next historical destination.- The ingenious iSwirl adds a twist by giving readers a choice: solve the puzzle and turn the page, or jump through time to the next historical adventure.

Uncle John is sending our lovable iFlush host Dwayne the lab rat on a new mission: find the most baffling mysteries of all time. How? By piloting the S.S. Throne, a one-rat toilet sub invented by four mad-scientist-plumbers, through the Interpipe! Now, Dwayne can plunge readers through 96 pages of interactive Interpipe adventures without getting wet! Every page has Uncle John's signature true stories and fantastic factoids, and readers use clues to solve puzzles. Once a puzzle is solved, Dwayne flushes himself through the Interpipe to the next history-mystery and the iSwirl gives readers a choice: solve the puzzle and turn the page, or jump through time to the next adventure. Readers will discover how Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, really died; the mysterious disembodied voice that took down a U.S. president; hidden Confederate treasure worth millions; the truth about Mother Shipton, England’s cave-dwelling soothsayer (or total fraud); and much more!

If you like mazes, you'll love Maze Mania, a mesmerizing, mind-boggling collection of puzzling fun. Take an amazing journey through the mysterious Maze Machine, lose yourself in the Labyrinth Lab, then take a twisted trip through the most peculiar pretzel factory you've ever seen. No matter whether you're a maze master or a beginner, there's a fun-filled challenge for you on every page of Maze Mania!

Instead of words as clues, every crossword puzzle here features child-friendly and appealing images. All the crosswords have themes, too. “Around the Yard” deals with things that might be found in a neighborhood (like cars, fences, flowers, and trees). “Grocery Shopping” has milk, bread, orange juice, and other food, along with one non-food item for children to pick out and circle. As they recognize each object, kids can practice newly acquired writing and spelling skills by filling in the grid.