Books with author Stephen Mangan

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, a hilarious story of high-tech revenge . . . The biggest problem in Oscar J. Noodleman's life is Norval Molarsky, the bully who lives upstairs. The biggest surprise in his life is the test model of a video camera that his mom's inventor cousin, the Dr. Peter J. Prechtwinkle, has just sent him.When Oscar discovers that the camera can transmit to every TV set in the neighborhood, he concocts the perfect plan to get back at Norval. But that turns out to be just the beginning of an adventure that Oscar didn't bargain for--one that involves his rich friend Donald, an octopus, a lot of red Jello, and a giant squid that doesn't take lightly to being insulted. Tune in and see what happens!

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, the hilarious saga of a summer at the world's worst weight-loss camp: Sam Zimmer's parents might as well have sent him to prison for the summer. Camp Thin-na-Yet is all about losing weight, and it's even worse than he'd imagined. Between "active rest," "swim 'n' trim," "slimnastics," and cabin brawls, there's hardly a minute to relax. The portion-controlled meals taste worse than the foil they come wrapped in, the low-cal bug juice is so repulsive even bugs won't go near it, and there are no second helpings of anything but water. The skinny counselors confiscate hidden candy hoards and keep their own food under lock and key. And the big treat at the Saturday night dance is unlimited celery sticks.Is there any way out? Sam can't seem to find one. Then he meets fellow sufferer Belinda Moss and helps her stage an ill-fated raid on one of the counselors' cabins. Belinda and Sam soon agree there's only one good way to deal with the penitentiary called Camp Thin-na-Yet: escape. But that's not as easy as it sounds.

The United States Navy has designed the most powerful and silent diesel-electric submarine to ever patrol the deeps: the USS Stonewall Jackson. It would require a cunning warrior of the seas to command such a boat, and the USN has chosen its best young submariner: Commander Nathan Blake. He’ll need to employ stealth and guile to seek out the foe. This digital boxset is an omnibus edition containing the first, second and third thrillers of the USS Stonewall Jackson series, plus bonus book HMS Holy Ghost. USS Stonewall Jackson: North Korea has perfected a ballistic nuclear submarine capable of lying way off the Californian coast and raining down nuclear terror on the USA. Enough is enough. USS Stonewall Jackson is given the task of tracking down the enemy. But will Nathan find that the Korean People’s Navy has a trick up its sleeve? The Spratly Incident: The South China Sea’s islands and reefs are in dispute, sitting over vast oil and gas wealth. The People’s Republic of China is taking possession of these and turning them into sea fortresses. It’s time for the USS Stonewall Jackson to intervene. Follow Nathan and his crew as they take on the might of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. The Black Sea Horde: The Russian Black Sea Fleet is intent on flooding into the Mediterranean to face the US Sixth Fleet. USS New York City is the tripwire and first line of defense. For her Weapons Officer, young Lieutenant Commander Nathan Blake, it’s the patrol from hell. Stand with Nathan onboard the USS New York City as he faces the Black Sea Horde. HMS Holy Ghost: Captain Luke MacArthur has his orders: hunt down two of the quietest submarines in the world. They were the deadly weapon of the Soviet Union in the Cold War: the Kilo Class, known as the Black Hole for a good reason. Iran intends to use these submarines to choke off the Gulf oil supply. Join the crew of HMS Holy Ghost and help Luke to hunt down the Black Hole.

The author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! returns with the laugh-out-loud story of a boy who gets his wish--and wishes he could take it back . . .What happens when a commercial steps out of your TV set and into your life?The ads on TV said the basketball shoes were New! IMPROVED! Amazing! NEAT! Arnold Schlemp just had to have them. He had to. That was all there was to it. But by the end of his birthday he had a lot more to handle than fancy new shoes. He had big red blisters on his feet. He had a broken TV set in the living room. He had an obnoxious kid who had come through the TV screen from the shoe commercial--with no idea how to get home. And he had to find a way to explain it all to his parents--fast!(Want to act this out? An excerpt from this popular book is dramatized for performance in Aaron Shepard's Stories on Stage.

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, hilarious satire about growing up contrarian in an all-American town:Bright lights! Dancing girls! Cheap eats! Gambling (but only if you're over 21). Sun! Fun! The world's third-largest man-made volcano! What more could a guy ask for?Plenty. Ivan Zellner and his father have just moved to Carmody, Nevada. It calls itself "The Future Entertainment Capital of the World." Ivan calls it "the toilet bowl." To him, the tacky town is an endless traffic jam full of tourists in search of cheap thrills and quick bucks. The air smells like rotten eggs. The tap water can make you sick. And the new high school, in a remodeled hotel, offers courses in performing, sports, hospitality, gambling and comedy--not, Ivan suspects, the finest preparation for college.Home? To Ivan, Carmody seems more like an alien planet. But when he meets other kids who feel the same was, a funny thing happens on the way to high school--in fact, lots of funny things in a Labor Day weekend like no other. Once more, the blisteringly funny pen of Stephen Manes has produced a totally original, totally hilarious slice of American life. It's a sure bet: Comedy High is high comedy

Is it possible? Can an ordinary human being really become a perfect person in three short days? Milo Crinkley thought so. What gave him the idea was a book that fell on his head one day at the library--a book with the impressive title Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! The author, Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish, did look kind of weird, but he claimed to be the world's leading authority on perfection. Milo took the book home and followed its instructions. He liked the idea of being perfect. Perfect people never had their parents nag at them. Perfect people never had to take the blame for rotten tricks their sisters played. Perfect people never needed erasers. Perfect was obviously the perfect thing to be! Did Milo become a perfect person in just three days? More important, can you? Do you think we're going to answer all your questions here when we want you to read this hilarious book?Winner of five kid-voted statewide awards! California Young Reader Medal Charlie May Simon Award (Arkansas) Georgia Children's Book Award Nene Award (Hawaii) Sunshine State Award (Florida)

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! . . . What if you and your scorecard could control the biggest baseball game of the year?There's a wild, weird night of baseball in store for Nottingham Shoppers fan Jake Kratzer. The pennant is on the line, and it's do or die for his favorite team. When Jake takes his place in the stands, he's only hoping for a Shoppers win, a few good hot dogs, and maybe a Fan Appreciation Night prize to top it off.But when Jake starts marking plays on his scorecard, strange things begin to happen on the field. It seems to him that with a few strokes of his pencil, he can control the game.Or can he? Jake can't quite figure out why some of his dream plays come true, while others backfire miserably. Can Jake figure out the card's secret in time to lead the Shoppers to victory and help his favorite player make baseball history? Or will the game find a way to throw him one of its classic spitballs?Praise for An Almost Perfect Game!"A valentine to a game that was, and could be again, almost perfect. . . . Manes deftly slips readers into the stands, recreating the authentic flavor of a minor league ball game. . . . Funny incidents and one-liners sparkle throughout . . ."--Kirkus Reviews"Manes captures the experience of a family sharing its love and knowledge of baseball and makes it easy to follow the play-by-play action. Filled with baseball lore and jargon, this will appeal to young fans of the game . . ."--Booklist"These tales are hits . . . What baseball fan hasn't sat in front of the TV or in the stands, wishing for the power to change the outcome of the game?"--Associated Press"An Almost Perfect Game puts an imaginative twist on one child's love of our national pastime."--Boston Globe"An easy-to-read mix of fantasy and baseball that is sure to appeal to many sports-oriented readers."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"Manes wonderfully evokes minor-league baseball at its most irrepressible, and the witty, first-person narration helps to carry the story along. For enthusiasts of the sport with a taste for a little fantasy, this will be just the ticket."--School Library Journal

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! . . .How much chicken can one human eat? Oscar Noodleman is about to find out!Oscar owes his weird inventor cousin $49,462.37--plus tax. His cousin needs the money to avoid a horrible fate. The only way out is for Oscar to win the Bagful o' Cash prize in a coast-to-coast chicken-eating contest.Trekking across America in his cousin's amazing Picklemobile, Oscar stuffs down more than two hundred chicken meals. But an evil seer with a huge appetite, a grudge against Oscar's cousin, and a taste for fowl play is hot on the drumstick trail herself.Will Oscar sprout feathers? Will the ChickenSniffer, the RemDem and his cousin's other crazy inventions save the day? Feast on this tale and cackle at the fine-feathered fun!

From the bestselling author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!Why are thousands of wild-eyed tourists running through the streets of Gerbil, Pennsylvania, twirling miniature lariats? Why are swarms of desperate gerbils desperately scampering out of their way? Why does the town's fate now depend on two kids named Elton Wazoo and McBeth McBeth? And how does this all involve Rory Rallickson's Rhinoceros Ranch?It all began when the sleepy town of Gerbil decided to put itself on the map. The amazing First National Drive-Thru Museum of American Sightseeing and Clean Rest Rooms let anyone experience an entire vacation in ten minutes--without even leaving the car!But some citizens insisted that wasn't enough. The town needed something even more spectacular to lure more tourists and more dollars. That's when the mayor announced The Great Gerbil Roundup.People flooded into Gerbil from every direction. Then the worst fears of gerbils and Gerbilites became reality--for a Fourth of July the town, and you, will never forget. As for the rhinoceros ranch--well, read this book and find out!

Who are the Obnoxious Jerks?A: The weirdest band of total misfits ever seen at any known high school in the free world.B: Amateur comedians whose routines include kazoos, used chewing gum, and gooey lemon meringue pies.C: Members of a club whose Official Ice Cream Flavor is Nuts to You.D: A disorganized organization whose exploits are required reading for anybody with a sense of humor.All of the above--and more . . . There are jerks in every high school. The Obnoxious Jerks are found only at Ullman Griswold Memorial High (or, as they prefer to call it, UGH). They specialize in pranks (better known as "jerk-outs") designed to show how ridiculous some school rules can be. Which means the detention hall sometimes becomes the Jerks' unofficial meeting room.Then something happens to shake up Jerkdom: A girl known as "Iceberg" Freeze asks to join the all-male club-that's-not-a-club. It's not long before she finds herself at the center of the greatest jerk-out ever--one that involves picket signs, mass demonstrations, and guys wearing skirts.What's acceptable behavior? What's worth fighting for? The Obnoxious Jerks twist, bend, and break the rules to find out. And in the process learn a lot about questioning not only the outside world, but also themselves.