NANCY SPECTOR MONSTER DETECTIVE

When you find yourself with a ghoulish mystery you can’t solve, who do you call? Nancy Spector, monster detective! This fearless young detective will solve the case with the help of her sassy, talking dog Jinx. In their debut graphic novel being released September 10, 2024, NANCY SPECTOR, MONSTER DETECTIVE #1: The Case of the Missing Spot, author Stephen W. Martin and artist Linh Pham craft a fantasy world brimming with intriguing mystery, adorable creatures, and hilarious antics. With a targeted audience of kids aged 9 to 12, NANCY SPECTOR, MONSTER DETECTIVE is the perfect entry point to horror and mystery for young readers, with monsters drawn with in an adorable kawaii style, balancing fun and frightening.

The Invisible Man has a problem. His dog, Spot, is missing. Complicating matters, Spot is also invisible. So the Invisible Man turns to Nancy Spector for help. Nancy eagerly takes the case, and she and her grumpy best friend, a (visible) dog named Jinx, dive into the investigation. As they follow Spot's trail, they find themselves: 

• Riding dragons 
• Searching the monster diner—because all dogs like hot dogs 
• Fleeing from vicious chipmunk unicorns 
• Shopping in a store that is a gelatinous candy cube named Bob 
•  And paying a visit to Nancy’s vampire friend Eugene’s hamster’s funeral 

Every time they think Spot is right around the corner, things get more and more confusing, but Nancy knows that to a great detective, there is no such thing as a bad clue. And Nancy knows she's a great detective. Now she just needs to crack the case. . .

Stephen W. Martin is an Emmy-nominated writer on the Netflix animated series Trash Truck and is the author of many picture books, including Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion. As a Canadian living in California, he misses poutine and the noble beavers. Find him online at stephen-w-martin.com. 

Linh Pham is an award-winning illustrator and visual development artist. She currently works as a lead designer at Vivid Greetings, where her custom digital greeting cards have garnered over 1 million views worldwide. In television and film, Linh has worked in animation, rigging, lighting, character design, and visual development bringing all sorts of wonderous monsters to life. She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband, daughter, two black dogs, and one white cat.

NANCY SPECTOR, MONSTER DETECTIVE will be out just in time to provide some spooktacular Halloween season reading fun. CLICK HERE to preorder the graphic novel from Hatchette Book Group.

THE INCREDIBLE EXPLODING KID

THE SUPER LIFE OF BEN BRAVER by Marcus Emerson was according to my son the best book he read last year. It is the story of a tween aged boy named Ben Braver who is essentially an ordinary kid who just wants to spend his summer vacation watching television, playing video games and eating his favorite candy. Through a twist of fate Ben finds himself in a position to act like a superhero in the comic books he reads and tries to save someone in need of help.  Though he doesn't actually have any super powers his act of bravery earns him in invitation to go to a special school called Kepler Academy.

It is a school where children with super abilities learn to control their powers. He finds himself with the chance to become the superhero he's always dreamed of becoming. The book delves into the humorous situations that occur as Ben tries to fit in with his classmates and takes readers on an exciting adventure as the only kid in school without super powers ends up being the hero who saves them all when the school is in danger.

My son was totally engrossed with THE SUPER LIFE OF BEN BRAVER. He didn't put the book down for a few days once he started reading it. So this 10-year old was ecstatic when Macmillan Children's Publishing Group sent him an advance reader's edition of the next story in Emerson's Ben Braver series ... THE INCREDIBLE EXPLODING KID. The boy read this new 320 page book from cover to cover in two days. Wow! He was so enthused to read this book and enjoyed it just as much as the first one.

Full of goofy humor, wacky characters and zany situations meant to be amusing to elementary and middle school aged students, THE INCREDIBLE EXPLODING KID is sure to delight any kid who has dreamed of being a super hero. Breaking up the text are eye-catching sketches and comic strips that help transports readers to a fantastic place full of excitement and high jinks. Its juvenile humor is balanced and complimented by an inspirational theme which communicates that a person doesn't need to have super powers to be a super hero.

In the INCREDIBLE EXPLODING KID, Ben Bravor is faced with the dilema of whether the students and teachers at school will think of him as a hero or a hoax. Even though he saved Kepler Academy from total destruction during his first year at this secret middle school for kids with special abilities he still doesn't fit in. Ben has been hiding his lack of super abilities which is getting harder during this new school year as his classmates' powers are getting stronger. He is going to have to risk everything now in order to make his dream of becoming the ultimate superhero a reality.

So what happens? You'll have to pick up THE SUPER LIFE OF BEN BRAVER: THE INCREDIBLE EXPLODING KID to find out! Available now in both e-book or print editions.