I'M LUCY ROSE and here's the thing about friends: I am lucky in them. And here's the thing about that: sometimes they are in need, indeed, especially when one of them buys a plumbing store and needs to diva it up so it can turn into a bakery. That is one job that takes work and costs plenty, and even 72 or more McBees couldn't get that job done by themselves. But between all the stuff you have to do in fourth and my bingo-calling and keeping track of my gigantic vocabulary and trying to keep away from the word thief Ashley and trying to stop the worst rumor you ever heard and dreaming up a money-making scheme that doesn't cost us money and plus having to build that bakery, I am working myself to pieces and bits. I would say most people would be so beat tired they'd collapse on the spot, but here's what I say to that: I am one busy bee who loves my friends.

Lucy Rose records in her diary her special summer plans--to make a keychain for her mother, to help decorate the living room, to prevent her parents' divorce, to vanquish some squirrels, and to enjoy a ninth birthday adventure with her father.

Can Adam "Melonhead" Melon, who lives in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Capitol Hill, survive his fearsome fifth-grade teacher and his mother's resolution to cook healthy, nutritious meals?

Fun in the sun! For best pals Melonhead and Sam, it’s a winter break with grandparents, which is more fun than you’d think! A comical and heartwarming story about friendship, community, and the special connection between kids and those young at heart! My best pal Sam and I are in Paradise, the community in Florida where my grandparents Nana and Jeep live. We’re staying with them while my dad works and my mom is on a trip with her lady relatives. Everything in Paradise is swank and deluxe, and lots of stuff is “For the Convenience of Our Residents.” We’re sure that means free. We especially like the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. Since Florida is loaded with animals, we’re going to capture a pet for Sam. We considered a wild piglet or a parrot or an armadillo or an iguana, but we’ve decided to find an alligator egg because it’s easy to carry on an airplane and it can hatch once we’re home. All we have to do is come up with a way to get that egg. Luckily, Sam and I are idea men! Praise for the Melonhead series Melonhead: “Laugh-out-loud funny, rivaling Stink and Fudge in its troublemaker quotient.” —School Library Journal Melonhead and the Big Stink: “The clever dialogue sparkles. A breezy and humorous middle-grade tale.” —Kirkus Reviews Melonhead and the Undercover Operation: “Melonhead’s pure, kid-centric, fun-loving perspective is hard to resist.” —Kirkus Reviews Melonhead and the Vegalicious Disaster: “Melonhead returns with rapid-fire narration and adventure.” —BooklistOnline.com Melonhead and the We-Fix-It Company: “Melonhead and his friends inhabit a world . . . where inventiveness and camaraderie reign supreme.” —Kirkus Reviews

If you ask Nicholas Borelli II--better known as Nicky Deuce--winter in New Jersey is awfully boring compared to summertime in Brooklyn, where he had the best two weeks of his life. Now it's cold out, he's back in school, and he has to live without Grandma Tutti's home cooked Italian meals and Uncle Franklie's funny tough-guy attitude. But not for long! Nicky's father is throwing a New Year's Eve party and the whole family is going to stay at their house and the gang from Brooklyn is coming to visit. By Christmas, Nicky's home is brimming with Brooklyn accents. Grandma Tutti wastes no time taking over the kitchen while Uncle Frankie charms the neighbors and cousin Tommy beats up Dirk Van Allen, the biggest jer in the neighborhood. Suddenly Tommy becomes a local hero but he and Nicky also become the prime target of a bully's revenge. Nicky Deuce is about to find out that winter in New Jersey is anything but boring.

“Melonhead and his friends inhabit a world . . . where inventiveness and camaraderie reign supreme.” —Kirkus Reviews For fans of Judy Blume's Fudge titles as well as Carl Hiaasen's Hoot. Money. That’s what Melonhead and his best friend, Sam, need. Due to a “situation,” the boys have to pay for something they accidentally ruined. Neither of them receives an allowance, so they create the We-Fix-It Company. When jobs start pouring in, the boys feel like they have all the answers. But they soon run into a problem too big for just the two of them to handle. Luckily, their friends offer to help. With teamwork and the courage to dream big, the kids surprise even themselves and deliver amazing results.

Melonhead here—with more rules?! I already have the Remind-O-Rama list from my mom, which reminds me what I shouldn't do. Now my dad has created the Melon Family Guidelines for Life to remind me what I should do. And even though all these rules are so simple even a worm could follow them, I already have too much to think about. As Junior Special Agents with the FBI, my pal Sam and I have taken a pledge—it's our duty to help apprehend a fugitive from justice if we spot one. And believe it or not, we've spotted one not far from where we live! The Chameleon may think she's crafty, but we can see right through her wigs, plastic noses, and putty chins. We're undercover and on the case, doing surveillance and gathering evidence. But what you see isn't always what you get!

Melonhead, the first book in author Katy Kelly's laugh-out-loud chapter book series, is now in paperback! Adam Melon's friend Lucy Rose gave him a nickname—Melonhead—and it caught on fast. Melonhead is a self-proclaimed inventor. All his life, which is ten years and counting, great ideas have been popping in and out of his melon head. And sometimes they work! This year Melonhead's class is entering an inventing fair, so he and his friend Sam are dreaming up plans. And Capitol Hill has a ton of places to find invention parts. But they have to be sure they find what they need and get home on time with no excuses. That might be hard, because Melonhead and Sam have a way of forgetting. But their work will all pay off if they win first place—they'll be headed to even bigger and better things!

In Dotty’s world, excitement is as scarce as money—and her desire to escape is bottomless During the Great Depression, twelve-year-old Dotty dreams of traveling far away—maybe even to Africa to see crocodiles along the Nile. But first she needs luggage. If she wishes hard enough, she knows she’ll get it. When a bag full of money nearly lands in Dotty’s lap, adventure awaits. She and her neighbor Jud quickly discover that danger and heartbreak travel with that suitcase, and Dotty realizes that the reality of getting away from her small town may not be all that she imagined.

“Melonhead and his friends inhabit a world . . . where inventiveness and camaraderie reign supreme.” —Kirkus Reviews For fans of Judy Blume's Fudge titles as well as Carl Hiaasen's Hoot. Anybody who is eleven needs an allowance! My parents don’t agree. Neither do my friend Sam’s parents. You would think they would because due to a snafu, Sam and I have to raise some money. So we started the We-Fix-It Company and requests started pouring in. Pruning (the gardening kind, not the gross-food kind), birdhouse making, shoe fixing, food delivering—we were hired! Then we received the request that changed everything…