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Wikipedia / James Preller

James Preller (born February 1, 1961) is an American writer of children's books including Bystander, Six Innings, and the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries.

He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, he worked as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation. After meeting many notable children's writers through their books, he was inspired to try writing himself. His first book, MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, was published in 1986. Since then Preller has written a variety of books, some under pen names including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. He lives in Delmar, New York, with his wife Lisa and their three children.

Preller made up stories when he was young and sold them to friends, family, and neighbors. At that time, however, he planned to become a baseball player for the New York Mets.

Published books

Novels

  • The Fox and the Hound, Scholastic, 1988

  • The Iron Giant: A Novelization, Scholastic, 1999

  • Six Innings (2008)

  • Along Came Spider (2008)

  • Bystander (2009)

  • Justin Fisher Declares War!, Scholastic, 2010

  • Before You Go, Feiwel & Friends, 2012

  • The Fall (2015)

  • The Courage Test (2016)

  • Better Off Undead, Feiwel & Friends, 2017

  • Blood Mountain, Feiwel & Friends, 2019

  • Upstander (2021)

Scary Tales

Published by Feiwel & Friends.

  1. Home Sweet Horror, 2013

  2. I Scream, You Scream!, 2013

  3. Good Night, Zombie, 2013

  4. Nightmareland, 2014

  5. One-Eyed Doll, 2014

  6. Swamp Monster, 2015

Jigsaw Jones

Published by Scholastic Corporation.

  1. The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster

  2. The Case of the Christmas Snowman

  3. The Case of the Secret Valentine

  4. The Case of the Spooky Sleepover

  5. The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards

  6. The Case of the Mummy Mystery

  7. The Case of the Runaway Dog

  8. The Case of the Great Sled Race

  9. The Case of the Magic Ground Wart

  10. The Case of the Stinky Science Project

  11. The Case of the Ghostwriter

  12. The Case of the Stinky Vase

  13. The Case of the Marshmallow Monster

  14. The Case of the Class Clown

  15. The Case of the Lunch Lady and Mr. Lemon

  16. The Case of the Detective in Disguise

  17. The Case of the Bicycle Bandit

  18. The Case of the Tic Tacs in Mom’s Bedside Table

  19. The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow

  20. The Case of the Sneaker Sneak

  21. The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur

  22. The Case of the Missing Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces

  23. The Case of the Bear Scare

  24. The Case of the Golden Key

  25. The Case of the Race Against Time

  26. The Case of the Rainy Day Mystery

  27. The Case of the Summer Sausage

  28. The Case of the Best Pet Ever

  29. The Case of the Perfect Prank

  30. The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost

  31. The Case of the Vanishing Painting

  32. The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives

  33. The Case of the Frog-Jumping Contest

  34. The Case of the Food Fight

  35. The Case of the Skateboarding Superstar

  36. The Case of the Kidnapped Candy

  37. The Case of the Missing Case of Dad’s Soda

  38. The Case of the Spoiled Rotten Spy

  39. The Case of the Groaning Ghost

  40. The Case of the Hat Burglar

Picture books