Emily Ecton – författare

Her big sister bosses her around; her mom makes her dog-sit Mr. Boots, the family's well-dressed Chihuahua; and she's convinced a strange and squishy swamp creature that lives down at the lake is eating high school kids. When no one believes her, Arlie and her best friend, Ty (yes, he's a boy, and no, he's not her boyfriend), set out with Mr. Boots to stop the creature themselves -- because if they don't, half the school is going to end up as lakeside hors d'oeuvres!

While poking around their neighborhood, mystery-solving, swamp monster-fighting middle-graders Arlie and Ty fi nd a buried coffee can fi lled with the bones of a hamster and the handwritten curse (on glittery unicorn notepaper) from his home-schooled owner, Mandy: "Here lies Cuddles McGee. A curse upon those who disturb his grave." The fact that the i in "lies" is topped with a heart doesn't make them any less scared, especially when the obese, angry, and undead Cuddles comes back to life and starts trashing the town. Once again, it's up to Arlie, Ty, and Mr. Boots -- the fashionably dressed Chihuahua, to save the town from destruction, reanimated dead hamster-style.

When Arlie, Ty, and the ever-present Mr. Boots discover an old dragonfly pendant, they don''t think much of it -- it''s just another thing to keep mr. Boots from trying to swallow. But when the pendant turns out to have odd powers -- powers to make all of the lawn ornaments and decorationsin town come to life -- it''s time for Arlie and Ty (and Mr. Boots, if they can drag him out from under the couch cushions) to put a stop to all this supernatural nonsense!

Ocean’s Eleven meets The Secret Life of Pets in this “classic caper” (Booklist) following a ragtag group of pets who will do whatever it takes to avoid being sent to the pound.Butterbean knew she wasn’t always a good dog. Still, she’d never considered herself a BAD dog—until the morning that her owner, Mrs. Food, fell in the hallway. Admittedly the tile was slipperier than usual, mostly because Butterbean had just thrown up on it. Now Butterbean and her fellow pets have to come up with a grand plan to support themselves in case Mrs. Food is unable to keep taking care of them. When they discover a mysterious man in their building who seems to have lots of loot, they plan a heist. Oscar the mynah bird is the brains of the operation. Walt the cat has the necessary slyness and slink. Marco and Polo are the reconnaissance rats. And Butterbean...well, no one would ever suspect a cute little wiener dog, right? Can these animal friends can pull off the heist of the century?

The Secret Life of Pets meets Scooby Doo as furry friends hunt down a ghost in this hilarious sequel to The Great Pet Heist that is “silly business galore” (Kirkus Reviews)!Butterbean is bored. She and the other pets pulled off a heist once, but that was like a million years ago. Nothing exciting has happened since then. That is, until Mrs. Third Floor shows up at their apartment, convinced there’s a ghost in the building. Mrs. Third Floor’s rental unit is showing signs of paranormal activity—eerie noises, objects moving when no one is there, fish disappearing from the tank overnight. The pets decide to investigate. Soon they’re confronted with a bigger problem than just ghosts: professional ghost hunters who are offering to drive out the spirits for a hefty fee. It’s up to Butterbean and the rest of the gang to save Mrs. Third Floor from losing her life savings to scammers, all while dealing with some really annoying new animals. Can the furry friends uncover the truth in time?

The Secret Life of Pets meets Spy School as furry friends come out of retirement to do some secret spy work sure to inspire “chuckles aplenty” (Kirkus Reviews) in this hilarious companion to The Great Pet Heist and The Great Ghost Hoax.Big plans are afoot! Butterbean is going to become a therapist (unless maybe she means a therapy dog?). The white cat is going to do a commercial for caviar-flavored pet treats. And Wallace is moving into a great new apartment. But these plans don’t include a group of rowdy raccoons taking over the loading dock and throwing the building into turmoil. Now residents from the whole building are coming to the Strathmore Seven for help—from Second Floor Biscuit, a Yorkie with an unfortunate haircut who faces eviction for barking at the intruders, to the loading dock rats, who are feeling intimidated and upset. And even worse, Madison gets blamed for the vandalism! It’s up to Butterbean and the rest of the pets to stop the raccoons and restore their friend’s reputation—before it’s too late.

In this hilarious, high-stakes companion to The Great Pet Heist, The Great Ghost Hoax, and The Great Vandal Scandal, the pet friends take matters into their own paws—and tentacles—to rescue Walt and the white cat when they get catnapped.The white cat, famous for being a spokes-cat for Beautiful Buffet Cat Food, is making a TV appearance at a supermarket opening, with Madison playing cat wrangler to the stars! The TV people want Walt, too, and everyone is excited for her to reach celebrity status—except Walt. Unfortunately for the felines’ television debut, two cats loose in a supermarket is a recipe for disaster. Chaos erupts at the grand opening, and when the dust settles, the white cat and Walt are nowhere to be seen. They’ve been catnapped! The police are on the case, but their investigation isn’t moving fast enough to satisfy the cats’ worried friends. Desperate to get the snatched celebrities home safe and sound, Butterbean and the gang undertake a rescue mission of their own.

In this laugh-out-loud companion to The Great Pet Heist, The Great Ghost Hoax, The Great Vandal Scandal, and The Great Catnapping, the pet friends rescue a group of street puppies and try to find them new homes, with hilarious results.Butterbean is in a funk. After watching a documentary of famous dogs in history, she wants to be a real dog. Real dogs have jobs. Real dogs are heroes. But Butterbean? Butterbean is nothing but a house pet. Never mind that she and her friends have been super spies, ghost hunters, and part of an International Crime Syndicate. There’s nothing to spy on and no more ghosts to hunt. A chance to be a real dog comes when Butterbean rescues a puppy cornered by the nefarious Animal Control Man. But she may have gotten more than she bargained for when that one puppy turns out to be part of a whole pack. Now it’s up to Butterbean and the gang to find these puppies new homes before their owner, Mrs. Food, finds out that they’ve been hiding their new furry friends in the apartment!