Jim Benton

Being a mad scientist in the modern world is very hard work. With so much that needs to be done in such a short period of time, multitasking can get way out of hand. Franny needs some additional help. But for Franny there is only one person in the world she trusts to help her with her experiments - herself. So she acquires assistance the mad scientist way, by building a few real, live, steel-plated Franbots.

While preparing for her aunt's marriage to her school's assistant principal, Jamie Kelly still manages to document in her diary all of the stupid things her archrival Angelina does, which is most relevant because they will soon be cousins.

Franny K. Stein is a mad scientist who prefers all things spooky and creepy, but when she has trouble making friends at her new school she experiments with fitting in--which works until a monster erupts from the trashcan. Franny K. Stein is not your average girl. She prefers poison ivy to daisies, and when Franny jumps rope, she uses her pet snake. The kids in Franny's class think she's weird, wacky, and just plain creepy. Tired of being stared at,...

Franny K. Stein jumps into action as a mad scientist when Igor swallows the doomsday device.

"Dear Dumb Diary, just when I was pretty sure we could let the Student Awareness Committee quietly die a dignified death like some majestic old elephant or the Square Dancing Club, Angeline has to be aware of something. Great. And, of course, it couldn't be something interesting like nail polish or why maybe there should be a special class in nail polish and how to get it out of your beagle's ear. (Mom, if you're reading this, I'm not admitting anything....

Jamie tries to convince her Dad that she doesn't need to learn math. That's at least one of the things she journals about in her Year Two diary.

When Victor, total expert at everything, finds himself at the center of an intergalactic conflict, he'll need the help of his trusty sidekick Dumpylumps the duck, and his best friend Patti, to find his way out.

Jack likes to trash-pick, and when his elderly neighbors move out and leave a promising pile of refuse outside, he finds a box that holds the Secret Parent's Handbook that lets him and his friends make the rules at home for a change

Jamie Kelly writes in her diary about her new jeans, which seemingly cause events that affect both her popularity and her efforts to get close to the eighth cutest boy in school, Hudson Rivers.

In her diary, middle school student Jamie Kelly describes her life at home and at school, including her attempts to triumph over her nemesis, the beautiful and popular Angeline.