A very funny green book that raises pressing current issues about waste and recycling. When Frank's classmates notice that his name in the register reads Frank N. Stein they insist that he build a monster. The boys make a creature out of rubbish but then a flash of lightning brings the monster alive. However, when they discover that all the monster wants to do is eat rubbish, they quickly realise how useful the monster will be. But try telling that to parents and police, the army and the adult world in general! A very funny green book, that raises pressing current issues of about waste and recycling.
In this not for the faint of mind, politically incorrect, social satire (can you write a social satire without being politically incorrect?), the authors blow apart the traditional Frankenstein story and reassemble what's left of the pieces to make something relevant (ooh! dirty word) about the modern world, as they pit the everyman against the corporate global mentality (ooh! big word). Yeah, we don't patronize here. If you want patronizing, better catch an Al Gore show at the Petrified Forest. Set in New York City in the dawn of 21st century, Frankenstein, having long since Americanized his name to Frank N. Stein, is a once famous but now hopelessly incompetent and out of work actor, struggling in vain to keep his non-existent acting career on track, money in the bank to pay the rent, and a cap on his rumbling monster instincts. Suffering from stress induced back issues, separated from his singer/performer diva wife, and barely in control of his wayward 17 year-old daughter, our much-too-mild-mannered "Frankie" accidently crosses paths with and trips the hair-triggered wrath of the image-obsessed, New York billionaire, Benedict Sedgwick, CEO of the multi-lifestyle Classy Corp product empire, who quickly proceeds to strip away what's left of Frankie's unhinged world, forcing Frankie to tap into his long dormant inner monster to get tough and survive... or continue on his downward spiral. Revolving around the periphery of Frankie's fast crumbling world is his old pal, Joe "his bark is as big as his bite" Dogman, who, along with other of the city's independent hotdog vendors, and despite being one of New York's ace hotdog vendors himself, is fast losing the economic battle to Classy Corp's Classy Dogs which are quickly cornering the New York hotdog market. Looking to recruit a reluctant and independent obsessed Frankie into the local hotdog fight, Joe sums up the conflict between the everyman's struggle and Frankie's diehard independence streak when he serves up the streetwise advise: ..". you know, Frankie, the funny thing about independence is that... if you don't band together with other likeminded independents, you usually stand a good chance of losing what little independence you started out with." With an idea originally conceived a decade ago, this irreverent comedy holds even more relevance today as it offers up the age old question, who is the real monster in the room, while suggesting what the everyman and woman might want to do about it...while there's still time to do something about it. While its very easy to read "screen story" (screenplay) format will be more fully explained in the Preface, and should pose no problem at all for any reader short or tall, skinny or fat, black or white, male or female... or any permutation in between.
"This book is lewd, rude and superb! Frank and Stein have written the first guide to grad school from a student's point of view; and the result is an irreverent, humorous and USEFUL book of advice. These foul-mouthed sages will help you get through a master's or doctoral program more quickly, with fewer blunders and less angst. I plan to recommend this book to all the graduate students I coach and teach." -Mary McKinney, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist and Dissertation Coach http://www.successfulacademic.com Yes, sports fans!, er, grad school fans Bad boys Fred and Karl are back with an updated version of their best selling self-help guide for grad students. This New and/or Improved Version is stocked with additional content, more lame attempts at humor, and a lower price (Karl threatened to moon the publisher unless his demands were met). Written with the attitude of a couple ill-mannered schoolboys who exhibit the insight and genius of the Ph.D.'s who wrote it, Playing the Game simplifies even the most complex aspects of grad school. Authors Frank and Stein have broken down Playing The Game into three hilarious and straightforward sections: Getting In, Getting Through, and Getting the Hell Out. In whatever stage of graduate school you find yourself, rest assured that you will never again grumble, "If only I had known! If only someone had explained this @%#! to me sooner!" Playing the Game simplifies the entire graduate school experience while imparting comically relevant stories and translating complicated graduate school jargon. This self-help guide helps grad students to comprehensively navigate their graduate school journey from application to matriculation. Unlike most of the material you'll be reading in grad school, Playing the Game is actually intelligible. www.playing-the-game.com
Dogs have come a long way since the days when they were expected to work for a living. Meet the new, 21st-century dog, who's come out of the kennel and knows its canine rights, designer genes and respect for its own uniqueness.
The one hundredth day of school at Frank N. Stein Elementary School is the best day of the year for all the monsters except Jane Brain. Readers will learn fun--and sometimes spooky--ways of counting to one hundred in this book.
Worms don't take good family photos, do they? Find out in this hilarious picture book from a Caldecott Honor illustrator and debut author about a young worm who comes to appreciate her very unusual family for who they are. Emma is excited for her worm family to have their portrait taken. But when she sees her other friends' portraits, she gets discouraged. "We had the most beautiful smiles," Ellie the Chipmunk squeals. Abigail the Cat meows, "I looked gorgeous with my big poufy hair." The worm family doesn't have teeth...how will they show their beautiful smiles? They don't have hair either...how can it look big and poufy?! So Emma gathers wigs, giant fake teeth, and colorful clothing for her parents and sisters. But it's only after taking off their costumes that the worm family is able to wriggle and squiggle and squeeze into a delightful pose that only a worm family can make. And Emma? She thinks it's perfectly perfect.
Telling the Truth Could Get Them Killed. Remaining Silent Could Be Worse. When Cooper, Hiro, and Gordy witness a robbery that leaves a man in a coma, they find themselves tangled in a web of mystery and deceit that threatens their lives. After being seen by the criminals—who may also be cops—Cooper makes everyone promise never to reveal what they have seen. Telling the truth could kill them. But remaining silent means an innocent man takes the fall, and a friend never receives justice. Is there ever a time to lie? And what happens when the truth is dangerous? The three friends, trapped in a code of silence, must face the consequences of choosing right or wrong when both options have their price.
The tongue-in-cheek style adds a bit of humor to this murder mystery story, which isn't just a story of a wealthy widow in a dysfunctional family who believes a mystic can contact her dead husband through a seance and he in turn can help her put order back into her life. The second half of the book provides the information and instructions needed to perform this story in play format in the privacy and comfort of your home. There are many characters so all guests can participate and experience stepping into a different persona, if only for an intriguing evening of murder...starring YOU! With the publication of Murder in the Haunted House, Ms. Russell brings to the public not only the conceived story but also full instructions and the means to perform the story as a play in a party atmosphere. Be daring, let yourself go and give it a try. Look for other similar mystery party plays coming soon: "A Race to Murder," "Murder By Magic," and "A Wake For Murder."
In this second book in the series, Frank Einstein (kid-genius scientist and inventor) and his best friend, Watson, along with Klink (a self-assembled artificial-intelligence entity) and Klank (a mostly self-assembled artificial almost intelligence entity), once again find themselves in competition with T. Edison, their classmate and archrival—this time in the quest to unlock the power behind the science of energy. Frank is working on a revamped version of one of Nikola Tesla’s inventions, the “Electro-Finger,” a device that can tap into energy anywhere and allow all of Midville to live off the grid, with free wireless and solar energy. But this puts Frank in direct conflict with Edison’s quest to control all the power and light in Midville, monopolize its energy resources, and get “rich rich rich.” Time is running out, and only Frank, Watson, Klink, and Klank can stop Edison and his sentient ape, Mr. Chimp!
