Wendelin Van Draanen

Thirteen-year-old Dave and Sticky, his kleptomaniac sidekick gecko, try to keep a special potion from falling into the hands of the diabolical Damien Black.

Alvin Bixby: Hulking, knuckles of steel, hideous breath, foul temper. Kids call him: Bubba.
Nolan Byrd: Puny, power walker, math genius, can’t keep shoes tied. Kids call him: Nerd.
Bubba has been the bane of Nolan’s existence for five long years. So when Mr. Green asks the class to become reporters, Nolan decides he’ll write an exposé—on Bubba. He doesn’t want to sign his name to it (that’d be suicidal),...

The Gecko & Sticky are a fabulous crime-fighting duo! This quartet of funny adventures will appeal to fans of superheroes both young and old, and would make terrific all-family read-alouds.
"Don't move a muscle!" shouts a strangely clad crook in the act of robbing a bank. But of course somebody does. That somebody is Dave Sanchez, and the crook is none other than the dastardly Damien Black, fresh out of prison and back to his...

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children's Book Review
Sammy thought she'd seen all the weirdness her town had to offer—and then she met Justice Jack, Santa Martina's very own superhero. Well, really he's just a guy in spandex and a mask who rides around town on a dirt bike, hoping to find some crime to fight.
The old folks in town think he's wonderful....

In the final mystery of this series, one of the bad guys has finally caught up with the skateboarding sleuth of Santa Marina and worse, landed her in the hospital out cold. This time Sammy's family and friends must solve the crime – who did this to her and why? In a heartwarming, fitting finale the people whose lives she has impacted over the years come together to help uncover the truth and save their beloved Sammy.