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Secrets of a Lab Rat
From deep within his top secret lab, nine-year-old Scab McNally creates weird formulas and even weirder inventions. Get set for plenty of mayhem as Scab brews up sister repellent spray, rigs his submarine to snap photos of the mysterious beast in the local lake, and dares to chow down on the stinkiest cheese on Earth (not all in the same book, of course)! Read all the books in the Secrets of a Lab Rat series, from Aladdin Books (for ages 7 and up) then download the FREE Reader's Guide for questions and fun activities.
Secrets of a Lab Rat is also available on audio. Click on the arrow below to hear a clip.
No Girls Allowed (Dogs Okay)Oliver Wyman
00:00
Art by Jim Paillot © Simon & Schuster, 2023
BOOK 1
No Girls Allowed
(DOgs Okay)
Scab wants a dog and nothing is going to stand in his way, not even his smart-times-ten, tattling twin sister, Isabelle. When Scab's new invention, a sister repellant spray he calls Isabelle's Smell becomes a hit with the guys at school, Scab hatches a plan. He'll earn enough money from selling Isabelle's Smell to buy a dog, and then his parents will have to say yes, right? But one broken bottle of the mega-stinky concoction at school brings disaster, and a haz mat crew! In the midst of his self-pity, Scab realizes that his all-out quest to get a dog is hurting someone he truly cares about. Will Scab be able to set things right before it's too late?
Mom, There's a
dinosaur in
beeson's lake
BOOK 2
While fishing with Doyle and Will, his best pals, Scab is certain he's seen some sort of swamp monster living in Beeson's Lake. Of course, nobody's going to believe it unless Scab can prove it, but how? Scab's water woes continue when his mother insists he take an advanced swimming class before she'll allow him to return to the lake. However, Scab has a secret: he's deathly afraid of the deep end of the pool! It's back to the lab to figure out how to overcome his greatest fear, as well as come up with an invention to find the swamp monster.
scab for
treasurer?
BOOK 3
Every time they play a game in class, Scab loses to straight-A, teacher's pet, Missy Malone! So when "Never Missy" runs for class president, Scab sees his chance to, finally, beat her at something. Scab knows he has to do something never before done in the history of River Rock Elementary to get votes! But what? Just when all seems lost, Scab hits upon a genius idea to ensure triumph: he'll pull off the ultimate stunt in front of the whole school and prove he is worthy to be class president. But can Scab do it? Or is Never Missy destined to beat him once again? When Scab's involved, never say never!
"Hand this to the boys in the back row who think they’d rather throw spitballs than read, or use it as a funny family read-aloud—either way, kids will likely line up to see what Scab does next."
- Bulletin of the Center
for Children's Books
"Scab is a likable, free-thinking boy who is full of charm and humor. He leaps before he thinks and that gets him into more trouble than he can handle. His many tips, diagrams, and facts scattered throughout are entertaining, as are the numerous comical black-and-white illustrations."
- School Library Journal
"[The] fast-paced first-person narration features punchy one-liners and revels in revolting gags to propel the unlikely events, though nuanced characterization reveals some complexity as Scab struggles for his peers acceptance."
- Kirkus Reviews
Filled with humorous illustrations and special tips from Scab to the reader, this story is guaranteed to entertain. This is a perfect book for reluctant readers, especially those who always seem to find themselves in trouble."
- Children's Literature
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