COVER REVEALS: The Super Roomies: Paint the Town Pink; Scare School Diaries: The Un-Hauntable House; and Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

What a month it’s been — and we’re only halfway done with it! In the past couple weeks, I’ve had FOUR books come out. First, on May 5th, it was Nat the Cat Sets a Trap, Nat the Cat Five Books in One!, and The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime, the start of a brand-new series of early graphic novels on a brand-new and very exciting line of books (Star Chapter Books) from Simon & Schuster’s Simon Spotlight imprint. Then, on May 12th, EngiNerds 3-in-1 — a single-volume bind-up of my first-ever series of books, the EngiNerds series of Middle Grade novels — hit shelves. (You can read more about both of these epic release days HERE and HERE.) And now I’m back to reveal the covers of three MORE books I’ve got coming out this year (I know, I know — due to a variety of converging factors, 2026 is a bit of a bonanza year for me, in terms of new books out).

First up, the second installment of my freshly launched Super Roomies series of early graphic novels, Paint the Town Pink:

In Paint the Town Pink, the Super Roomies have to put a stop to one of the crew’s former roommates, Nina Neon, who is intent on painting their city “projectile pink,” a shade of pink so overwhelmingly intense it causes people to projectile vomit on sight. In other words, it’s four against one — a task which should be a breeze for Abby Astro, Blix Blaster, Captain Kooky Pants, and Wanda Weather. Unfortunately, three of the four Super Roomies stayed up all night binge-watching their favorite TV show and, now, they can barely keep their eyes open, meaning they’ve made the task of saving the day significantly harder for themselves. Can they pull it off? You’ll be able to find out when Paint the Town Pink hits shelves on August 25th!

Next up — and appropriately publishing at the very beginning of Spooky Season — is the third book in my Scare School Diaries series of highly illustrated chapter books. This one’s called The Un-Hauntable House, and, notably, it’s the first Scare School book that features real live (that is, neither headless nor zombie-fied) human beings.

In The Un-Hauntable House, Bash and his fellow Scare School students are each tasked with passing an Excursion Exam — a sort of field trip combined with a test. Each kids’ Excursion Exam is specially crafted for them by one of Scare School’s teachers, and the tough, insrutable Mr. Crane gives Bash a real doozy . . . . He must spook every member of the Jones family — that’s nine humans, a dog, and a cat — badly enough that they flee their home (bonus points if they are screaming in terror as they are doing it). Bash plans and prepares for his Excursion Exam as thoroughly as he can, but when the time comes to do the actual scaring, he encounters all kinds of obstacles he couldn’t have foreseen: rambunctious toddlers, phone-obsessed teenagers, and parents so overwhelmed and exhausted they’ve basically been turned into zombies. Meaning if Bash wants to pass his exam, he’s going to have to think on his feet (so to speak) and employ some untraditional methods. You can find out how he does when The Un-Hauntable House comes out on October 6th!

Finally, the last cover I have to reveal is for Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing, the first in an upcoming series of early graphic novel starring Nat the Cat, Pat the Rat, and . . . well, a mysterious thing that I’m not about to tell you about before you get a chance to read the book!

Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing comes out November 24th, and I am beyond excited to share the stories I have cooked up in this new, longer format for Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat. Over the course of my six Nat the Cat early readers, our lovable curmudgeon of a protagonist grows increasingly sweet and in tune with his emotions. Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing picks things up from there, with Nat the Cat being made to venture into far more emotionally tricky terrain. Throughout these early graphic novels (I have finished the first two, and written the third), Nat the Cat continues to develop and grow — mirroring, my publisher and I hope, the development and growth of Nat the Cat’s young readers. I could go on and on about the care and thought my team and I put into Nat’s transition to these early graphic novels and the specific stories that play out in their panels, and I WILL, once we get a little closer to their publication date. For now, though, I’ll just share that Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing was recently named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, continuing a long-running streak of Nat’s books being honored in this way, which is great sign, more than six months before the book’s actual publication.

The Super Roomies: Paint the Town Pink, Scare School Diaries: The Un-Hauntable House, and Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing are all now available for preorder wherever books are sold. As always, if you preorder the books from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I can sign, doodle-in, and personalize (if you wish) your copies. Click HERE to do that. I’ll be sharing more about these books in the coming weeks and months, both here and, more regularly and thoroughly, on social media, so go and find me over on Instagram (@jarrett_lerner) and/or Facebook if you want to keep up-to-date, learn more, and see some sneak-peeks and behind-the-scenes fun.

Thanks!

~ Jarrett

ENGINERDS 3-IN-1 pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

Last Tuesday, one of the three books I had come out was Nat the Cat Five Books in One!, a single-volume bind-up of my first five Nat the Cat early readers. Today, I have another single-volume bind-up out, this one of my EngiNerds trilogy of Middle Grade novels.

EngiNerds was my very first published book, and along with its sequels, Revenge of the EngiNerds and The EngiNerds Strike Back, the trilogy was my first complete series. For this reason, these books will always be special to me (I also think they remain some of the best stories I’ve ever written). But there are a whole bunch of OTHER reasons I’m thrilled about this EngiNerds 3-in-1 book coming out today. Here are a few:

1) These books are still finding new readers all the time (at some of my school visits, EngiNerds is the best-selling of all my titles), and the release of this single-volume bind-up will help it find even more.

2) EngiNerds 3-in-1 has a cover price of $10.99, making buying it significantly cheaper than it would to be to purchase all three of the trilogy’s books individually.

3) All three of the EngiNerds books are under 200 pages and made up of short (sometimes super short) chapters, meaning that, all together like this, they are nearly 600 pages long — and that’s about as long as the longest books out there for Middle Grade readers right now. There are lots of young readers who would normally be far too intimidated to pick up a 600-page novel, but knowing EngiNerds 3-in-1 is actually three books (and seeing all those short and super short chapters) will make it more approachable and accessible and, if they read it, boost their confidence, because we know that the actual, physical size of a book can play a large role in kids’ reading choices and confidence. I originally wrote EngiNerds with so-called “reluctant” readers in mind, and the fact that this single-volume bind-up will further help such kids gives me a delightful, full-circle sort of feeling.

You can find EngiNerds 3-in-1 starting today wherever books are sold. As always, order from my local independent bookstore, The Silver Unicorn, if you want yours signed, doodled-in, and personalized. You can click HERE to do so.

Thanks! And as I often scrawl on the title page when signing copies of EngiNerds books… STAY NERDY!

~ Jarrett

NAT THE CAT SETS A TRAP, NAT THE CAT FIVE BOOKS IN ONE, and THE SUPER ROOMIES: LAKE OF SLIME pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

As you can see from the title of this post, today is BIG day for me. I have not one, not two, but THREE books coming out.

First up, my sixth Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Sets a Trap. Yes, the trap is for Pat the Rat. But don’t worry, as Nat says in the book–it’s a nice trap.

Nat the Cat Sets a Trap provides readers with another dose of the Nat the Cat format they have come to know–the usual silliness, the emotional roller coaster of it all, and a bit of sweetness to close things out–but also develops the characters and their increasingly caring relationship (which, by the way, is all carefully done to lead the way into Nat and Pat’s new series of early graphic novels, which launch this November with Nat the Cat and Mysterious Thing. More on all that soon…).

This book has also has an extra layer of personal meaning for me, as it’s dedicated to my wife, Danni. Like Pat the Rat, Danni is someone who thoroughly enjoys and celebrates the little, often overlooked things in life. She’s changed how I see and approach the world for the better, in countless ways. Nat the Cat Sets a Trap is, in part, me sharing that with my readers and the world.

Next up, another Nat and Pat-related book: Nat the Cat Five Books in One! This is exactly what it sounds like: five Nat the Cat books all bound-up in a single volume–and, my publisher would probably like me to add in here, all for one very reasonable price, especially when compared to what it’d cost to buy five Nat the Cat books individually. The five books collected in Nat the Cat Five Books in One! are the first five Nat early readers: Nat the Cat Takes a Nap, Nat the Cat Takes a Bath, Nat the Cat Has a Snack, Nat the Cat Has a Hat, and Nat the Cat Finds a Map (in other words, the bind-up is only missing Nat the Cat Sets a Trap).

This past weekend, at the Silver Unicorn’s Kids Graphic Novel Festival, the shop got the go-ahead from my publisher to sell this book a few days early, and it was, I’m pretty sure, my bestselling title of the day. Even kids and families who already owned the first five Nat the Cat books were purchasing a copy of Nat the Cat Five Books in One!, both for the ease of having them all together, and because young readers who can read the Nat the Cat books on their own were delighted and proud to own a book as thick as this bind-up is.

And last of all–but DEFINITELY not least of all–the third book I have coming out today is… drumroll please… The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime.

If you follow me on social media, you’ve been hearing A LOT about this book. Lake of Slime is the start of not only a brand-new series, but a brand-new line of books: Star Chapter Books, from Simon Spotlight/Simon & Schuster. These books are all “early graphic novels,” and every single one of them is 112 pages long, split up into six to eight chapters, with each page containing between one and four panels and, typically, no more than a sentence or two per panel. If that sounds very specific, well, IT IS. But for very good reasons. Simon Spotlight (who also publish all my Nat the Cat books, and all the other Ready-to-Read titles out there) endeavors to make high-interest books that not only delight young readers, but help them learn and grow as readers, building their capability and confidence with each and every turn of the page. All of the Simon Spotlight editors, art directors, designers, and creators are extremely thoughtful about the choices made in these books, wanting to be effective about turning kids into readers by making books that are both FUN and helpful at the same time. These Star Chapter Books fill a hole in the marketplace that has become more and more apparent as we learn more about kids’ reading and observe more about this specific generation of kids’ book-related wants and needs.

I’m so grateful that I was asked to be a part of the Star Chapter Books crew and to help launch this new line, because Simon Spotlight’s core mission perfectly aligns with mine and the goals of my career from the get-go. And, to toot our own horn a bit, I think we absolutely NAILED IT. But you don’t have to listen to me. You can listen to everyone else! Because over the course of the past few months, The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime has been racking up good press and high praise. It received TWO starred reviews (one from School Library Journal and one from Publishers Weekly), and both of those reviews were packed full of wildly kind comments and comparisons. The book was also named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and just this past weekend was named an Amazon Editor’s Pick and Best Book of the Month.

Lake of Slime will be quickly followed up, in August, by the second installment of the Super Roomies series, Paint the Town Pink, with a third book to follow in 2027. Below, you can get a sneak peek at the interior of Lake of Slime. If you want to see more, you can get your hands on the book anywhere books are sold. As always, if you order any of my books through my local indie, the Silver Unicorn, I can sign, doodle-in, and (if you want) personalize the books before you pick them up (if you’re nearby) or they ship them out to you. Click HERE to get shopping for my books at the Silver Unicorn!

~ Jarrett

And here’s that sneak peek at the interior of LAKE OF SLIME (please note: these pages are not in order, but just a handful from here and there that my publisher opted to share to show what readers can expect to find inside the book). Enjoy!

ROOHI AND NATE ARE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

Today, Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page finally publishes!

I say “finally” because this book has been a long time coming. I co-authored and co-illustrated it along with my dear friend, Supriya Kelkar, and we’ve been scheming about making a book together for quite a while. But now, at long last, it’s here: our dual perspective, heavily-illustrated Middle Grade novel that is a love letter to a whole host of things literacy related: books, reading, the connections and personal growth that books and reading afford us, and, last but definitely not least, school librarians — the individuals who are so often instrumental in putting the right books in the hands of the right kids at the right time in order to turn them into lifelong readers.

Here’s what our publisher has to say about the book:

From award-winning author-illustrators Supriya Kelkar and Jarrett Lerner comes an illustrated middle-grade novel about a pair of unlikely friends determined to save the library that brought them together.

Roohi and Nate are not friends. Their paths have crossed a handful of times over the years—and the outcome has never been good. Nate thinks Roohi is a snobby know-it-all, and Roohi thinks Nate is nothing but a slacker.

But that begins to change when they both somewhat reluctantly join a reading club that meets during lunch at their school library. The Lunch Bunch allows Roohi to open up about feeling disconnected from her friends on the track team after a broken toe sidelined her for the season.

Nate, who has always struggled in school, shares how tired he is of constantly being compared to his genius older brother. Despite their differences, and maybe because of them, Roohi and Nate form a friendship unlike any other they’ve ever had, with each other and with the other kids in the club.

As the Lunch Bunch gets stronger, though, things seem to be falling apart at the library. When the kids learn that their beloved librarian, Mrs. Sharp’s, job may be in danger due to budget cuts, they band together to find a solution . . . which proves to be easier said than done.

Can Roohi and Nate’s new friendship survive outside of the Lunch Bunch in order to save the place that brought them together?

And here’s some praise the book has so far recieved:

“Grayscale comics and spot illustrations accentuate the lighthearted humor of the characters’ evergreen adolescent conflicts while earnest prose and a supportive cast emphasize themes of pressure to meet expectations and managing friendships.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] love letter to libraries…Readers will walk away from this one ready to stand up and fight for the people and places that matter most.”—Booklist

“Students will ­appreciate the illustrations peppered throughout”—School Library Journal

“The fun, relatable story brims with clever wordplay and inventively draws parallels between the kids’ experiences and the book they’re reading. The interplay of text and comic-style illustrations has strong appeal…A heartwarming tale of friendship and the power of books to bring people together.”—Kirkus Review

You can purchase Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page everywhere books are sold. But, as always, if you want signed, personalized, doodled-in copies, make sure you order from my local indie, the Silver Unicorn. You can click HERE to do that.

Last of all — and especially for those of you in classrooms and libraries — you can download the Roohi and Nate-inspired poster below for free. Along with the book, Supriya and I hope the poster helps encourage kids to use their voices to celebrate, support, and protect what matters to them.

Click HERE to download the poster!

~ Jarrett

NAT THE CAT FINDS A MAP pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Today’s the day: my fifth Nat the Cat early reader–Nat the Cat Finds a Map–is officially out!

I’ve said it here and elsewhere, but THIS Nat book is my favorite so far. I also think it’s my best so far, in that it most fully, sweetly, and funnily captures the personalities and growth of both Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat.

Here’s what my publisher has to say about the book:

Nat the Cat goes on a treasure hunt in this fifth book in the hilarious, fourth wall–breaking Pre-Level 1 Ready-to-Read series about a grumpy cat, a curious rat, and an exasperated narrator from powerhouse creator Jarrett Lerner!

Nat the Cat finds a treasure map. Nat the Cat loves treasure! Pat the Rat loves treasure too. Nat the Cat does not want Pat the Rat to get his treasure, but there is something funny about this map…and the treasure too!

Starting today, you can find Nat the Cat Finds a Map anywhere and everywhere books are sold. However, if you want yours signed, doodled-in, and personalized, make sure to order from my local indie, the Silver Unicorn. You can do so–and also order and/or preorder signed, doodled-in, and personalized copies of any of my other books!–by clicking HERE.

I can’t wait to hear what my readers make of Nat the Cat Finds a Map. So if you and/or the young readers in your life check out the book, let me know what you all think!

Thanks!

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEALS — PLURAL! Plus: a roundup of what’s in store for 2026!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

I’ve had an exceptionally busy fall — one filled with school visits all over the country, a handful of conference appearances, a family trip to Disney World, and a whole bunch of book-making. Because of all this busyness, I haven’t been keeping up with sharing new book covers and new news here on the blog. Add all that to the fact that 2026 is going to be the biggest publisher year of my career so far, and I’ve fallen way behind.

What makes next year such a big one for me? Well, I’ve got nine — yes, NINE! — books coming out. Two of these are bind-ups of previously released series of books. But still. It’s a lot! So, below, here’s a catch-up/roundup of what I’ve got in store for 2026.

First up, in January (on the 13th, one day after my birthday!), is my fifth Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Finds a Map. I did already reveal this book’s cover (you can find the post HERE). But that was more than four months ago, and at that point, while the cover was done, the interior had yet to be finalized. Now that’s finally, officially done though (and possibly even being printed as you read this), I can say that this installment of the Nat the Cat series is without a doubt my favorite yet. I think it most fully captures Nat the Cat’s and Pat the Rat’s personalities and their (continually developing) relationship. I also think the book most perfectly hits the combo/balance of humor and heart that I strive to achieve in all my books. And I’m not just tooting my own horn here, either — a big part of Nat the Cat Finds a Map was actually thought up by my oldest daughter, Isla. It’s why the book is dedicated to her. For helping me find the most elegant solution to a problem I couldn’t work out myself, she definitely deserves it!

Next up, in March, I have a very special Middle Grade novel coming out — Roohi and Nate Are Not on the Same Page. Looking at this cover, you might notice something unusual about it: it’s not just my name down on there on the bottom! That’s because I co-wrote and co-illustrated this book with Supriya Kelkar! Supriya and I debuted together way back in 2017, and have been good friends ever since. And when, one day, my agent offhandedly asked whether I’d ever be into co-authoring a book with another creator, Supriya was the person who immediately popped to mind. We’d never worked together like this before, but it came naturally, and went wonderfully, resulting in a book that we couldn’t be more excited to share with our readers, both young and old. It’s a book about friendship, about the power of stories, about being true to yourself, and about the importance of school libraries and their librarians. Early next year, Supriya and I will make some announcements about virtual visit opportunities with the two of us. If that’s something that sounds interesting to you, watch this space (as well as my social media feeds), to make sure to see that info when we share it.

A couple months after Roohi and Nate releases, at the beginning of May, I’ve got a whole slew of fun stuff coming your way. On the first Tuesday of the month (May 5th), I’ve got three books you can get your hands on: my sixth Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Sets a Trap; a bind-up collection of the first five Nat the Cat early readers, Nat the Cat Five Books in One!; and the first installment of a new series of early graphic novels, The Super Roomies: Lake of Slime.

The latter is part of a brand-new line of books coming out from Simon & Schuster’s Simon Spotlight imprint. These books, called “Star Chapter Books,” are all, in fact, early graphic novels — 112 pages, split up into six to eight chapters, with one to four comic panels on each page. Simon Spotlight is the home of the super successful Ready-to-Read lines of books, and these Star Chapter Books are intended to serve as a sort of next step for young readers who have worked their way through books in that program. But the most important thing I can tell you about ALL of the Star Chapter Books (there will be several others releasing right along with my first one) is that they are FUN. Spotlight’s editors and art directors gave us creators the green light to be as silly and wild as we wanted, and we went for it.

The Super Roomies are superheroes who also happen to be roommates — and not very good ones. In each book, the crew are called upon by their city’s mayor to stop one or another bad guy from committing some sort of reprehensible act, but their roommate-related troubles are always threatening to get in the way of them actually accomplishing their mission. For instance, in Lake of Slime, the deranged Dr. Slimepeople has plans to drain Big City Lake of all its water and replace every last drop with slime, thus making it impossible for the city’s citizens to go swimming. (Like I said: reprehensible.) It’s up to the Super Roomies to figure out just how Dr. Slimepeople is going to do all this draining/replacing and stop him before he can. Which they have plenty of time to do — if, that is, they can stop squabbling about who finished their apartment’s milk and then put the empty carton back in the fridge and stay focused… Below is a sneak peek at some spreads of the book’s interior.

One week after all of that — on May 12th — my fourth book of the month hits shelves: another bind-up, this one of my first-ever series of books, EngiNerds. When I learned that my publisher wanted to rerelease these books in this form, I was beyond delighted. The EngiNerds series is comprised of three Middle Grade novels, all of them just under 200 pages and featuring fun, funny, fast-paced storytelling. For all kinds of reasons, books at this length and with such so-called “high-interest” content are needed now more than ever, and I am so excited that this bind-up will introduce a new generation of readers to the EngiNerds and their epic showdowns with a fleet of bottomlessly hungry, aggressively flatulent robots.

After the EngiNerds 3-in-1, I’ve got a bit of a break, though things ramp back up at the end of the summer and for the end of the year. None of the covers of the remaining books I’ve got coming out have been revealed yet. So, since I can’t show you much, I’ll just tell you about them.

— In August, you’ll be able to get your hands on the second installment of the Super Roomies series, which is called Paint the Town Pink.

— In October, the third book in my Scare School Diaries series, The Un-Hauntable House, comes out.

— In November, I’ve got a second series of Star Chapter Books early graphic novels launching, this one featuring Nat the Cat and Pat the Rat. The first book in this series is called Nat the Cat and the Mysterious Thing.

— And finally, in December, it’s not another book, but a box of them — a boxed set, to be specific, of all my Nat the Cat early readers.

Whew! That’s it for 2026. Looking ahead at it all like this, I’m feeling incredibly grateful that I get to do this work, and also incredibly excited to share all these books with my readers. If YOU are one of those readers: THANK YOU. It’s because of your support that all of this has been and continues to be possible. As always, if you want signed/personalized copies of any of the books mentioned above (or ANY of my already-released books), you can order/preorder them from my wonderful local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn. Click HERE to do so.

Again: THANKS!!!

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEAL: Nat the Cat Finds a Map — Plus: New Book News!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

In case you missed it, last weekend I revealed the cover of my next (and fifth) Nat the Cat early reader, Nat the Cat Finds a Map. So, without further ado, here it is:

Of all the Nat books, this new one is my personal favorite. I think it does the best job of capturing Nat and Pat’s personalities while also simultaneously taking their relationship to a bit of a new place.

And speaking of venturing to new places, Nat and Pat are bound for a super exciting one: graphic novel chapter books! In 2027, shortly after the sixth Nat the Cat early reader releases, the first two books in this brand-new series will publish. And if you’re disappointed you’ll have to wait that long to see Nat and Pat in comic book panels, next year, I’ve got another graphic novel chapter book series launching. This one is about a new cast of character, the Super Roomies, and I’ll be sharing a bunch more about them soon. In the meantime, though, you can check out the announcement about their graphic novel chapter book series, as well as Nat and Pat’s, below.

All of these graphic novel chapter books are 112 pages, with each page broken up into at least one but no more than four panels. They perfectly fill a hole currently out there in the marketplace, and are thoughtfully designed and carefully crafted to, first of all, be a total blast, and second of all, to help young readers continue to grow. In terms of Nat and Pat, you’ll also get to see THEM grow. Especially Nat, who in each of these books is pushed to emotional places readers have yet to see him in.

In OTHER book news, I recently announced something else: that my Scare School Diaries series of highly illustrated chapter books has been extended, too! Book 3, The Un-Hauntable House, will be out next fall, with the fourth book in the series coming early on in 2027. Here’s the announcement for THAT:

But back to Nat and Pat! Nat the Cat Finds a Map will be out first thing next year, on January 13th (the day after my birthday!), but you can preorder it right now wherever books are sold. As always, if you preorder it from my astoundingly awesome local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I will sign, doodle-in, and (if you want) personalize your copies. You can do that by clicking HERE.

Okay, I better get back to work. I’ve got a lot of books to finish…

~ Jarrett

MY MAD SCIENTIST MOM: NO MORE MR. MICE GUY pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Today, No More Mr. Mice Guy — the second book in my My Mad Scientist Mom series of illustrated chapter books — hits shelves!

Like the first volume of the series, Saved by the Smell, this book features another take on a classic mad science contraption: the shrink ray! And as you can see by the cover, the use of said shrink ray (called, in the book, a “magnimizer”) doesn’t exactly go as planned…

I don’t want to give TOO much about the book away, though. So for now, I’ll just share my publisher’s official description of the book. Beneath that, you can also check out some spreads from the book’s interior to get a peek at the very carefully chosen font, spacing, and illustration placement–all decided on with an eye toward helping kids enjoy the story and grow as readers.

Ari helps a neighbor who accidentally gets shrunk by Ari’s mom’s latest invention in this second book in the My Mad Scientist Mom chapter book series from acclaimed author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner.

Ari’s life is filled with school, video games, and his pet turtle, Fred: pretty run-of-the mill stuff. But not anywhere near run-of-the-mill is Ari’s mom, who’s a mad scientist. That’s right, a MAD scientist. Sure, she strives to make people’s lives better with her inventions, especially at home. But all of Mom’s inventions seem to go just the slightest bit off kilter.

His mom puts a new invention to the test to help clean up the clutter in their house: a magnimizer, which can shrink or enlarge anything! Pretty amazing, right? Well, not if you happen to be Mr. Jakes, their neighbor who comes face to face with this gizmo and becomes the size of a cockroach—and a potential tasty morsel for the resident basement mouse! Can Ari save the day and teeny-weeny Mr. Jakes?

No More Mr. Mice Guy is available everywhere books are sold. However — and as always — if you want your copy (or copies!) of the book signed, doodled-in, and personalized, order from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn. You can do that by clicking HERE.

Thanks!

~ Jarrett

Pages 2-3:

Pages 6-7:

Pages 8-9:

Pages 28-29:

Pages 30-31:

Pages 64-65:

MY MAD SCIENTIST MOM: SAVED BY THE SMELL pub day!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Today, my 21st book hits shelves! The book: Saved by the Smell, the first installment of my brand-new My Mad Scientist Mom series of illustrated chapter books.

I have posted here about the book before–extensively, actually, about both the real-life models that the boy and mom characters are based on as well as the creation of the book’s cover (click HERE to check out that blog post)–so for now, I will simply remind what the book is all about. Below is my publisher’s blurb about the book:

A boy gets buried in dirty laundry and pulled into time travel shenanigans after his mom’s latest experiment in this first book in the My Mad Scientist Mom chapter book series from acclaimed author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner.

Ari’s life is filled with school, video games, and his pet turtle, Fred: pretty run-of-the mill stuff. But not anywhere near run-of-the-mill is Ari’s mom, who’s a mad scientist. That’s right, a MAD scientist. Sure, she strives to make people’s lives better with her inventions, especially at home. But all of Mom’s inventions seem to go just the slightest bit off kilter. And when she devises a time portal to help deal with the massive mounds of dirty laundry that have taken over their house, she creates a MUCH bigger problem than just stinky clothes, and it’s up to Ari to get them out of a prehistoric mess.

Starting today, you can find Saved by the Smell anywhere books are sold. As always, if you order from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I will sign, doodle-in, and personalize (if you wish) every and as many copies as you want. (That’s true for ALL of my books, at any time!) Click HERE to order Saved by the Smell (and, if you want, PREorder No More Mr. Mice Guy, the second installment of the My Mad Scientist Mom series) from the Silver Unicorn.

I am wildly excited to see what my readers make of this book and its cast of characters. I’m also hoping it inspires readers to come up with plenty of their own mad science-y stories of their own. If YOU or a young person in your life end up checking out Saved by the Smell, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Leave a comment below, send me a message at my public email account (you can find the address on the CONTACT page of this website), or go find me on social media and message me there. As always, THANK YOU for the support. And happy reading!

~ Jarrett

COVER REVEAL: My Mad Scientist Mom: No More Mr. Mice Guy

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

One month from today, my next book–and my next series–launches. The book? Saved by the Smell. The series? My Mad Scientist Mom.

Considering all this, I thought today was a fitting time to officially reveal the cover of the second book in the My Mad Scientist Mom series.

So, without further ado, here it is–the cover of No More Mr. Mice Guy:

As you can see, this second installment of the series of illustrated chapter books features a boy, his mad scientist mom, and yet another ferocious creature. And if you don’t think a mouse is as ferocious as a T-Rex, try facing one after you’ve been shrunken down to the size of a small insect! That’s the predicament that Ari (the above-mentioned boy) finds himself in during No More Mr. Mice Guy–part of it, at least.

Here’s my publisher’s official description of the book:

Ari’s life is filled with school, video games, and his pet turtle, Fred: pretty run-of-the mill stuff. But not anywhere near run-of-the-mill is Ari’s mom, who’s a mad scientist. That’s right, a MAD scientist. Sure, she strives to make people’s lives better with her inventions, especially at home. But all of Mom’s inventions seem to go just the slightest bit off kilter.

His mom puts a new invention to the test to help clean up the clutter in their house: a magnimizer, which can shrink or enlarge anything! Pretty amazing, right? Well, not if you happen to be Mr. Jakes, their neighbor who comes face to face with this gizmo and becomes the size of a cockroach—and a potential tasty morsel for the resident basement mouse! Can Ari save the day and teeny-weeny Mr. Jakes?

No More Mr. Mice Guy hits shelves on July 1st, just a few months after the first book in the My Mad Scientist Mom series comes out, but is already available for preorder–like, right now–everywhere books are sold. As always, if you preorder/order my books–any of them–from my local independent bookstore, the Silver Unicorn, I can sign, doodle-in, and (if you want) personalize your copies. To do that, click HERE.

Thanks!

~ Jarrett