Tom Birdseye

Raised in Portland, Oregon, Cassie adapts quickly when an emergency brings her family to her grandfather's Kentucky farm, where she feels the spirits of her mother and grandmother as she tries to heal the rift between her father and grandfather.

A Tough Nut to Crack

Characters you won’t forget in four middle-grade novels from a writer who “has captivated young readers for a quarter of a century” (Corvallis Gazette-Times). From mountain climbing to banana-eating contests, visiting a Kentucky farm to traveling to another world, these four middle-grade novels from Tom Birdseye have something for everyone. A Tough Nut to Crack: Eighth-grader Cassie Bell’s father and grandfather had a falling-out years ago, so she’s never met him. But when Grandpa Ruben is injured in a tractor accident, the family travels from Oregon to his Kentucky farm. From the way her dad talks about him, she pictured a mean old man, but her grandfather is lively, goofy, and loving. Still, Dad and Grandpa Ruben can barely stand to be in the same room. Can Cassie find a way to get them back together again? “The novel’s simplicity, humor, action, and warmth will appeal to a broad range of readers.” —School Library Journal Storm Mountain: Thirteen-year-old Cat Taylor’s father and uncle, a famous search-and-rescue team, died on Storm Mountain two years ago. When her cousin Ty impulsively takes their ashes to scatter on the mountain, Cat has no choice but to climb up after him. But when a blizzard traps them, Cat and Ty realize they could be the next ones to die on Storm Mountain. “A touching story about a daughter who wants to honor her mountaineer father. Will appeal to aspiring young climbers who want a taste of the big peaks. Tom Birdseye has more than thirty years of mountaineering experience, and it shows in this page-turning work.” —Climbing The Eye of the Stone: While walking through the woods on his thirteenth birthday, Jackson Cooper takes shelter in a cave to avoid a storm. When he pulls a peculiar stone from the wall, he is suddenly transported to another world. The inhabitants of this strange new place called Timmra believe that Jackson is the chosen one, a promised gift from their god to protect them, and now he must find the courage to fight an evil monster. “The story provides plenty of excitement for adventure fans. . . . [A] fast-paced fantasy.” —Booklist I’m Going to Be Famous: Arlo Moore’s favorite book of all time is The Guinness Book of World Records, and now he is determined to break the world record for eating his favorite food—bananas. He only needs to consume seventeen in less than two minutes. Should be easy, right? Except that when everyone starts betting on Arlo’s chances of beating the record, his principal forbids him from training at school. But nothing’s going to stop Arlo from his moment of fame—even if everyone thinks he’s bananas. “[A] fast-paced, furiously funny story.” —Booklist

A Tough Nut to Crack, Storm Mountain, The Eye of the Stone, and I'm Going to Be Famous

The Tom Birdseye Collection Volume One

Cat Taylor is furious when her cousin steals her father’s ashes to scatter on the mountain—but when they get caught in a blizzard, can the two work together to survive? Cat Taylor’s father and uncle, a famous search-and-rescue team, died on Storm Mountain two years ago, and Cat and her mother still can’t seem to move on. When her mom goes away on business for the weekend, Cat thinks she has the house to herself—until her cousin Ty suddenly shows up at her door, claiming his dad visited him in a dream and told him to scatter the two brothers’ ashes at the mountain’s summit. Cat refuses; how can Ty ask her to let go of her dad? But when she wakes up the next morning, Cat discovers that Ty has gone to Storm Mountain—and he took her father’s ashes with him. Determined to stop Ty before he does something crazy, Cat races up the mountain after him. But when a huge snowstorm rolls in and traps them, Cat and Ty realize they could be in more danger than they ever imagined.

Storm Mountain

Tucker Renfro hasn’t seen his little sister in seven years, and when she finally comes to visit, he’s sure she’s made it her mission to drive him crazy—why won’t Olivia leave him alone? Tucker Renfro is obsessed with Native American culture, and nothing is more important to him than his tribe—his dad and his best friend, Joe Allen. When Tucker’s sister comes to visit, he isn’t exactly excited to see her. Tucker hasn’t seen his mother or sister since they left his dad seven years ago, so Olivia is a stranger to him. He cannot believe he has to put up with such an annoying little sister, especially one who won’t stop talking about their mother, whom Tucker can barely remember. No matter how hard she is trying, and no matter how much his dad likes having her around, Tucker will not allow Olivia to be part of his tribe. But when Olivia tells Tucker that their mom wants to come back so they can live as a family, Tucker can’t help but imagine how great it would be to have everyone together again. Maybe, just maybe, Olivia isn’t the worst sister in the world.

Tucker

Characters you won’t forget in four middle-grade novels from a writer who “has captivated young readers for a quarter of a century” (CorvallisGazette-Times). From pesky little sisters to pet tarantulas, supportive friends to Tweety Bird underwear, these four middle-grade novels from Tom Birdseye have something for everyone. Tucker: Eleven-year-old Tucker Renfro likes his life with his divorced father, and enjoys fantasizing about being a Native American and hunting deer—until the nine-year-old sister he has not seen in years comes to visit and claims their mother wants them to become one family again. “Natural and honest . . . Readers will identify with the problems and the positive ending.” —Booklist Tarantula Shoes: Desperate to have the right basketball sneakers for his first day of sixth grade in a new middle school in Kentucky, Ryan O’Keefe has set his sights on the $125 Slam Dunk Sky Jumpers. All the coolest seventh graders are wearing them. His parents have given him forty dollars—but how can he put together the rest of the money before school starts? Could the answer actually have something to do with his pet tarantula, Fang? “Told in the first person, this well-written, often humorous story addresses the themes of conformity, peer pressure, and responsibility in a light, but authentic voice.” —School Library Journal Just Call Me Stupid: Traumatized by an alcoholic father who used to call him “stupid” and lock him in a closet for punishment, fifth-grader Patrick Lowe is unable to learn to read, even after his mother got a divorce and they moved to Tucson. An impatient teacher and a class bully don’t help. But a new neighbor, Celina, encourages him to try to overcome his fears. As she reads him The Sword in the Stone, she inspires Patrick to tell his own story out loud, one he might be able to read himself someday. “Lively and well plotted, with funny—as well as touching—scenes and a satisfying upbeat ending.” —Kirkus Reviews Attack of the Mutant Underwear: When his parents move to Benton, Oregon, for his fifth grade year, Cody Lee Carson is determined reinvent himself as a cool kid—especially since no one in his new school knows about the incident in fourth grade when his pants fell down during a school play and everyone saw his Tweety Bird underwear. Here is Cody’s journal of how to leave your past—and your old underwear—behind. “Lively and believable . . . A well-paced, positive, and pleasant read.” —School Library Journal

Tucker, Tarantula Shoes, Just Call Me Stupid, and Attack of the Mutant Underwear

The Tom Birdseye Collection Volume Two

Taking up where "Jack and the Beanstalk" left off, the felled giant's big brother comes after Jack, but once again Jack's quick mind gets him out of trouble in the nick of time.

Look Out, Jack! The Giant is Back!

At a new school where no one knows him, Cody Lee Carson has resolved to become cool—but as it turns out, that may be harder than he thought Cody Lee Carson is a changed man. When his parents move him to Benton, Oregon, for his fifth grade year, Cody is determined to stop being his boring, bozo-brained old self and start being the supercool, supersmart, superawesome guy he knows he can be—especially since no one in Benton knows about the incident in fourth grade when his pants fell down during a school play and everyone saw his Tweety Bird underwear. And Cody’s plan works! His new teacher loves him, he gets in the top reading group, and the prettiest girl in class wants to be his friend. It seems like everything is going Cody’s way. But when the old, bozo-brained Cody starts slipping out, will he lose everything he’s worked for? Becoming cool was easy, but staying cool is a little more difficult.

Attack of the Mutant Underwear

When Jackson Cooper is suddenly sucked into another world, he must find the courage to fight an evil monster before it destroys everything in its path! Even on his birthday, nothing is going right for Jackson Cooper. His friends think he’s a wimp for not biking down a steep hill, and his father, who’s always in a bad mood since he lost his job, is acting weirder than normal. To top it off, Jackson has to babysit his little sister. The year is off to a rough start. To take his mind off his bad luck, Jackson decides to go on a walk through the woods but gets caught in a storm. While taking shelter in a nearby cave, Jackson pulls a peculiar stone from the wall—and is suddenly transported to another world! The inhabitants of this strange new place called Timmra believe that Jackson is the chosen one, a promised gift from their god to protect them from a beast bent on ending the universe. But can Jackson overcome his fears in time to save the Timmrans, or is he truly the wimp his friends think he is?

The Eye of the Stone

Bill Klein

Presents a brief history of forts, step-by-step instructions for building indoor and outdoor forts, hints on where to obtain materials, and safety tips.

Tom Birdseye

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