James Preller (born February 1, 1961) is an American writer of children's books including Bystander, Six Innings, and the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries.
He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, he worked as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation. "Meeting" many notable children's writers through their books, he was inspired to try writing himself. His first book, MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, was published in 1986. Since then Preller has written a variety of books, some under pen names including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. He lives in Delmar, New York, with his wife Lisa and their three children, Nicholas, Gavin, and Maggie.
Preller made up stories when he was young and sold them to friends, family, and neighbors. At that time, however, he planned to become a baseball player for the New York Mets.
Published books
Novels
- The Fox and the Hound, Scholastic, 1988
- The Iron Giant: A Novelization, Scholastic, 1999
- Six Innings (2008)
- Along Came Spider (2008)
- Bystander (2009)
- Justin Fisher Declares War!, Scholastic, 2010
- Before You Go, Feiwel & Friends, 2012
- The Fall (2015)
- The Courage Test (2016)
- Better Off Undead, Feiwel & Friends, 2017
- Blood Mountain, Feiwel & Friends, 2019
- Upstander (2021)
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Scary Tales
Published by Feiwel & Friends.
- Home Sweet Horror, 2013
- I Scream, You Scream!, 2013
- Good Night, Zombie, 2013
- Nightmareland, 2014
- One-Eyed Doll, 2014
- Swamp Monster, 2015
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Jigsaw Jones
Published by Scholastic Corporation.
- The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster
- The Case of the Christmas Snowman
- The Case of the Secret Valentine
- The Case of the Spooky Sleepover
- The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards
- The Case of the Mummy Mystery
- The Case of the Runaway Dog
- The Case of the Great Sled Race
- The Case of the Magic Ground Wart
- The Case of the Stinky Science Project
- The Case of the Ghostwriter
- The Case of the Stinky Vase
- The Case of the Marshmallow Monster
- The Case of the Class Clown
- The Case of the Lunch Lady and Mr. Lemon
- The Case of the Detective in Disguise
- The Case of the Bicycle Bandit
- The Case of the Tic Tacs in Mom’s Bedside Table
- The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow
- The Case of the Sneaker Sneak
- The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur
- The Case of the Missing Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
- The Case of the Bear Scare
- The Case of the Golden Key
- The Case of the Race Against Time
- The Case of the Rainy Day Mystery
- The Case of the Summer Sausage
- The Case of the Best Pet Ever
- The Case of the Perfect Prank
- The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost
- The Case of the Vanishing Painting
- The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives
- The Case of the Frog-Jumping Contest
- The Case of the Food Fight
- The Case of the Skateboarding Superstar
- The Case of the Kidnapped Candy
- The Case of the Missing Case of Dad’s Soda
- The Case of the Spoiled Rotten Spy
- The Case of the Groaning Ghost
- The Case of the Hat Burglar
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Picture books
| Title |
Publication date |
Publisher |
ISBN |
| Big Top Pee-wee: Pee-wee and the Circus |
1988 |
Scholastic |
|
| Wake Me in Spring |
1994 |
Scholastic |
|
| Hiccups for Elephant |
1995 |
Scholastic |
|
| Space Jam |
1996 |
Scholastic |
|
| Godzilla |
1998 |
Scholastic |
|
| Ghost Cat and Other Spooky Tales |
2007 |
Scholastic |
|
| Along Came Spider |
2008 |
Scholastic |
|
| Six Innings |
2008 |
Square Fish |
|
| Bystander |
2009 |
Square Fish |
|
| Mighty Casey |
2009 |
Feiwel & Friends |
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| A Pirate's Guide to First Grade |
2010 |
Feiwel & Friends |
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| A Pirate's Guide to Recess |
2013 |
Feiwel & Friends |
|
| All Welcome Here |
2020 |
Feiwel & Friends |
|
| A Pirate's Guide to Divorce |
2022 |
Feiwel & Friends |
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