1. BETSY BYARS Betsy Byars is an award-winning author who has written over 60 books for kids, including many humorous series for middle readers. Bingo Brown is a typical American kid, funny and bright and not-too-obnoxious, but he’s having a lousy summer. The love of his life, Melissa, has moved away, he has to pay off a gigantic phone bill, and now even his family seems to be conspiring against him. Check out Bingo Brown andThe Language of Love and Bingo Brown, Gypsy Lover. The Blossom Family always sticks together. In this series, Byars uses different points of view to show that humor and heartbreak are never far apart, but that family is forever. Try The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady or The Blossoms and the Green Phantom.

2. BETSY BYARS Super-sleuth Herculeah Jones is armed with investigative expertise picked up from her police detective Dad and private investigator Mom. Accompanied by Meat, her loyal (if reluctant) sidekick, Herculeah just can’t help it. Mysteries seem to follow her wherever she goes. How can Herculeah resist the strange estate of Dead Oaks, a place of murder, insanity, and an unsolved disappearance? Hopefully, she won’t get caught in The Dark Stairs… Or what about the Dead Letter she found in the lining of a secondhand coat? Is it a desperate cry for help from someone in distress? Herculeah and Meat have their work cut out for them in Disappearing Acts, when a dead body goes missing from a men’s room at a local comedy club.

3. BETSY BYARS Nobody knew Dorothy could do such an amazing Tarzan yell. Not Dwayne, Dorothy’s enemy, who wants the role of Tarzan in the class play more than she does. Not Mr. Mooney, their teacher, who has no choice but to give Dorothy the part. Not Dorothy’s parents, who are as uneasy as Mr. Mooney about it. Not even Dorothy! But when the uncontrollable urge comes over her – the smell of the jungle, the raw emotions, the wildness – Dorothy lets out a Tarzan yell so loud, so effective, they all fell its incredible power. And so do the neighborhood animals... Uh oh… Better check out Me Tarzan…

4. BETSY BYARS Mozie can’t believe what he’s found in Professor Orloff’s greenhouse, and unfortunately, no one else believes him either. But it’s true. There is a POD living among the plants – a humming, moving, human-sized pod! Mozie names the pod McMummy, and soon he is feeling an almost zombie- like connection to the thing. But what does McMummy need? Mozie’s help? His friendship?? His brain??? A young boy’s life can’t really turn into a bad horror movie, can it? Check out Betsy Byars’ McMummy for yourself and find out!

5. BETSY BYARS Don’t miss two of Betsy Byars’ more serious novels… In Keeper of the Doves, it’s the summer of 1899, and everything seems to be changing. The tranquil world of Amie McBee and her four older sisters is turned upside down with the arrival of their fiery grandmama. Twins Arabella and Annabella are up to their usual antics. And then, of course, there’s Mr. Tominski…the dove magician. Can he really be dangerous? In the Newberry winner Summer of the Swans, life for 14-year-old Sara is also changing. And when Sara’s mentally challenged younger brother Charlie disappears one night, Sara realizes that things will never again be quite the same.

6. BETSY BYARS And that’s not all! Here are some other popular titles by Betsy Byars…