Ever had a stupid nickname? A rotten run of bad luck? A best friend who just looks on the bright side, even when the bright side looks black? Well Eric Vale's got all three. Once I used to be just plain old boring Eric Vale. And that was totally fine by me. I didn't want a nickname. But then one day, I got one anyway. And it ended up being way worse than Choo-Choo or Snotty or King Pong or even Booger Brain. Yep, no doubt about it. My nickname was an epic fail! We all have moments in life we would like to forget. But as much as he'd like to erase it from the history books, Eric Vale isn't likely to forget the day his name became an Epic Fail. Neither, it seems, is the fifth grade class at Moreton Hill Primary School. This is the story of one of those awkward and seemingly unforgettable events that define our childhood -- and one boy's dogged determination to turn an Epic Fail into a Mega-Awesome Epic Win.

Ever had a stupid nickname? A Rotten run of bad luck? A best friend who just looks on the bright side even when the bright side looks black? Well, Eric Vale's got all three, and they're pushing him towards the Epic-Est of all Epic Fails!

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Eric Vale! When Mr. Winter announces a study unit on superheroes and declares a superhero week, Eric Vale knows it's his time to shine. Superheroes are the coolest thing EVER and Eric's practically an expert on the subject. He's shrugged off the Epic Fail moniker and things are looking up! But Eric should really know by now that he has a case of bad luck up to his eyeballs, and what goes up must come down. Not to mention that whenever Chewy and Eric's sister, Katie, are involved, things tend to go badly. Filled with hilarious illustrations and familiar characters, Eric Vale's life with reverse Midas Touch will have kids laughing out loud.

By the time ninth grade begins, Ishmael Leseur knows it won't be long before Barry Bagsley, the class bully, says, "Ishmael? What kind of wussy-crap name is that?" Ishmael's perfected the art of making himself virtually invisible. But all that changes when James Scobie joins the class. Unlike Ishmael, James has no sense of fear - he claims it was removed during an operation. Now nothing will stop James and Ishmael from taking on bullies, bugs and Moby Dick, in the toughest, weirdest, most embarrassingly awful - and the best - year of their lives.

Ever had a STUPID nickname? A ROTTEN run of bad luck? A BEST friend who just looks on the BRIGHT side-even when the bright side looks BLACK? Well, Eric Vale's got all three, and they're pushing him towards the EPIC-EST of all EPIC FAILS!

There had always been the Running Man—always that phantom form somewhere in the distance, always shuffling relentlessly closer . . . For a long time, fourteen-year-old Joseph has wondered about old Tom Leyton, his reclusive next-door neighbor. Gossip and rumors suggest that something terrible happened to Tom in the past. Then Joseph is asked to draw Tom for a school art project, and that means Joseph has the opportunity to uncover the truth about this man who passes his days tending silkworms and keeping dark secrets. As Joseph learns more and more about Tom's world, he is forced to confront his own fears. Is there some connection between Joseph's dreams and his feelings about his father, who seems to have abandoned the family? And why does he continue to have nightmares about the Running Man—the disheveled figure who wanders aimlessly through town?