Chris Grabenstein is the New York Times bestselling author of the Lemoncello series, the Smartest Kid series, the Dog Squad series, the Wonderland series, the award-winning Haunted Mystery series, and The Island of Dr. Libris. Together, he and his wife J.J. wrote the acclaimed Shine!
Chris is also the co-author (with James Patterson) of the #1 Bestsellers I Funny, House of Robots, Treasure Hunters, Jacky Ha-Ha, Word of Mouse, Max Einstein, Katt Vs. Dogg, Best Nerds Forever, and many others.
Winner of all sorts of awards, Chris writes fast-paced and fun page-turners. He’s also a playwright and screenwriter not to mention a former advertising executive and improvisational comedian. Sometimes he sleeps.
Chris started writing a long time ago. He and his four brothers used to put on skits and puppet shows in the basement of their home in Buffalo, New York. Their mom and dad were the only paying customers. Admission was a nickel. They usually earned ten cents a show.
He studied communications and theater at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville then moved to New York City with six suitcases, a typewriter, and very little money. For five years, he performed with some of the city’s top Improvisational Comedy troupes, making up scenes and songs on the spot in front of live audiences, just like they did on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Link to video promo:
Books
About the Smartest Kid in the Universe
"Chris Grabenstein just might be the smartest writer for kids in the universe." —James Patterson
What if you could learn everything just by eating jelly beans?! Meet the Smartest Kid in the Universe and find out in this fun-packed new series from the Bestselling Author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and coauthor of Max Einstein!
Twelve-year old Jake's middle school is about to be shut down–unless Jake and his friends can figure out how to save it. When Jake spies a bowl of jelly beans at the hotel where his mom works, he eats them. But those weren't just jelly beans, one of the scientists at his mom's conference is developing the world's first ingestible information pills. And THAT'S what Jake ate.
Before long, Jake is the smartest kid in the universe. But the pills haven't been tested yet. And when word gets out about this new genius, people want him. The government. The mega corporations. Not all of them are good people! Can Jake navigate the ins and outs of his newfound geniusdom (not to mention the ins and outs of middle school) and use his smarts to save his school? BONUS! Includes extra brainteasers to test your smarts! Don't miss the next Smartest Kid in the Universe—Genius Camp!
About No Means No
Do you know anyone like Oliver McSnow...who only knows the word NO?!
Introducing a story about the AMAZING power of YES! This universally relatable picture book about toddlerhood from the New York Times bestselling team behind No More Naps! will elicit laughs from kids and their grown-ups everywhere!
Oliver McSnow ONLY says NO. He says NO so much that his NO starts to grow. And grow and GROW...until that NO is out of control! No baths. No brushing teeth. No cleaning up. No bedtime! Morning, noon, and night—it’s just NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOO!
But then Oliver's cousin visits. Jess loves the word YES. YES to friends! YES to food. YES to fun! YES, YES, YES, YES, YESSSSS! And suddenly, Oliver's world gets opened up in a most wonderful way!