Breakout at the Bug Lab

Max, a giant coakroach, is on the loose in the bug lab! To make matters worse, there’s a party there today. Leo and his brother have to find Max before he makes people scream — or worse.

My 2001 debut into the world of easy readers (Breakout is suitable for kids reading at a second-grade level) reshapes true tales told to me by my dear friend Trish Hanson, a Vermont entomologist I wrote about for Seven Days newspaper. With its great illustrations by Joan Holub, the book has been a hit with beginning readers, and it also inspired me to (briefly) have some pet cockroaches of my own.

The adventures of my cockroach-loving characters continue in my second easy reader, Big Surprise in the Bug Tank.

Breakout at the Bug Lab is available here or through your local independent bookseller.