James Preller facts for kids

James Preller, born on February 1, 1961, is an American author. He writes many popular books for kids. Some of his well-known books are Bystander and Six Innings. He also created the fun Jigsaw Jones Mysteries series.

James grew up in Wantagh, New York. He later went to college in Oneonta, New York. After finishing college in 1983, he worked as a waiter for a year. Then, he got a job as a copywriter at Scholastic Corporation. At Scholastic, he learned about many famous children's authors. Their books inspired him to try writing his own stories.

His first book, MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, came out in 1986. Since then, James Preller has written many different books. He has even used other names, called pen names, like Mitzy Kafka. Today, he lives in Delmar, New York. He lives there with his wife, Lisa, and their three children: Nicholas, Gavin, and Maggie.

When James was young, he loved making up stories. He would even "sell" them to his friends and family. But back then, his big dream was to play baseball. He wanted to be a player for the New York Mets.

Books by James Preller

James Preller has written many books for different age groups. Here are some of his published works.

Novels for Young Readers

• 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)

Scary Tales Series

This series of spooky books is published by Feiwel & Friends.

1. Home Sweet Horror, 2013
2. I Scream, You Scream!, 2013
3. Good Night, Zombie, 2013
4. Nightmareland, 2014
5. One-Eyed Doll, 2014
6. Swamp Monster, 2015

Jigsaw Jones Mysteries

The Jigsaw Jones series is published by Scholastic Corporation. These books follow a young detective named Jigsaw Jones as he solves mysteries.

1. The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster
2. The Case of the Christmas Snowman
3. The Case of the Secret Valentine
4. The Case of the Spooky Sleepover
5. The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards
6. The Case of the Mummy Mystery
7. The Case of the Runaway Dog
8. The Case of the Great Sled Race
9. The Case of the Magic Ground Wart
10. The Case of the Stinky Science Project
11. The Case of the Ghostwriter
12. The Case of the Stinky Vase
13. The Case of the Marshmallow Monster
14. The Case of the Class Clown
15. The Case of the Lunch Lady and Mr. Lemon
16. The Case of the Detective in Disguise
17. The Case of the Bicycle Bandit
18. The Case of the Tic Tacs in Mom’s Bedside Table
19. The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow
20. The Case of the Sneaker Sneak
21. The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur
22. The Case of the Missing Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
23. The Case of the Bear Scare
24. The Case of the Golden Key
25. The Case of the Race Against Time
26. The Case of the Rainy Day Mystery
27. The Case of the Summer Sausage
28. The Case of the Best Pet Ever
29. The Case of the Perfect Prank
30. The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost
31. The Case of the Vanishing Painting
32. The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives
33. The Case of the Frog-Jumping Contest
34. The Case of the Food Fight
35. The Case of the Skateboarding Superstar
36. The Case of the Kidnapped Candy
37. The Case of the Missing Case of Dad’s Soda
38. The Case of the Spoiled Rotten Spy
39. The Case of the Groaning Ghost
40. The Case of the Hat Burglar

Picture Books

These books are often for younger readers and feature illustrations.