There's nothing Jake likes more than some good trash-picking, so when his elderly neighbors move out and leave an especially promising-looking pile of household refuse on the curb, he goes right for it. He only has the chance to grab one box before his mom catches him and orders him in for dinner, though. When mysterious goings-on begin to occur in the neighborhood, the trio investigates the hidden box from Jack's garage. In it, they find the Secret Parent's Handbook and with it all the means to subvert the irrational rules and petty tyranny of their home lives. No more clean rooms! No more vegetables! No more brushed hair or washed hands! It's all videogames and junk food all the time! But the authorities — and the resistance — have taken notice of the strange goings-on in Jack and his friends' neighborhood. And they are closing in . . .

There's nothing better than being a mad scientist--at least according to Franny. So she's making it her mission to help her classmates discover their own inner mad scientists. All Franny needs for her latest experiment is a few volunteers, a half-completed two-headed robot, and an invisibility potion.Only this experiment just might prove to be Franny's most difficult. Because what do you do when your classmates don't know anything about mad science--and there's a doubly dumb robot running amok to prove it?

Frannys mom says every mad scientist needs a lab assistant. So for Valentines Day Franny gets just thata Lab assistant. Except Igor isnt a pure Lab. Hes also part poodle, part Chihuahua, part beagle, part spaniel, part shepherdand all thumbs. Franny is fuming. She doesnt even need an assistant. Whats she supposed to do with a good-for-nothing one like Igor? And things get even worse when a giant, fifty-foot, arrow-shooting cupid starts causing trouble all over town. Franny knows its up to herand only her to save the day. Or could she use a little help?

Being a mad scientist in the modern world is very hard work. With so much that needs to be done in such a short period of time, multitasking can become overwhelming. Franny needs some additional help. But for Franny there is only one person in the world she trusts to help her with her experiments: herself. So she acquires assistance the mad-scientist wayby building a few real, live, steel-plated Franbots!

Franny K. Stein is not your average girl--she's a mad scientist. She prefers poison ivy to daisies, and when Franny jumps rope, she uses her pet snake. The kids in Franny's class think she's weird, wacky, and just plain creepy.Tired of being stared at, Franny decides to attempt her most dangerous experiment yet--she's going to fit in. But when a giant Monstrous Fiend attacks the class, everyone knows only a true mad scientist can save the day. But has Franny lost her creepy, crawly ways?