James Preller (born February 1, 1961) is an American writer of
children's books
A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...
including ''Bystander'', ''Six Innings'', and the
Jigsaw Jones Mysteries.
He grew up in
Wantagh, New York
Wantagh ( ) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated places, census-designated place (CDP) in the Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), New York, United Stat ...
and went to college in
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in southern Otsego County, New York, Otsego County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of Appalachia. Oneonta is home to the State Un ...
. After graduating from college in 1983, he worked as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by
Scholastic Corporation
Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...
. "Meeting" many notable children's writers through their books, he was inspired to try writing himself. His first book, ''MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue'', was published in 1986. Since then Preller has written a variety of books, some under
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
s including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. He lives in
Delmar, New York, with his wife Lisa and their three children, Nicholas, Gavin, and Maggie.
Preller made up stories when he was young and sold them to friends, family, and neighbors. At that time, however, he planned to become a baseball player for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
.
Published books
Novels
* ''
The Fox and the Hound
''The Fox and the Hound'' is a 1981 American animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a r ...
'', Scholastic, 1988
* ''
The Iron Giant
''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film directed by Brad Bird and produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation. It is loosely based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was published in the United ...
: 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
Published by
Feiwel & Friends
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...
.
# ''Home Sweet Horror'', 2013
# ''I Scream, You Scream!'', 2013
# ''Good Night, Zombie'', 2013
# ''Nightmareland'', 2014
# ''One-Eyed Doll'', 2014
# ''Swamp Monster'', 2015
Jigsaw Jones
Published by
Scholastic Corporation
Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...
.
# ''The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster''
# ''The Case of the Christmas Snowman''
# ''The Case of the Secret Valentine''
# ''The Case of the Spooky Sleepover''
# ''The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards''
# ''The Case of the Mummy Mystery''
# ''The Case of the Runaway Dog''
# ''The Case of the Great Sled Race''
# ''The Case of the Magic Ground Wart''
# ''The Case of the Stinky Science Project''
# ''The Case of the Ghostwriter''
# ''The Case of the Stinky Vase''
# ''The Case of the Marshmallow Monster''
# ''The Case of the Class Clown''
# ''The Case of the Lunch Lady and Mr. Lemon''
# ''The Case of the Detective in Disguise''
# ''The Case of the Bicycle Bandit''
# ''The Case of the Tic Tacs in Mom’s Bedside Table''
# ''The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow''
# ''The Case of the Sneaker Sneak''
# ''The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur''
# ''The Case of the Missing Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces''
# ''The Case of the Bear Scare''
# ''The Case of the Golden Key''
# ''The Case of the Race Against Time''
# ''The Case of the Rainy Day Mystery''
# ''The Case of the Summer Sausage''
# ''The Case of the Best Pet Ever''
# ''The Case of the Perfect Prank''
# ''The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost''
# ''The Case of the Vanishing Painting''
# ''The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives''
# ''The Case of the Frog-Jumping Contest''
# ''The Case of the Food Fight''
# ''The Case of the Skateboarding Superstar''
# ''The Case of the Kidnapped Candy''
# ''The Case of the Missing Case of Dad’s Soda''
# ''The Case of the Spoiled Rotten Spy''
# ''The Case of the Groaning Ghost''
# ''The Case of the Hat Burglar''
Picture books
External links
*
James Preller author, at publisher Macmillan
Feiwel & Friends children's
imprint at Macmillan
Biography, books, and "author visits"at publisher Scholastic
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preller, James
1961 births
American children's writers
American horror writers
American mystery writers
People from Wantagh, New York
Living people
American male novelists