In stories spotlighting disgusting broccoli, smelly lasagna, repulsive milk, lumpy oatmeal, and slimy eggs, this hilarious chapter book details mealtime standoffs between a young boy, James, and his dad. The mixed-media cartoon illustrations extend the humor and drama in scenes of James, who is furious as Dad offers wry alternatives to the food James refuses: We have this very sweaty sock, soaked in sweat sweated by the world's fastest and tastiest runner. As the stories progress, Dad's fantasies get wilder: a troll, who lives in the basement and wears a Kiss the Cook apron, has whipped up the mushroom lasagna; the carton of eggs in the refrigerator are actually dinosaur eggs.  This is a fun book for anyone who's ever refused to eat their veggies!

Ten-year-old Sam is spending the summer in the middle of Nevada, working at the remote Lonesome Café. And the Help Wanted sign in the window brings some very strange visitors--Bigfoot, Elvis, a jolly fat man from the North Pole, and a young girl and her dog who blow in on a tornado from Kansas. And then there's the spaceship that crashes nearby and its little green passenger. . . . Sam is kept busy distracting the nosy TV news team so they don't discover the identities of the odd visitors, but it's not easy. Come along for a visit to the Lonesome Café--it's the place to be.