Description

From the author of Stick Dog comes the fifth book in a highly illustrated early chapter book series about three best friends whose plans, missions, and schemes are sure to shake up their school.

Time out! Simon got Max Brutus’s prized World Cup soccer ball stuck in the tallest tree in Picasso Park! Now he’s in more trouble than a tater tot in ketchup. Can his friends at Table 5 help him get the ball before the big game? Or has Simon’s luck maxed out?

HarperChapters build confident readers one chapter at a time! With short, fast-paced books, art on every page, and milestone markers at the end of every chapter, they're the perfect next step for fans of I Can Read!


  • Friendship and Teamwork: Simon’s in a jam, but luckily his best friends from Table 5, Molly and Rosie, have a few hilarious (and chaotic) ideas to save the day.
  • Creative Problem-Solving: Getting a soccer ball out of the tallest tree in the park isn’t easy! From PVC pipes to a homemade slingshot, their plans get more and more wild as the clock ticks down to the big game.
  • Relatable School Stories: Perfect for fans of laugh-out-loud school adventures, this story captures the fun of classroom antics and after-school missions.
  • Perfect for Newly Independent Readers: With short, fast-paced chapters and fun illustrations on every page, this book is designed to build confidence and keep kids turning the pages.

About the author(s)

Tom Watson lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and son. He also has a dog, as you could probably guess. The dog is a Labrador-Newfoundland mix. Tom says he looks like a Labrador with a bad perm. He wanted to name the dog "Put Your Shirt On" (please don't ask why), but he was outvoted by his family. The dog's name is Shadow. Early in his career Tom worked in politics, including a stint as the chief speechwriter for the governor of Ohio. This experience helped him develop the unique, storytelling narrative style of the Stick Dog books. More important, Tom's time in politics made him realize a very important thing: Kids are way smarter than adults. And it's a lot more fun and rewarding to write stories for them than to write speeches for grown-ups.

Marta Kissi is a London-based illustrator originally from Warsaw. She studied BA illustration & animation at Kingston University and MA communication art & design at the Royal College of Art. Her favorite part of being an illustrator is bringing stories to life by designing charming characters and the wonderful worlds they live in. She shares a studio in London with her husband, James, and their pet plant, Trevor.

Reviews

“With likable characters, an amusing situation, and lots of reinforcement for readers, this effort is sure to be a hit.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Encouraging emergent readers with progress notes at each chapter’s end, this series kickoff introduces a diverse trio of third-grade friends with complementary traits.…Kissi adds a two-color illustration of the trio in action, a fanciful diagram, or a bit of arithmetic to almost every page of the well-paced, well-spaced narrative.” - Booklist

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