Showing results by author "Kara LaReau" in All Categories

Louie and Ralphie Ratso's dad, Big Lou, always says that there are two kinds of people: those who are tough and those who are soft. Louie and Ralphie are tough, tough, tough, just like Big Lou, and they're going to prove it. But every time they try to show just how tough they are, the Ratso brothers end up accidentally doing good deeds instead. What'll Big Lou do when he finds out they've been acting like softies all over the Big City?

A two book set featuring The Infamous Ratsos and The Infamous Ratsos Are Not Afraid.

Meet Jaundice and Kale Bland, two sisters who avoid excitement at any cost. Together, they patiently await the return of their parents, who left on an errand years ago and have never returned. One day, the Bland sisters are kidnapped by an all-female band of pirates. They're unwillingly swept into a high-seas romp that might just lead to solving the mystery of what happened to their parents. With Roald Dahl-esque wit, this new series is for listeners who are looking for an anything-but-bland adventure.

Acclaimed children’s author Kara LaReau was inspired to write this story after reading an article about school bullies. Ugly Fish is a big, mean and ugly fish. And because he’s big and mean, he scares all the other little fish so that he can keep the fish tank all to himself. Ugly Fish enjoys swimming through his driftwood tunnel and eating his special briny food, and he won’t share with anyone else. But when an even bigger, meaner fish shows up in the bowl, Ugly Fish doesn’t feel so fearless anymore.

Louie and Ralphie Ratso have a genius idea: If they clear out the lot down the street, they can use all the junk lying around to build makeshift games for a Big City FunTime Arcade! With their friends to help, they'll be able to recycle all the old abandoned stuff into whack-a-mouse, a high-striker, a fortune-telling booth, and more. Everyone says the house next to the lot is haunted, but if Louie just pretends it's not there, maybe he can ignore the goose bumps he gets every time he looks at it.

After returning to their home in Dullsville and finding it in absolute shambles, Jaundice and Kale Bland are rescued by high-flying aviatrix Beatrix Airdale. This time, they're jetting off (literally) to Egypt to uncover the mysteries of a magical scarab. By way of Casablanca, and after foiling multiple attacks along the way (thanks to Jaundice's nautical knot-tying skills and Kale's super-sleuth powers of observation), the Bland Sisters are reunited with their parents. But it turns out that Mom and Dad aren't as bland - or as Bland - as Jaundice and Kale remember.

Back from their adventure on the high seas, Jaundice and Kale are settling into a quiet life in Dullsville, just the way they like it. The tea is tepid, the oatmeal is tasteless, and the socks are ripe for darning - that is, until Aunt Shallot shows up and reveals herself to be anything but the dull relation they were expecting. Instead, she tells her nieces that she is Magique, Queen of Magic, and that she's on her way to a big show and is in need of two willing assistants. As Magique and the Bland sisters board the Uncanny Express, they meet a cast of mystifying characters. And when Magique goes missing, it's up to Jaundice and Kale to solve the mystery - with the help of famous detective Hugo Fromage.