Lubar, David

When the head of the Bureau of Useful Misadventures (or BUM) discovers that an evil organization is using the Student Mind and Body competition to recruit agents, he asks Nathan to enter the competition, but things go terribly wrong when Nathan's nemesis starts to notice some odd things about him, and Nathan fears his zombie identity will be exposed.

Tired of continually having his feelings hurt by popular students and bullies, fifth-grader Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula, Hurt-Be-Gone, and becomes a half-dead zombie, a condition which, he soon discovers, has some real advantages.

Chad, hoping to work out his frustrations and his anger by taking a summer job as a dunk tank Bozo, comes to a better understanding of himself and the uses of humor as he undergoes training in the fine art of insults.

"A group of high school girls takes revenge on their sadistic gym teacher in the most fitting way possible. Two stowaways find themselves on a ship for the dead. An ancient predator stalks the wrong victim. Here are thirteen tales of death, murder, and revenge"--.

Ed and his friends accidentally sign up for a playwriting contest, a dangerous activity for someone who possesses the Silver Center, and what they write is pretty strange, but when it comes to actually performing the play, Ed's magic coin lends new meaning to the words "stage fright".

It's a stinky situation when Nathan's school develops a mold problem and his class is forced to share space with the first-graders.

After an old woman turns her into a witch, Angie must find a way to free herself from the powerful spell.

While navigating his first year of high school and awaiting the birth of a baby brother, Scott loses old friends and gains some unlikely new ones as he hones his skills as a writer.

Kevin and his wacky scientist Uncle try to outsmart strange monsters that appear when they try to take a vacation.

A collection of short stories about kids who find themselves in some strange situations.