A Pirate's Guide to First Grade

James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery books, which have sold more than 10 million copies since 1998. He is also the author of Bystander, named a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, Six Innings, an ALA Notable Book, and Mighty Casey, his own twist on the classic poem, “Casey at the Bat.” In addition to writing full-time, Preller plays in a men’s hardball league and coaches Little League. He compares coaching kids to “trying to hold the attention of a herd of earthworms.” He lives in Delmar, New York with his wife, three children, cats and dog.

Greg Ruth is the illustrator of many graphic novels and books for children, including A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade and A Pirate’s Guide to Recess by James Preller, and is also the author/illustrator of Coming Home and The Lost Boy, a New York Times bestseller. He lives Ashfield, Massachusetts, with his family.