Scrimger, Richard

Nose from Jupiter

How do you shut up when your nose is doing all the talking?

Alan is not big or strong. He hates playing soccer and can barely keep up in math class. Moreover he’s fodder for every bully for miles around. But all that changes the day Norbert, an alien from Jupiter, comes to earth on an exploration mission and moves into – Alan’s nose. Soon Alan isn’t acting like himself, but is Norbert really to blame? Loud, pushy and hilarious, Norbert teaches Alan to stand up for himself, even when the odds are stacked against him.

Into the Ravine

In the tar-melting heat of a suburban summer, everyboy Jules, athletic and handsome Chris, and oddball Corey (he laughs at gravel and anticipates zombie attacks) have lived side by side for most of their lives. Behind their backyards is a ravine through which flows a modest river. This familiar territory is by turns comforting and terrifying.

When a tornado brings down a big maple tree, the boys make a raft of the branches and set off downstream. After all, at thirteen they are old enough to take a day trip by themselves. On their way, the boys meet with a series of adventures that are funny at first glance but resonate deeply. They rescue a diabolical dog, confront a hydrophobic gang, and survive a waterfall. They are bombarded by bicycles, hoodwinked by hobos, and bewitched by bikinis. By accident, they crash a funeral, and, by design, they crash a pool party — with tragic results.

Urban blight and rural beauty, Into the Ravine is a journey where the geography mirrors the contradictions of the human heart. Renowned author Richard Scrimger draws on his powerful ability to tell a story that can truly make you laugh until you cry.

Nose for Adventure

In this hilarious sequel to The Nose from Jupiter, Alan is to take his first airplane ride. He is off to New York, where his father will meet him for some “quality time” together. There are one or two snags, though. First, his father isn’t at the airport. Then there’s his cranky seatmate, Frieda, who is almost kidnapped while she’s waiting for her wheelchair at the baggage claim. Sally, an abandoned mutt, joins the scene. And finally, Norbert is back. He is an alien from Jupiter who had previously taken up residence in Alan’s nose when he was on a fact-finding mission to Earth. Alan had been, to say the least, an unwilling host to Norbert, but when you’re lost in New York City being chased by bad guys, you need all the help you can get!

From Charlie's Point of View (Puffin Sleuth Novels)

Charlie Fairmile’s got problems. He’s about to start a new year at schuyler Colfax Middle school, and his dad has been accused of bank robbery. Charlie knows that his dad is innocent, but the police insist that Mr. Fairmile must be the stocking bandit. so Charlie has no choice but to try to find the real culprit. but solving a mystery isn’t always easy—especially when you’re blind. with the help of his best friends, his braille computer, and a guardian angel, Charlie sets out to unravel a crime that even the police can’t seem to solve.

Eugene's Story

Eugene’s story is the story of almost every child who has found himself in the middle. All day, he finds himself trying to tell his own story. He wants to talk about how nicely he can pour his cereal. His sister Winifred interrupts to point out he is spilling. He wants to tell about the shoes he can put on. His sister points out that he has them on the wrong feet. When he tries to say that he’d like to walk the dog, Winifred is quick to interrupt: “We don’t have a dog!” In short, Eugene’s story is that he cannot tell his story. At least not until it is bedtime when he can dream – that he is an only child.

Richard Scrimger evokes a gentle and realistic family life in his tales of Bun Bun, Winifred, and of course, Eugene.

Of Mice and Nutcrackers: A Peeler Christmas

Readers first met the Peeler family as they went on a hilarious summer road trip in The Way to Schenectady. Now winter has come and with it the school holiday pageant. Jane Peeler, who loves to be the boss at all times, is directing her class production of The Nutcracker. All does not go as well as she planned as she finds the plot of the presentation creeping into her own life. First, there are problems at school, caused by a gym teacher who wants the gym for basketball, not for rehearsal space. Then there’s a budding romance in the cast. At home, Dad has come down with an illness, and Grandma — grumpy, chain-smoking, profane Grandma — comes back on the scene as a reluctant baby-sitter to Jane and her younger brothers Bill and Bernie.

The fun that ensues is pure Scrimger, and is sure to delight his legion of fans.

Still Life With Children: Tales of Family Life

Of Mice and Nutcrackers: A Peelers Christmas

Princess Bun Bun

Eugene, Winifred, and baby Bun Bun are off to visit their uncle who lives in a Great Big Apartment building called Castle Apartments. Could it be a real castle? When Bun Bun, who’s just learned to walk, toddles into the elevator alone, big sister Winifred comes to the rescue. As they go up and up and up in the modern-day tower, they meet a scary monster, a witch, and even a beautiful princess. Or do they?

Noses Are Red

Nominated in the fiction category for the 2004/2005 Red Cedar Book Awards (British Columbia's Young Reader's Choice book award)


Norbert’s back, and Alan’s got him! In the third of Richard Scrimger’s wildly popular Nose books, Alan is off on a camping trip with his good friend, Victor. Fun, right? Not if the person who is taking you camping happens to be Christopher, your mother’s new boyfriend. And not if you aren’t exactly a fan of the great outdoors, with its bugs and swamps and bears.

The woods are full of dangers, and the boys seem to encounter them all in one hilarious misadventure after another. It’s up to Norbert, the alien from Jupiter, to help Alan find his way out of the forest.