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Bad Machinery
Series · 8 books · 2013-2019

Books in series

The Case of the Team Spirit book cover
#1

The Case of the Team Spirit

2013

Tackleford, England is a town full of mysteries. Shauna, Charlotte, and Mildred just want to help the mysterious old immigrant woman keep her home. Jack, Linton, and Sonny just want to find out why the owner of the local football stadium has been plagued by a curse. If only the two groups could stop fighting with each other, they might realize there's a shared solution... Of course, when you're just starting your first year at Griswalds Grammar School, nothing matters quite as much as football, friends, stylish jackets, trading cards, or your nerdy teacher's fancy wife. And when all of these things are competing for your attention, just how are you supposed to find the time to solve mysteries, anyway?
The Case of the Good Boy book cover
#2

The Case of the Good Boy

2014

Everyone's favorite preteen British detectives are back for another case! With toddlers disappearing and rumors of a large, beast-like creature roaming the woods, Tackleford is in serious danger. And then there's Mildred's new dog Archibald... if you can even call it a dog. After all, what kind of dog drinks tea out of a cup? Everything comes to a head once the boys get a picture of the beast and Archibald goes missing. Is there a connection? And what does it all have to do with the magic pencil Mildred won from a carnie con game? The second installment of John Allison's award-winning webcomic series in print!
The Case of the Simple Soul book cover
#3

The Case of the Simple Soul

2014

The Tackleford gang is back with a new case that demands solving! When Tackleford's derelict barns begin going up in flames, Linton and Sonny are on the case with a moderately mysterious new friend. Paths cross, however, when Lottie and Mildred meet a terrifying yet misunderstood creature living beneath a bridge! Throw in an overly enthusiastic Fire Brigade, a transforming skate ramp, and a new French teacher and you've got the kind of charming genius that can only be found in John Allison's Bad Machinery.
The Case of the Lonely One book cover
#4

The Case of the Lonely One

2015

A new school year brings a new classmate to Griswald's Grammar School! But he's a bit strange, and he really, really likes onions. When the whole school suddenly becomes best friends with him, Shauna seems to be the only one left out. It's up to her to peel back the mystery, one onion layer at a time. Join the team for another thrilling case, full of the cunning wit and high-flying adventure you can only get from John Allison's Bad Machinery.
The Case of the Fire Inside book cover
#5

The Case of the Fire Inside

2016

The new year brings the all the joys and near-drownings of young love in The Case of the Fire Inside, the latest volume of Bad Machinery! Sonny meets a mysterious new girl who seems to have climbed out of the sea itself, while Mildred falls for the bad boy of Saturday detention. But can either of them succeed in the face of jealous exes, overprotective fathers, and the persistent tide of DESTINY? What is a "selkie"? Is a Morton's toe fatal? And can Dark Rotuss truly save the galaxy?
The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor book cover
#6

The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor

2016

School is out for summer, and for the Tackleford mystery team, that means lazy days, balmy evenings, and... creeping existential dread that threatens the whole city. With half the team gallivanting off to exotic locales (like Aunty Kath's in Margate), can Linton, Jack, and Lottie solve this season's most dire case? The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor, the sixth book in John Allison's award-winning Bad Machinery series, pits our young heroes against the terrors of the unfamiliar and unknown. Lottie's mum and sister have both fallen in love (thanks to the internet), Linton is determined to save his father from the soul-sucking responsibility of a promotion, and why is Jack working at the local paper with team nemesis (and hot-shot reporter) Erin Winters? Isn't print meant to be dead? Could the link between these tangled threads be The Night Creeper, who prowls Tackleford's streets and leaves people in the hospital with a blank stare and a terrible smile on their face?
The Case of the Forked Road book cover
#7

The Case of the Forked Road

2017

Time is a fickle creature, especially when there's wormhole in the science cupboard. When a strange boy who seems far too entranced by cell phones appears, it's up to Lottie, Shauna, and Mildred to figure out his strange purposes. The Case of the Forked Road, the seventh book in John Allison's award-winning Bad Machinery series, finds our young sleuths facing the intricacies of time and space itself. What is their science teacher hiding? Who is the mysterious Calvin, why is he dressed like it s 1960, and why is he obsessed with Communists? And another thing: just what is going on with Jack, Sonny, and Linton?"
The Case of the Modern Men book cover
#8

The Case of the Modern Men

2019

"A delightfully quirky series whose eccentric charms haven't faltered." - KIRKUS From the bestselling author of Giant Days comes the latest pocket-sized volume in his beloved Bad Machinery series! It's that classic feud: mods versus rockers! As the boys get caught up in the allure of mod culture (the scooters! the hair! the fashion!), Shauna is testing her mettle as the queen of metal. But when the new King of the Mods is crowned, he sparks an all-out war between the musical factions, with the mystery team caught in the mix! The Case of the Modern Men, the eighth book in John Allison's award-winning Bad Machinery series, finds our intrepid mystery-solvers at an age-old crossroads. How does a person become cool? Why can't we all just get along? And could that shiny new scooter be... cursed? AWARDS & RECOGNITION FOR THE SERIES Eisner Award nomination, Best Publication for Teens (2017) Dwayne McDuffie Kids’ Comics Award shortlist (2017) YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (2017) Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel list (2015) Cybils Awards finalist—Graphic Novels: Young Adult (2013) Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of 2013 British Comic Award - Best Comic (2012) Parents' Choice Awards, Fiction, Recommended Seal (2016)

Authors

John Allison
John Allison
Author · 51 books

John Allison is the author and artist of the British webcomics Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

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