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Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist book cover 1
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Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist
Series · 10 books · 2003-2021

Books in series

Lunch Walks Among Us book cover
#1

Lunch Walks Among Us

2003

Franny K. Stein is not your average girl—she's a mad scientist. She prefers poison ivy to daisies, and when Franny jumps rope, she uses her pet snake. The kids in Franny's class think she's weird, wacky, and just plain creepy. Tired of being stared at, Franny decides to attempt her most dangerous experiment yet—she's going to fit in. but when a giant Monstrous Fiend attacks the class, everyone knows it's up to a mad scientist to save the day. But has Franny lost her creepy, crawly ways?
Attack of the 50-Ft. Cupid book cover
#2

Attack of the 50-Ft. Cupid

2004

Franny's mom says every mad scientist needs a lab assistant. So for Valentine's Day Franny gets just that—a Lab assistant. Except Igor isn't a pure Lab. He's also part poodle, part Chihuahua, part beagle, part spaniel, part shepherd—and all thumbs. Franny is fuming. She doesn't even need an assistant. What's she supposed to do with a good-for-nothing one like Igor? And things get even worse when a giant, fifty-foot, arrow-shooting cupid starts causing trouble all over town. Franny knows it's up to her—and only her—to save the day. Or is it?
The Invisible Fran book cover
#3

The Invisible Fran

2004

There's nothing better than being a mad scientist—at least according to Franny. So she's making in her mission to help her classmates discover their own inner mad scientists. All Franny needs for her latest experiment is a few volunteers, a half-completed two-headed robot, and an invisibility potion. Only this experiment just might prove to be Franny's most difficult. What do you do when your classmates don't know anything about mad science and there's a doubly dumb robot running amok to prove it?
The Fran That Time Forgot book cover
#4

The Fran That Time Forgot

2005

Franny K. Stein didn't think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn't think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that's what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. So Franny does what any respectable mad scientist would do—she goes back in time to change her name. However, things don't always turn out as calculated, and Franny ends up having to face her teenage self in a warped, fourth-dimensional, kid-versus-teen, good-versus-evil, Franny-versus-Franny battle of the minds!
Frantastic Voyage book cover
#5

Frantastic Voyage

2005

Franny's faithful lab assistant, Igor, has swallowed a doomsday device that is ready to go off at any moment! For any regular scientist, there is only one way to get the device out—um...make that two ways. But Franny K. Stein is no ordinary scientist, so she concocts her own way to get the device back and save her friend. With her miniaturization machine, Franny shrinks herself to the size of a pin and goes on a field trip like no other...through the body of a ticking time-dog! Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
The Fran with Four Brains book cover
#6

The Fran with Four Brains

2006

Being a mad scientist in the modern world is very hard work. With so much that needs to be done in such a short period of time, multitasking can get way out of hand. Franny needs some additional help. But for Franny there is only one person in the world she trusts to help her with her experiments—herself. So she acquires assistance the mad-scientist way, by building a few real, live, steel-plated Franbots. Spotlight editions are printed on high-quality paper and with reinforced library bindings specifically printed for the library market. Grades 3-6.
The Frandidate book cover
#7

The Frandidate

2008

Goosebumps and Bill Nye the Science Guy fans, meet Franny! Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, has always had her eye on world domination, and she has to start somewhere...like her class elections! If people vote for her, they’ll be giving her all the control she wants. But Franny’s platform doesn’t have the same appeal as her competitors who are offering new playground equipment, so she creates The Frandidate. Made of DNA samples from a dog, a chameleon and a parrot, along with a scrap of carpet (so she’ll know where people stand), Franny’s special suit helps her say and do exactly what people want! But when The Frandidate starts making promises she knows she can’t keep, Franny realizes she might have gone too far…
Bad Hair Day book cover
#8

Bad Hair Day

2019

Franny K. Stein is back with another laugh-out-loud experimental adventure in the eighth book in the Mad Scientist series from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Jim Benton! Franny K. Stein isn’t a fan of glamour. She doesn’t style her hair, the thought of wearing makeup makes her want to gag, and she couldn’t care less about wearing dressy dresses when she’d much prefer her lab coat. But sometimes Franny wonders if her mom wishes she were different. Which gives Franny an idea…for an experiment! What if she can turn the beauty products her mom loves into something more exciting? Every experiment has its experimental error, and when Franny’s hair takes on a life of its own, Franny must save the day (and her hair) to finally realize her mom loves her just the way she is.
Recipe for Disaster book cover
#9

Recipe for Disaster

2020

Franny K. Stein is back with another laugh-out-loud experimental adventure in the ninth book in the Mad Scientist series from Jim Benton, the New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of the Dear Dumb Diary and It’s Happy Bunny series. Franny K. Stein isn’t a good baker. But when she sees that the fundraisers for the art and music departments at her school aren’t making enough money, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Using her genius mind and kitchen, which is really just another type of laboratory, she sets out to create The Most Delicious Muffin On Earth! Sales, of course, go through the roof. But bad things can happen when people become exposed to the best thing they’ve ever tasted. They can become... overenthusiastic .
Mood Science (10) book cover
#10

Mood Science (10)

2021

Franny K. Stein has had quite enough of her feelings getting in the way. So she physically removes them with the help of one of her machines. But it turns out that not having feelings can make things even worse, especially when you’ve accidentally released a virus that’s turning everybody into toads. Good thing she has the help of her grandma, Granny Fran, and her Sense of Duty to help her shake the apathy.

Author

Jim Benton
Author · 64 books

Benton began his career in a custom design t-shirt shop where he started designing his own characters. At the same time, Jim did illustrations and artwork for magazines and newspapers. People magazine named him "the most visible cartoonist in America" . Benton also created greeting cards and worked in the magazine and publishing industry. In 1998, his SpyDogs characters became an animated series, The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs, that aired on Fox Kids. Licensing his own creations brought them widespread attention on products, such as It's Happy Bunny, The Misters, Just Jimmy and more. Benton currently lives in Michigan, where he operates out of his own studio.

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