Joe, Fred, and Sam have no idea why they've been transported to a playground. All they know is that there's a 250-pound chicken and it's headed straight for them. While Joe's racking his brains for the magic words to stop a charging chicken, he suddenly has a flash of what's going to happen next. It's exactly like the book he just read. Turns out Fred put their summer reading list inside The Book (the magic one, that is)--and now they're destined to spend their summer living stories that were only meant to be read. Only one thing is clear: writing a back-to-school book report will be no sweat. Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith also collaborated on Math Curse, The Stinky Cheese Man, and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Jon Scieszka lives in Brooklyn, New York. Lane Smith lives in New York City.