James Preller (born February 1, 1961) is an American writer of children's books including Bystander, Six Innings, and the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, he worked as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation. "Meeting" many notable children's writers through their books, he was inspired to try writing himself. His first book, MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, was published in 1986. Since then Preller has written a variety of books, some under pen names including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. He lives in Delmar, New York, with his wife Lisa and their three children, Nicholas, Gavin, and Maggie. Preller up stories when he was young and sold them to friends, family, and neighbors. At that time, however, he planned to become a baseball player for the New York Mets. Published books Novels The Fox and the Hound, Scholastic, 1988 The Iron Giant: A Novelization, Scholastic, 1999 Six Innings (2008) Along Came Spider (2008) Bystander (2009) Justin Fisher Declares War!, Scholastic, 2010 Before You Go, Feiwel & Friends, 2012 The Fall (2015) The Courage Test (2016) Better Off Undead, Feiwel & Friends, 2017 Blood Mountain, Feiwel & Friends, 2019 Upstander (2021) Scary Tales Published by Feiwel & Friends. Home Sweet Horror, 2013 I Scream, You Scream!, 2013 Good Night, Zombie, 2013 Nightmareland, 2014 One-Eyed Doll, 2014 Swamp Monster, 2015 Jigsaw Jones Published by Scholastic Corporation. The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster The Case of the Christmas Snowman The Case of the Secret Valentine The Case of the Spooky Sleepover The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards The Case of the Mummy Mystery The Case of the Runaway Dog The Case of the Great Sled Race The Case of the Stinky Science Project The Case of the Ghostwriter The Case of the Marshmallow Monster The Case of the Class Clown The Case of the Detective in Disguise The Case of the Bicycle Bandit The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow The Case of the Sneaker Sneak The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur The Case of the Bear Scare The Case of the Golden Key The Case of the Race Against Time The Case of the Rainy Day Mystery The Case of the Best Pet Ever The Case of the Perfect Prank The Case of the