Swapna Haddow grew up in the UK and wrote her first book at age eight. She wishes she'd kept it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time to trade it for two stickers and a couple of marbles! Her first published book was the hilarious junior novel Dave Pigeon, which grew into a laugh-out-loud, award-winning series. She has since written many funny, colourful, and much-loved picture books as well as further junior fiction series. Swapna loves to write stories filled with boisterous animals causing mayhem, with friendship and humour consistently at the heart of her work. Swapna now lives in Dunedin, New Zealand, with her husband, son, and their dog. Her first homegrown tall tale with Scholastic New Zealand is But Then... the almost true story of an overdue book.

Minky Stapleton is a multi-faceted illustrator with a range of styles, all with a dash of humour. An award-winning Art Director and Creative Director originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Minky gave up advertising to follow her first love, illustration. She now resides in Auckland, New Zealand, where she balances illustration projects with running classes for kids on how to design scary monsters. Minky has illustrated many titles for Scholastic, from hilarious picture books to historical fiction and high-energy, heavily illustrated junior fiction.

★ " This second installment in the Terrible Trio series is a laugh-out-loud adventure proving that creativity, positivity, kindness, and friendship are the true superpowers. The story is packed with humor, witty wordplay, and zany illustrations that bring the trio's antics to life. Perfect for early-chapter-book readers who enjoy silly humor, imaginative scenarios, and quirky illustrations, this is a fun, fast-paced read that leaves you eagerly anticipating the next wild adventure of Marg, Zeb, and Barry." -- Booklist, starred review

Publisher: Bound to Stay Bound Books

Pub date: 2026-02-03

Length: 189 pages