My best pal Sam and I are in Paradise, the community in Florida where my grandparents Nana and Jeep live. We’re staying with them while my dad works and my mom is on a trip with her lady relatives. Everything in Paradise is swank and deluxe, and lots of stuff is For the Convenience of Our Residents. We’re sure that means free. We especially like the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet.

Since Florida is loaded with animals, we’re going to capture a pet for Sam. We considered a wild piglet or a parrot or an armadillo or an iguana, but we’ve decided to find an alligator egg because it’s easy to carry on an airplane and it can hatch once we’re home. All we have to do is come up with a way to get that egg. Luckily, Sam and I are idea men!

Praise for the Melonhead series

Melonhead- Laugh-out-loud funny, rivaling Stink and Fudge in its troublemaker quotient. -School Library Journal

Melonhead and the Big Stink- The clever dialogue sparkles. A breezy and humorous middle-grade tale. -Kirkus Reviews

Melonhead and the Undercover Operation- Melonhead’s pure, kid-centric, fun-loving perspective is hard to resist. -Kirkus Reviews

Melonhead and the Vegalicious Disaster- Melonhead returns with rapid-fire narration and adventure. -BooklistOnline.com

Melonhead and the We-Fix-It Company- Melonhead and his friends inhabit a world … where inventiveness and camaraderie reign supreme. -Kirkus Reviews

From the Hardcover edition.