I love it when my books get translated into other languages, so kids in different parts of the world can read them. On the left is Tien-Wei’s cover for “Return of The Homework Machine,” which will be published in complex Chinese this month.

48 years ago, I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in psychology. And finally, at long last, on Monday night I received the honor I so richly deserve—I was invited to judge the first annual Mac ‘n Cheese Bake-Off put on by the Rutgers Cheese Club.

On Election Day, I think this is perfect for my EMAIL OF THE WEEK…

Do U have shelves of books your kids outgrew? Book Fairies gives books to kids in low income areas of New York. They’ve given away more than five million books. The executive director is Eileen Minogue, seen here. Donating to Book Fairies will clear your shelves & help create lifelong readers.

I suspect that my wife is putting glue on my collection of antique weapons. She says it’s not true, but I’m sticking to my guns.

Here’s a little taste of the New York Marathon…

Tito Peter was a Jersey guy, but his wife is from the Philippines. So he built Tito Peter's Free Library there so the kids would have books, computers, wifi, & tutoring. These are the kinds of heroes we need to celebrate. Go to www.librarycat.org/lib/titopeter or www.facebook.com/Tito.Peters....

Fun size?? I think it would be more fun if they put more M&Ms in.

Addison came to see me recently at Books And Greetings in Northvale, New Jersey with her mom. Do you have a local bookstore? Do they have author signings? Bring your kids. It’s free. You don’t even have to buy a book. (But it’s even nicer if you do!)

Scout and her family are big My Weird School fans who live in England. Hmmm, I wonder if kittens over there meow with a British accent.

That’s it. It’s 2:30am. 17 innings is enough for me. They’ll just have to finish Game 3 on their own. I’m going to sleep.

I’m just gonna come out and say it. I HATE PUMPKINS. I don’t like pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, or any other so-called “food” made with pumpkins. Why? Because I love watermelon, and as soon as those orange monstrosities come out, watermelon season is over. I can’t find them in stores anymore…

…What I want to know is, what percentage of pumpkins are just decoration? People buy watermelons to EAT, not to stick on a porch. I bet 90% of these porch pumpkins will just rot and end up in a landfill (where they belong). I want my watermelons back! There, that felt good.

Did you hear about the OTHER guy who tried to rob the Louvre? It turned out his van ran out of gas on the way to the museum. He said "I had no Monet to buy Degas and make the Van Gogh, so I decided to steal the paintings because I had nothing Toulouse."

READER OF THE WEEK is Hunter, from Missouri. I never thought my characters looked like pumpkins, but every year before Halloween people send me photos of their pumpkins dressed up like A.J. from My Weird School. It must be the hair, I guess. @HarperKids Books @theshelfstuff

Happy Birthday to Pablo Picasso, born on this date in 1881. When the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, Picasso (just 30) was brought in for questioning…

…So I thought WHAT IF he nervously made a doodle in his sketchbook while he was waiting to be questioned. And what if that doodle found its way to a flea market a hundred years later? That was the inspiration for my new book “The Picasso Curse.” @holidayhousebks holidayhouse.com/book/the-pic...

The World Series begins TONIGHT. Who are you rooting for? Comment with “Dodgers” or “Blue Jays.” Baseball is my favorite sport, and I’ve written 31 books about it—fiction, non-fiction, biographies, easy readers, adult books, even a picture book and a coffee table book.

They haven’t caught the guys who robbed the Louvre yet. It may take a while. When the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, it took TWO YEARS to catch the thief--Vincenzo Peruggia, a small town crook who wanted to return Mona Lisa to Italy, where da Vinci painted it. holidayhouse.com/book/the-pic...

Miss Sherman is a student teacher. She’s an influencer who only cares about getting likes & clicks on social media. So A.J. has to make videos pogo-sticking on Bubble Wrap & tightrope walking while holding bananas. Will he go viral? Read the book to find out: www.harpercollins.com/products/my-...

It comes out TODAY! HarperCollins has a link that allows you to order it ($1 off) through your local bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Walmart, or Books-A-Million. You can also read or listen to an audio sample: www.harpercollins.com/products/my-... @HarperKids Books @the shelf stuff

OOPS, THEY DID IT AGAIN! The daring theft at the Louvre recalls the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911. That was the inspiration for my novel, “The Picasso Curse.” You'd think the Louvre would have the greatest security in the world, but I guess not. @holidayhousebks holidayhouse.com/book/the-pic...

Q: Why do bagpipers walk while they play? A: They’re trying to get away from the music.

Thanks for the happy birthday wishes! The nice thing about flying home from Greece on your birthday is that your birthday lasts a day and a half. Of course, you’ve got to sit on a plane all day…

Sitting on a plane for 11 hours is not my ideal way to spend my birthday, but we had a wonderful time in Greece this week. Great memories! And it will be great to get home.

I turn 70 today. WHAT?! Wasn’t I 30 a few years ago? Luckily, I still have the brain of an 8-year-old. People ask when I’ll retire. Retire?! As my fellow kidlit author Peter Lerangis says, “What would I do if I retired—write a novel?”

A new fashion trend? Yes, but we also visited beekeeper Andreas Paradoxos in the mountains of Tinos, played with his bees, and learned about honey-making. Yummy fun!

I don’t know why, but the whole time I’ve been in Greece I can’t stop thinking about my old friend, children’s book author Alan Katz.

Yesterday we visited a farm, planted onions and lettuce, harvested zucchinis and pomegranates, had a cooking class, and ate a terrific meal that we helped prepare.

Part of the fun of overseas travel is to visit grocery stores and look for interesting items we don’t see at home.

On the Greek island of Tinos, Yiannis is a master marble sculptor. Today he showed us how he does his art and let us try our hand at it. I think I should stick with writing.

When we go on vacation, our family loves to take food tours. We had a wonderful tour of Athens today, thanks to Carolina Doriti of Culinary Backstreets. Carolina is a chef, and she spent 10 years writing her first cookbook.

A WEEK FROM TODAY “Miss Sherman Is Determined!” comes out. This will be My Weirdtastic School #9. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back from my trip.

We walked the streets of Athens today, visited the archeological museum, and stopped off at the site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 (also in 2004).

Having a lovely time in Athens. They all had a good laugh when I said I thought the Elgin marbles were a bunch of marbles.

I’m leaving tonight for a family trip to Greece. If I have the chance, I’ll post some photos while I’m away. If not, see ya back here on October 19th. Talk among yourselves while I’m gone!

AUDIOBOOK FANS! “The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle” is 50% off ($5.50) through November 2nd. The audio version has six narrators and runs 3.5 hours. For a free sample or to order, go to: www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

Coming up with rhyming titles for My Weird School isn’t a problem. The problem is that each book focuses on a different grownup, and there are only so many grownups who work in a school. In the beginning, it was easy--the classroom teacher, music teacher, art teacher, librarian, and so on…

…Then I did the psychologist, the PTA president, and the school photographer. After that, it was the guy who mowed the lawn, the ice cream man, and the therapy dog. I’ve written over 100 of these books, and now I’m really scraping the bottom of the barrel!...

…I was visiting a school in CT, having lunch with kids & asked them what was the weirdest thing that happened at the school. A boy said, “Last week the dentist was here.” I thought THAT’S A BOOK WAITING TO BE WRITTEN! So I wrote “Dr. Floss Is The Boss!” & dedicated it to the kids at the school...

…So if you can think of a grownup I haven’t written a My Weird School book about, let me know. Maybe I’ll dedicate the book to you!

You may be wondering how I come up with the rhyming titles for My Weird School books. Or maybe you’re not. Well, too bad, because I’m gonna tell you...

...When the series began, I made a list of words that mean "crazy”--bananas, wacky, loony. Then I tried to think of words that rhymed with those words and could be somebody's name--Bananas/Hannah. Wacky/Macky. Loony/Cooney. And so on...

...At some point, I ran out of words that meant "crazy." Then I had to switch to words that suggested general silliness. So: Sunny/Funny. Out of Control/Dole. Embarrassin’/Harrison. Etc. See, there’s a method to the madness!

I have a complicated relationship…with dishwashers. When people come over and there’s a sink full of dishes, it’s great to have a dishwasher. The rest of the time, I’d rather wash the dishes by hand. Why…

…Experts say it’s more energy efficient to use a dishwasher, but I find that hard to believe. My dishwasher takes 3 HOURS to do a load! For breakfast & lunch, I have a dish or bowl & a spoon or fork. It takes 10 seconds to wash them by hand, & I think I do just as good a job as the dishwasher…

…I don’t need much water, and I don’t use ANY electricity. Plus, I don't have to bend down, put the stuff in the dishwasher, empty the dishwasher when it’s finally done, spend a lot of money on detergent, and I don't run out of plates or glasses sitting for days inside the stupid dishwasher…

…Also, I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to repair or replace the stupid dishwasher when it breaks down, as it inevitably will at some point. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Did you hear about the cheese factory that blew up in France? It was horrible. De brie was everywhere.

You probably know I’m a Beatlemaniac. My wife & I went to Liverpool & took a fantastic tour with Jackie Spencer. We visited Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, the Cavern, & John, Paul, & Ringo’s childhood homes. If you’re planning a trip to the UK, you GOTTA take her tour. Go to: www.beatleguide.com