Download high-resolution image
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

The Gecko and Sticky: The Greatest Power

Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
The Gecko & Sticky are a fabulous crime-fighting duo! This quartet of funny adventures will appeal to fans of superheroes both young and old, and would make terrific all-family read-alouds.

"Don't move a muscle!" shouts a strangely clad crook in the act of robbing a bank. But of course somebody does. That somebody is Dave Sanchez, and the crook is none other than the dastardly Damien Black, fresh out of prison and back to his villainous ways. But Dave and his gecko sidekick, Sticky, are on the case, and this time they have a trick up their sleeve--literally! It's an Aztec wristband that give its wearer powers like invisibility and flight. Asombroso, right? But power alone does not a superhero make, and they'll have to learn how to use it if they want to defeat their nemesis not once--but twice.

Don't miss all the Gecko & Sticky adventures:
1. The Villain's Lair
2. The Greatest Power,
3. Sinister Substitute
4. The Power Potion
Wendelin Van Draanen spent many years as a classroom teacher and is now a full-time writer. She is the author of many award-winning books, including the Sammy Keyes mysteries, Flipped, The Running Dream, Runaway, Wild Bird, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, Swear to Howdy, and Hope in the Mail, Reflections on Writing and Life. Ms. Van Draanen lives with her husband in California. Her hobbies include the “three R’s”: reading, running, and rock ’n’ roll. To read more about Wendelin Van Draanen’s books, please visit WendelinVanDraanen.com. View titles by Wendelin Van Draanen
Stephen Gilpin has been working as an illustrator and cartoonist since 2000 and has nearly 20 picture books and chapter books under his belt. Gilpin is known for Sneezy the Snowman, Even Firefighters Go to the Potty, Pirate Mom, 100 Snowmen, and more.  View titles by Stephen Gilpin
  • WINNER
    Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best books
Praise for the Gecko & Sticky books:

"A dastardly good read. Written with gleeful wit, rapid-fire pacing and snappy dialogue." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Fearsome is rarely this much fun. Van Draanen has a super imagination, to which she never applies the brakes. Readers who enjoy loony adventures will love this ride." -- Children's Literature

"Consistently entertaining . . . reaching a frenetic level of energy and comedy as the story's tension builds." -- Booklist

"Peppered with exaggerated alliteration and the excitable lizard's Spanish-tinged 'Stickynese,' the wisecracking narrative bounds from one slapstick scenario to another." -- Publishers Weekly

About

The Gecko & Sticky are a fabulous crime-fighting duo! This quartet of funny adventures will appeal to fans of superheroes both young and old, and would make terrific all-family read-alouds.

"Don't move a muscle!" shouts a strangely clad crook in the act of robbing a bank. But of course somebody does. That somebody is Dave Sanchez, and the crook is none other than the dastardly Damien Black, fresh out of prison and back to his villainous ways. But Dave and his gecko sidekick, Sticky, are on the case, and this time they have a trick up their sleeve--literally! It's an Aztec wristband that give its wearer powers like invisibility and flight. Asombroso, right? But power alone does not a superhero make, and they'll have to learn how to use it if they want to defeat their nemesis not once--but twice.

Don't miss all the Gecko & Sticky adventures:
1. The Villain's Lair
2. The Greatest Power,
3. Sinister Substitute
4. The Power Potion

Author

Wendelin Van Draanen spent many years as a classroom teacher and is now a full-time writer. She is the author of many award-winning books, including the Sammy Keyes mysteries, Flipped, The Running Dream, Runaway, Wild Bird, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, Swear to Howdy, and Hope in the Mail, Reflections on Writing and Life. Ms. Van Draanen lives with her husband in California. Her hobbies include the “three R’s”: reading, running, and rock ’n’ roll. To read more about Wendelin Van Draanen’s books, please visit WendelinVanDraanen.com. View titles by Wendelin Van Draanen
Stephen Gilpin has been working as an illustrator and cartoonist since 2000 and has nearly 20 picture books and chapter books under his belt. Gilpin is known for Sneezy the Snowman, Even Firefighters Go to the Potty, Pirate Mom, 100 Snowmen, and more.  View titles by Stephen Gilpin

Awards

  • WINNER
    Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best books

Praise

Praise for the Gecko & Sticky books:

"A dastardly good read. Written with gleeful wit, rapid-fire pacing and snappy dialogue." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Fearsome is rarely this much fun. Van Draanen has a super imagination, to which she never applies the brakes. Readers who enjoy loony adventures will love this ride." -- Children's Literature

"Consistently entertaining . . . reaching a frenetic level of energy and comedy as the story's tension builds." -- Booklist

"Peppered with exaggerated alliteration and the excitable lizard's Spanish-tinged 'Stickynese,' the wisecracking narrative bounds from one slapstick scenario to another." -- Publishers Weekly

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more