Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)

The Misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe Series

Gordon McAlpine and Sam Zuppardi
Identical twins Edgar and Allan Poe, the great-great-great grandnephews of the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe, think twice as fast as other people — because their minds work as one! Their Misadventures (three books in all) take them (and their equally smart cat, Roderick Usher)  from their Baltimore home to a movie set to a sinister mansion, as they try to foil the plans of an especially mad scientist. Full of illustrations, puzzles, and cliffhangers and perfect for smart tweens.
The Tell-Tale Start by Gordon McAlpine; Illustrated by Sam Zuppardi
Once Upon a Midnight Eerie by Gordon McAlpine; Illustrated by Sam Zuppardi
The Pet and the Pendulum by Gordon McAlpine; Illustrated by Sam Zuppardi

The Misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe Series : Titles in Order

Book 3
In The Tell-Tale Start, twins Edgar and Allan Poe foiled the nefarious Professor Perry, who wanted to use them in his deadly quantum entanglement experiment. In Once Upon a Midnight Eerie, they took on his equally evil mother and daughter. Now, in The Pet and the Pendulum, it’s time for the real showdown, which takes place in an old mansion right outside Baltimore. As with the first two books, The Pet and the Pendulum is filled with codes, brain-teasers, smart (not snarky) humor, and cameos by the actual Edgar Allan Poe, who is watching over his great-great-great-nephews from the Great Beyond. Readers won’t want to miss the Misaventures’ end!
Book 2
A perfect choice for smart, funny tweens who love Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket.

In The Tell-Tale Start, Edgar and Allan Poe (great-great-great-great-grandnephews of the legendary Edgar Allan Poe) managed to outwit the nefarious Professor P. Pangborn Perry, who was (and is) determined to kill just one of them, in order to prove a mad scientific theory. Now the boys are in New Orleans, about to play the young Poe in a feature film. But the role may cost them their lives, because now someone else wants them dead. But who? And can the twins—with the help of their co-stars, Em and Milly Dickinson, their ghostly forebear, and a pair of real ghosts—manage to outwit them?
Book 1
Meet Edgar and Allan Poe — twelve-year-old identical twins, the great-great-great-great-grandnephews of Edgar Allan Poe. They look and act so much alike that they’re almost one mischievous, prank-playing boy in two bodies. When their beloved black cat, Roderick Usher, is kidnapped and transported to the Midwest, Edgar and Allan convince their guardians that it’s time for a road trip. Along the way, mayhem and mystery ensue, as well as deeper questions: What is the boys’ telepathic connection? Is Edgar Allan Poe himself reaching out to them from the Great Beyond? And why has a mad scientist been spying on the Poe family for years?

With a mix of literary humor, mystery, a little quantum physics, and fun extras like fortune cookie messages, letters in code, license plate clues – and playful illustrations thoughout – this series opener is a perfect choice for smart, funny tweens who love the Time Warp Trio, Roald Dahl, and Lemony Snicket.
Back to Top