Mary Amato

Writing with Humor, Heart, & Grit

Secret Extras for Good Crooks Fans

by 72 Comments


If you’re looking for Billy and Jillian’s songs and games you have come to the right place. Have fun singing and dancing and doing good deeds.

As a special treat during school closures, I’ll be releasing several audio chapters of Good Crooks Book Four: Quackily Ever After each week for free starting April 1st. You’ll be able to find the chapters here and I’ll announce new chapters on my social media accounts when I post.

Books

Guitar Notes Good Crooks Book One: Missing Monkey! (Darby Creek, 2015) Billy and Jillian Crook have a big problem. Their parents are crooks, but they want to do good deeds–especially when a monkey needs to get back to the zoo!  Best for ages 7-10. A Book of the Month Club selection.
 Guitar Notes Good Crooks Book Two: Dog Gone! (Darby Creek, 2015) When their thieving parents kidnap a rich and famous TV dog, twins Billy and Jillian, tired of being crooks, try to return the dog to its rightful owner.
Sniff a Skunk CoverGood Crooks Book Three: Sniff a Skunk! (Darby Creek, 2015) Billy and Jillian discover a lonely little orphan skunk in need of help. Will they be able to rescue the skunk and keep their parents from pulling off the next heist? Will their new furry friend help by raising a stink?
Good Crooks Book Four: Quackily Ever After! (Hive Audio Project) In the grand finale, will Billy & Jillian prove that they were stolen and find their real parents? Listen here.

 

Songs

Stinky Style Song from Good Crooks Book 3: Sniff a Skunk. Play it here:

If you can’t see the media player, that means your computer is blocking it. Try going directly to Soundcloud: Stinky Style

The Dog Song from Good Crooks Book 2: Dog Gone!

If you can’t see the media player, try going directly to Soundcloud: The Dog Song

The Animal Friends Lullaby from Good Crooks Book 4: Quackily Ever After!
PDF of the lyrics and chords are free to download.
If you can’t see the media player, that means your computer is blocking it. Try going directly to Soundcloud: Animal Friends Lullaby.

Puppet Show

Put on your own puppet show with Billy, Jillian, Poochie, and the Squirrel!

Download these free stick puppets, cut them out, color them, tape a popsicle stick to the back of each puppet, and you’re ready to go.

GC Stick Puppets jpeg

If you want to make costumes for your stick puppets, get some ideas here.

Readers Theater

Print out this script and put on a Readers Theater show.

Write Your Good Deed

Print this activity to write down your own good deed.Good Deed Activity image

Pin the Tail on Stinky Game

Print out this picture of Stinkball without her tail. With the help of adults, cut out Stinkball and her tail. Use these cut-outs to play “Tape the Tail on the Skunky.” Directions of pages 116-118 of Good Crooks Book Three: Sniff a Skunk!

stinker-pinthetail-final

For Teachers & Librarians

See the Common Core teaching guides for Book One and Book Two.

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Comments

  1. Zella Ramirez says

    I love your songs for the Stinky Style and the Bake Sale for Dog Shelter Rap and please, please! very much make another book. No pressure but please! Do they find their parents and if you don’t want to tell me then write it in the next book. And will they get away from their crook parents? P.S. Please write back. Love, Zella, age 8

    Reply

  2. Rach Pamplin says

    I liked your book and song. The stinky style song was stinky and funny. It made me laugh. Do you write different books? Is it fun to write books? Is it easy to write books? Do you get ideas from other books to help you write your books? Please write back. Thank you. Rach Pamplin Age 7

    Reply

  3. Scarlett says

    Hi Mary!

    My dad and I loved your book. I loved Stinkball. My dad thought a rocket powered wheelchair ride would be awesome.

    Looking forward to book 4.

    Love Scarlett, age 8

    Whomp. Whomp. Whomp.

    Reply

  5. Jen K says

    Just finished reading book 3 of the Good Crooks. Both my 4- and 7-year old boys have loved this series. They have a great amount of silliness and fun with fantastic events, and a love of good deeds makes it a parent pleaser as well. Can I write your publisher and ask them to let you write a 4th? We can’t wait to get our hands on it!

    Reply

  6. Second Grade says

    Hi! We are second graders. We loved the book and the song! We want a book four!

    Blairsville, PA students

    Reply

  7. Isha says

    NO BOOK FOUR?!! Oops. How rude of me. I am Isha, and I am 9. I have read your books and they are AMAZING. Are you going to stop the series right before they find out who their real parents are?? No way!
    Love, Isha.
    P.S. Please reply.

    Reply

  9. Jen L. says

    I am a fifth grade teacher. Your Good Crooks book series was just the ticket to get my struggling readers turned on to reading! It is hard to find lower level chapter books that fifth graders enjoy. These fit the bill! I am so sad to hear there won’t be a 4th book! My class will be HIGHLY disappointed!

    Thank you for the first three!

    Reply

  10. Suri A says

    I am third grade student, and I am gonig to do story telling performonce of “Dog Gone.” Any suggestion? I will sing “Bake Sale for Dog Shelter Rap” becuase I love it. wish me luck!

    Reply

  11. Michah Martin says

    Hi Mary Amato, how are you doing? Please do a book four and we know they won’t let you do a book four but please get them concerned to and I love your songs and books but I haven’t got to do book two yet. I wil tell you when I get it and I’ll love it. I’m seven years old.

    From Michah

    Reply

    • Mary Amato says

      I’m so glad you love the Good Crooks and love the songs. I’m writing a new series that will have songs in them, too. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the series will come out in Fall 2017!!!!! I’m CONSIDERING producing a fourth Good Crooks book as an audio book on my own…would you listen to that?

      Reply

  12. Michah Martin says

    This is Michah. Thanks for asking and of course, I will listen to another Good Crooks book and the songs that you make. I will hope you make a fifth and sixth and seventh book. I hope you have a Good day.

    Reply

  13. Regina Haecker says

    Please write book 4! And 5 and 6! We loved all 3 books there has to be more!! We would read them all!

    Love, Keith (9), and Ian (5)

    Reply

  14. Brittany Dunlap says

    I’ve been reading the Good Crooks series to my boys at bedtime and we just finished. Please please please find a way to tell us if Jillian and Billy find their parents! We would listen to an audiobook, or purchase an eBook, whatever. We just need to know!

    Reply

  15. Elizabeth Bradley says

    Hi! My mom and I love reading your books together and are super excited for book 4. I saw you said it would be an audiobook in May but we can’t find it. Is there a way to get it? We’re dying to know how it all ends!

    Reply

  16. Leona says

    Hi Mary
    I love the story book dog gone.
    In which book will I come to know who are Jillian and Billy’s parents?

    Love
    Leona
    7 yrs old
    India, Qatar

    Reply

  17. Melissa says

    My son (and I) absolutely loved your first three Good Crooks books!!! We just zipped through the last two in a few days because my son didn’t want to stop reading them! This is the first time he’s actually ASKED to read and did NOT want to stop! This is a BIG deal and made my heart so happy!! Thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us! Did book four finally come out? I can’t seem to find it at my library or online. We can’t wait to read more and find out if the twins find the Deeds!

    Reply

    • Mary Amato says

      Thanks so much for these words of encouragement for me! I’m so happy your son was hungry to read more. I’m stilllllllllll working on trying to release the audio of book 4. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, try my Riot Brothers and my Please Write in this Book. Happy reading!

      Reply

      • Melissa says

        My son asked me last night if book 4 ever came out & we were thrilled to discover that you have been posting the chapters!!! Between last night and tonight, we have finished listening to all of the chapters you have posted so far. My son was enjoying the story so much that he didn’t want to stop listening to it last night and was anxiously awaiting bedtime story time all day today. Thank you for sharing your story with all of us! We can’t wait to find out what happens next!

        Reply

        • Mary Amato says

          Will be releasing three more chapters by tomorrow.Thanks so much for writing! Knowing that your son and other kids are out there waiting helps to keep me going!

          Reply

  18. Dawn Uhles says

    Hello, I have read the first three books in the Good Crooks series to each of my first grades classes these past few years. We love the characters and are eagerly awaiting the unveiling of Jillian and Billy’s real parents. Any update for us on the fourth book?
    Thank you

    Reply

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Humor, Heart, & Grit

I give voice to the funny, sad, messy, and wondrous stories of life, especially the stories of children and young adults. My mission: each book has humor, heart, and grit. If you are a teen and/or you're looking for info about my books and music for older readers, please check out my www.thrumsociety.com site.
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