List of Wishbone books
This is a list of all books based on the Wishbone TV series. All were Children's novels published under the Big Red Chair Books moniker.
Wishbone Classics
Wishbone Classics is the first tie-in series to the Wishbone TV series. The books are straight adaptations of the original stories that inspired episodes of the show, with commentary and trivia by Wishbone on the side.
The Adventures of Wishbone
The Adventures of Wishbone is the second tie-in series to the Wishbone TV series. The books are based on the structure of the original TV series, switching back and forth between Wishbone's life in Oakdale and the events of the story he's been reminded of. Several are direct adaptions of television episodes, while others tell stories not touched by the TV series.
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Original author |
Wishbone's story role |
First printed |
Related episode |
#1 |
Be a Wolf! |
Brad Strickland |
Beowulf |
An anonymous English author |
Beowulf |
June 1997 |
N/A |
Plot: When Joe's backpack is confiscated by a neighbor with a big and supposedly very mean dog, Wishbone is reminded of the story of a warrior who had to summon up the courage to face off with a real monster. |
#2 |
Salty Dog |
Brad Strickland |
Treasure Island |
Robert Louis Stevenson |
Jim Hawkins |
June 1997 |
28 |
Plot: Samantha convinces the boys to help her look for "Blackbeard's Horseshoe" inside a condemned barn, reminding Wishbone of another famous search for buried treasure. |
#3 |
The Prince and the Pooch |
Caroline Leavitt |
The Prince and the Pauper |
Mark Twain |
Tom Canty/Edward VI of England |
July 1997 |
26 |
Plot: Believing he'd be just as good at coaching as he is at playing, Joe tries to coach a tee-ball team that includes Emily and Tina, reminding Wishbone of the story of two boys who suddenly found themselves living life opposite from what they're used to. |
#4 |
Robinhound Crusoe |
Caroline Leavitt |
Robinson Crusoe |
Daniel Defoe |
Robinson Crusoe |
August 1997 |
N/A |
Plot: A blackout means Joe and Wishbone must travel across town in the dark, reminding Wishbone of the story of another young man who was pitted against the forces of nature. |
#5 |
Hunchdog of Notre Dame |
Michael Jan Friedman |
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame |
Victor Hugo |
Quasimodo |
September 1997 |
14 |
Plot: Sam befriends and assists the clumsy Nathaniel Bobelesky, and her desire to help the boy despite his differences (and the jealousy of Joe and David) reminds Wishbone of Esmeralda's helping the hunchback Quasimodo. |
#6 |
Digging Up the Past |
Vivian Sathre |
Rip Van Winkle |
Washington Irving |
Rip Van Winkle |
October 1997 |
9 |
Plot: Wishbone and the kids meet Dr. Thelma Brown, an elderly woman who lived in Joe's house as a child, and help dig up a time capsule she once buried. Meanwhile, Dr. Brown's return to a place that's changed in the many years since she was last there reminds Wishbone of the story of Rip Van Winkle. |
#7 |
The Mutt in the Iron Muzzle |
Michael Jan Friedman |
The Man In the Iron Mask |
Alexandre Dumas |
Philippe |
November 1997 |
N/A |
Plot: Damont Jones is running for class president, and will do anything to keep Joe from running against him. This reminds Wishbone of the story of a prince who would do anything to keep his rival to the throne from claiming it. |
#8 |
Muttketeer! |
Bill Crider |
The Three Musketeers |
Alexandre Dumas |
Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan |
December 1997 |
33 |
Plot: Wishbone tries to join the kids at school, and is reminded of d'Artagnan and his own desire to join a special group. |
#9 |
A Tale of Two Sitters |
Joanne Barkan |
A Tale of Two Cities |
Charles Dickens |
Charles Darnay |
January 1998 |
16 |
Plot: Joe and David refuse to properly babysit David's little sister Emily and her friend Tina since it would interfere with their plans. Instead, the girls are left alone, where they wreak havoc on the Talbots' home. These events remind Wishbone of the "best of times" and "worst of times" in A Tale of Two Cities. |
#10 |
Moby Dog |
Alexander Steele |
Moby Dick |
Herman Melville |
Ishmael |
February 1998 |
N/A |
Plot: When someone in a White Whales jacket runs off with Joe's basketball, Wishbone is reminded of another hunt for a white whale. |
#11 |
The Pawloined Paper |
Olga Litowinsky |
The Purloined Letter |
Edgar Allan Poe |
C. Auguste Dupin |
March 1998 |
22 |
Plot: Joe tries to get back an embarrassing word puzzle he made before anyone sees it, especially Damont, who intends to use it to humiliate him. This reminds Wishbone of a search for another letter that could ruin the recipient's reputation. |
#12 |
Dog Overboard! |
Vivian Sathre |
Kidnapped |
Robert Louis Stevenson |
David Balfour |
April 1998 |
N/A |
Plot: When a local boy is accused of spray-painting graffiti all over town, Joe is the only one who knows he's innocent. But revealing it (since he was away from home, where he was supposed to be doing his chores) could get them both in trouble, reminding Wishbone of the story of a young man who also got in trouble in the course of his wanderings. |
#13 |
Homer Sweet Homer |
Carla Jablonski |
The Odyssey |
Homer |
Odysseus |
July 1998 |
5 |
Plot: When Wishbone is taken by Emily Barnes, he's reminded of Odysseus's story. Further inspiration comes from his and the kids' quest to save Jackson Park from developers who want to build a shopping center there, destroying a historical oak tree in the process. First appearance of Mr. King and the Suitor Development Corporation. |
#14 |
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Dog |
Nancy Butcher |
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
Robert Louis Stevenson |
Gabriel John Utterson |
June 1998 |
20 |
Plot: Wanda falls for an Elvis impersonator named Lou Dublin, jeopardizing her relationship with Mr. Pruitt. Meanwhile, her sudden turn of behavior reminds Wishbone of another story about a man who suddenly begins acting like a different person. |
#15 |
A Pup in King Arthur's Court |
Joanne Barkan |
A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court |
Mark Twain |
Hank Morgan |
September 1998 |
N/A |
Plot: Joe and David decide to use a computer to create a new school newspaper that will put the old one to shame. This battle of new ways over old ones reminds Wishbone of another man who tried to modernize the world when he was transported back in time. |
#16 |
The Last of the Breed |
Alexander Steele |
The Last of the Mohicans |
James Fenimore Cooper |
Hawkeye |
January 1999 |
N/A |
Plot: Mr. King is once again trying to build on Jackson Park, reminding Wishbone of a classic story about the conflict between man and nature. |
#17 |
Digging to the Center of the Earth |
Michael Anthony Steele |
A Journey to the Center of the Earth |
Jules Verne |
Professor Otto Lidenbrock |
March 1999 |
18 |
Plot: While helping Wanda plant a new tree in her yard, the kids and Wishbone discover half of a very old medal, and set out to find the other half, as well as where it came from. The discovery of a mysterious artifact reminds Wishbone of his Professor Lidenbrock's adventure began. |
#18 |
Gullifur's Travels |
Brad Strickland |
Gulliver's Travels |
Jonathan Swift |
Lemuel Gulliver |
July 1999 |
N/A |
Plot: Joe's basketball team has two more games to win to make it to the playoffs. But one team's players are shorter than average, while the other's are taller, leading to Joe learning a valuable lesson in judging people by their size while reminding Wishbone of the story of a man who was also faced with two groups of people, one small and one large. |
#19 |
Terrier of the Lost Mines |
Brad Strickland |
King Solomon's Mines |
H. Rider Haggard |
Allan Quatermain |
November 1999 |
N/A |
Plot: When the kids and Wishbone search for an ancient treasure in Oakdale, Wishbone is reminded of Allan Quatermain and his own hunt for a lost treasure. |
#20 |
Ivanhound |
Nancy Holder |
Ivanhoe |
Sir Walter Scott |
Ivanhoe |
January 2000 |
13 |
Plot: After an allergic reaction prevents Sam from going to school on the day of a big spelling bee, David must step up to win it for their team. Meanwhile, the class's division over the spelling bee reminds Wishbone of Ivanhoe and his return to England, only to find it divided between the Saxons and Normans |
#21 |
Huckleberry Dog |
Alexander Steele |
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
Mark Twain |
Huckleberry Finn |
March 2000 |
N/A |
Plot: |
The Super Adventures of Wishbone
The Super Adventures of Wishbone is a spinoff of The Adventures of Wishbone, and consists of five double-length books in the style of the original series.
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Original author(s) |
Wishbone's story role |
First printed |
Related episode |
#1 |
Wishbone's Dog Days Of The West |
Vivian Sathre |
Heart of the West (A Call Loan, The Reformation of Calliope, Cupid a la Carte) |
O. Henry |
Long Bill Longley |
|
Film |
Plot: After saving a little girl from a falling beam and being treated like a hero, Wanda has to deal with a sneaky TV reporter who tries to make people view her as a tyrant, reminding Wishbone of the story of a man who also has to deal with a sudden bad reputation. |
#2 |
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow |
Carla Jablonski |
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow |
Washington Irving |
Ichabod Crane |
October 1998 |
41, 42 |
Plot: An encounter with an eerie, abandoned house reminds Wishbone of the setting of one of America's most famous ghost stories. |
#3 |
Unleashed in Space |
Alexander Steele |
The Legion of Space |
Jack Williamson |
|
May 1999 |
N/A |
Plot: |
#4 |
Tails of Terror |
Kevin Ryan |
Green Tea, The Open Door, The Haunters and the Haunted, The Portrait Painter's Story, Wandering Willie's Tale, The Phantom Coach, The Judge's House, & The Open Door |
Sheridan Le Fanu, Margaret Oliphant, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, Amelia Edwards, Bram Stoker, Charlotte Riddell |
|
September 1999 |
N/A |
Plot: It's Halloween, and Wishbone is certain there's a monster afoot. Seeking it out, he's reminded of multiple classic ghost stories. |
#5 |
Twenty Thousand Wags Under the Sea |
Carla Jablonski |
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea |
Jules Verne |
Professor Pierre Aronnax |
May 2000 |
N/A |
Plot: |
The Wishbone Mysteries
The Wishbone Mysteries is the third tie-in series to the Wishbone TV series. The books are based entirely around the adventures of Wishbone and his friends in Oakdale, and no longer include Wishbone imagining himself into a story. Instead, Joe, Sam or David read a mystery story, with the events of their book inspiring them as they solve a mystery in the present day. Book 2 also features Joe discovering a box of his late father's favorite mystery stories in their attic, which supplies many of the books he reads throughout the series.
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Original author |
Read by |
First printed |
#1 |
The Treasure of Skeleton Reef |
Brad Strickland and Thomas E. Fuller |
Sherlock Holmes: His Greatest Cases (The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual) |
Arthur Conan Doyle |
Joe Talbot |
November 1997 |
Plot: The old Skeleton Reef Lighthouse in St. George Bay has been donated to the Oakdale Historical Society, and the Talbots and Wanda head down to visit it. Unfortunately, they soon learn they only have a limited time to restore or tear down the building, leading Joe and Wishbone into a search for an ancient treasure that could be the key to saving the lighthouse. |
#2 |
The Haunted Clubhouse |
Caroline Leavitt |
Ten Little Indians |
Agatha Christie |
Joe Talbot |
November 1997 |
Plot: Joe wins an old clubhouse in a raffle, but events soon conspire to make him believe the building is haunted. Meanwhile, he also discovers an old box of his father's favorite mystery books and begins reading them. |
#3 |
Riddle Of The Wayward Books |
Brad Strickland and Thomas E. Fuller |
The Haunted Bookshop |
Christopher Morley |
Joe Talbot |
December 1997 |
Plot: When Joe gets a summer job at Mr. Kilgore Gurney's used bookstore, he soon finds himself wrapped up in a mystery: who is breaking into the store at night, and why? |
#4 |
Tale of the Missing Mascot |
Alexander Steele |
The Hollow Man |
John Dickson Carr |
|
January 1998 |
Plot: |
#5 |
The Stolen Trophy |
Michael Jan Friedman |
Peril at End House |
Agatha Christie |
|
February 1998 |
Plot: |
#6 |
The Maltese Dog |
Anne Capeci |
The Maltese Falcon |
Dashiell Hammett |
|
March 1998 |
Plot: |
#7 |
Drive-In of Doom |
Brad Strickland and Thomas E. Fuller |
The Roman Hat Mystery |
Ellery Queen |
Joe Talbot |
April 1998 |
Plot: Wanda's friend Gladys Glendower is trying to fix up the old Moonlight Drive-in theater so it can be reopened for business. While helping out with the restoration, Joe and his friends soon discover the theater is being sabotaged to keep it from ever reopening, and become determined to find out who and why. |
#8 |
Key to the Golden Dog |
Anne Capeci |
The Moonstone |
Wilkie Collins |
Samantha Kepler |
May 1998 |
Plot: An old model railway set, belonging to a man who's lived in Oakdale almost since it was founded and depicting the town as it was in the early 1900s, goes on display at Pepper Pete's for Oakdale History Month. But when the model's locomotive mysteriously goes missing, Sam and the others must find and recover both the locomotive and a secret it hides, which could also lead to the recovery of a long-lost golden dog charm. |
#9 |
Case of the On-Line Alien |
Alexander Steele |
The War of the Worlds |
H. G. Wells |
|
June 1998 |
Plot: |
#10 |
The Disappearing Dinosaurs |
Brad Strickland and Thomas E. Fuller |
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Silver Blaze) |
Arthur Conan Doyle |
Samantha Kepler |
July 1998 |
Plot: There's a new dinosaur exhibit at the Oakdale College Museum, including a brand new species that someone wants to make sure is never seen, leading to Joe and his friends setting out to find the culprit. |
#11 |
Lights! Camera! Action Dog! |
Kevin Ryan |
Time and Again |
Jack Finney |
Joe Talbot |
August 1998 |
Plot: Joe is hired for a part in a movie being filmed in Oakdale, but soon winds up searching for the mysterious person sabotaging production. |
#12 |
Forgotten Heroes |
Michael Anthony Steele |
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (The Adventure of the Norwood Builder) |
Arthur Conan Doyle |
Joe Talbot |
October 1998 |
Plot: When he buys an old collection of baseball cards, Joe discovers a few involving the Oakdale Oaks, the champions of Oakdale's Negro League. But attempts to find more information lead to dead ends, and the discovery that someone is trying to keep the Oaks' role in Oakdale's history a secret. |
#13 |
Case of the Unsolved Case |
Alexander Steele |
The Mystery of Edwin Drood |
Charles Dickens |
Joe Talbot, Samantha Kepler, David Barnes |
November 1998 |
Plot: Things are going missing in Oakdale: a ring that belonged to Joe's late father, a rawhide bone of Wishbone's, and most concerning, David Barnes. Joe, Sam and Wishbone quickly set out to find their friend, while drawing parallels to the mystery novel that all of them had recently read. |
#14 |
Disoriented Express |
Brad Strickland and Thomas E. Fuller |
Murder on the Orient Express |
Agatha Christie |
Joe Talbot |
December 1998 |
Plot: Oakdale College is holding a murder-mystery fundraiser on a train, and Joe and his friends are taking part. But in addition to the fake murder, they soon find themselves wrapped up in the case of a long-missing art treasure from World War II. |
#15 |
Stage Invader |
Vivian Sathre |
Sleeping Murder |
Agatha Christie |
Samantha Kepler |
February 1999 |
Plot: Sam is in charge of the Sequoyah Middle School eighth grade production of Grease, the first time that students have had full control of a play. However, she and the others soon find themselves involved in the mystery of who's sabotaging the production. |
#16 |
The Sirian Conspiracy |
Michael Jan Friedman and Paul Kupperberg |
The Assassination Bureau |
Jack London |
Joe Talbot |
June 1999 |
Plot: When a mysterious green glow appears over Oakdale for the second time in recent history, U.F.O. fever strikes. Now, Joe and his friends must uncover the truth behind this strange happening, while Wishbone searches for answers about the trouble one of his best canine friends appears to be in. |
#17 |
Case of the Impounded Hounds |
Michael Anthony Steele |
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons |
Arthur Conan Doyle |
|
August 1999 |
Plot: |
#18 |
Phantom of the Video Store |
Leticia Gantt |
The Phantom of the Opera |
Gaston Leroux |
|
December 1999 |
Plot: |
#19 |
Case of the Cyber-Hacker |
Anne Capeci |
The Thirty-Nine Steps |
John Buchan |
David Barnes |
April 2000 |
Plot: When David is framed for theft by a sneaky computer hacker, he and his friends must track down the real culprit, while Wishbone investigates the case of a dog he believes is being mistreated. |
#20 |
Case of the Breaking Story |
Alexander Steele |
|
|
|
August 2000 |
Plot: |
Wishbone Super Mysteries
Wishbone Super Mysteries is a spinoff of The Wishbone Mysteries, and consists of four double-length books in the style of the original series.
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Original author |
Read by |
First printed |
#1 |
The Halloween Joker |
Anne Capeci |
Dracula |
Bram Stoker |
Samantha Kepler |
September 1998 |
Plot: |
#2 |
Ghost of Camp Ka Nowato |
Michael Anthony Steele |
A Caribbean Mystery |
Agatha Christie |
|
April 1999 |
Plot: |
#3 |
The Haunting of the Hathaway House |
Alexander Steele |
The House of the Seven Gables |
Nathaniel Hawthorne |
Samantha Kepler |
October 1999 |
Plot: When Wanda inherits an old, seemingly haunted house in New Hampshire, she, the kids and Wishbone must uncover the truth behind the mysterious events happening there. |
#4 |
Riddle of the Lost Lake |
Joanne Barkan |
Tom Sawyer, Detective |
Mark Twain |
Joe Talbot |
April 2000 |
Plot: After finding his father's old journal and learning about the summers he spent at Lost Lake, Joe decides to visit the family's cabin there in order to solve the mystery of what happened to the Talbot family heirloom watch that disappeared there twenty-five years before. But when he, David and Wishbone arrive, they also learn of an auction for one of the pieces of property there, and must figure out who's trying to sabotage potential bidders. |
Wishbone: The Early Years
Wishbone: The Early Years is the fourth tie-in series to the Wishbone TV series, and the first aimed at much younger readers. The books are based on the structure of the original TV series, switching back and forth between a very young Wishbone's life in Oakdale and the events of the story he's been reminded of.
2000-2001
From 2000 to 2001, three new series were launched, all written by the same author: Wishbone Adventures (in the style of The Adventures of Wishbone), Wishbone Mysteries (in the style of the previous series of the same name) and Wishbone: Tales of a Pup (in the style of Wishbone: The Early Years). A total of nine books were published before the series was ultimately canceled.
Wishbone Adventures
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Original author |
Wishbone's story role |
First printed |
Related episode |
#1 |
Curse of Gold |
A. D. Francis |
Metamorphoses |
Ovid |
King Midas |
July 2000 |
36 |
Plot: Joe becomes overbearing toward Sam and David when he tries to run a grocery delivery business, reminding Wishbone of another man who let greed get the better of him. |
#2 |
Scent of a Vampire |
A. D. Francis |
Dracula |
Bram Stoker |
|
October 2000 |
N/A |
Plot: |
Wishbone Mysteries
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Original author |
Read by |
First printed |
#1 |
To Sniff a Thief |
A. D. Francis |
The Amateur Cracksman |
E. W. Hornung |
Samantha Kepler |
July 2000 |
Plot: |
#2 |
Wishbone's Halloween Mystery |
A. D. Francis |
|
|
|
March 2001 |
Plot: |
Wishbone: Tales of a Pup
Number |
Title |
Author |
Inspired by |
Wishbone's story role |
First printed |
#1 |
Wishbone and the Glass Slipper |
A. D. Francis |
Cinderella |
|
July 2000 |
Plot: |
#2 |
Wishbone and the Forty Thieves |
A. D. Francis |
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves |
Ali Baba |
July 2000 |
Plot: |
#3 |
Wishbone's The Nutcracker |
A. D. Francis |
The Nutcracker |
|
August 2000 |
Plot: |
#4 |
Wishbone in Wonderland |
A. D. Francis |
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
|
September 2000 |
Plot: |
#5 |
Wishbone and the Dancing Princesses |
A. D. Francis |
The Twelve Dancing Princesses |
|
June 2001 |
Plot: |