Siblings, detectives, and absolute opposites,
Moxie and Milton McCoy prove that
when it comes to saving the world,
two brains are, indeed, better than one.

They are THE REAL McCOYS.

About the Creators

Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr are an author/illustrator, husband/wife duo who make books and raise kids in an old barn in Maryland. (more)

Real McCoys Blog

Posts about process, collaboration, and what we ate for lunch. Letters from our readers (don’t be shy). Stories of our Moxie-related travels. Occasional missives of marginal relevance.

Appearances

Robbi and Matthew Appearances
We do readings, talks, and workshops at schools, libraries, and other places where children convene. We also do virtual visits. Here’s how to book us.

Live Videos

Robbi and Matthew Facebook Live

Follow us on Facebook to watch live shows on books, creativity, and collaboration. Note that we only sometimes wear children’s underwear and pants as hats.

Moxie McCoy

Moxie McCoy

Force of Nature

Strong like a bicep and quick like a ninja, I am the greatest fourth-grade detective in the history of time. I gather evidence. I rattle the suspects. I really, truly don’t like marshmallows. I am the one and only star of this book.

Milton McCoy

Milton McCoy

Dopey Little Brother

Milton is short. And quiet. And closely resembles a tired turtle. While I collect clues and strike fear in the hearts of our enemies, he tugs on his earlobe and connects the dots. When he’s not being irritating, he can sometimes be useful.

Annabelle Adams

Annabelle Adams

Girl Detective

The bravest, smartest, swashbucklingist 12-year-old supersleuth ever to walk the planet. Her heroic adventures are contained in 58 indespensible volumes of glory and delight.

Dr. Fungo

Dr. Fungo

Evil Incarnate

The single most dastardly supervillain known to man or beast. Each of his 58 diabolical attempts to cleverly inconvenience humanity have been thwarted by Annabelle Adams.

Principal Jones

Principal Jones

Our Noble Leader

Tiddlywhump Elementary School’s extraordinary principal. She is tall. She is wise. She has a tank of toothless eels hidden beneath the floor of her office. For real.

Mrs. Breath

Mrs. Breath

Ugh. UGH!

Principal Jones’s utterly unpleasant receptionist. There has never been and never will be a human being who more closely resembles a bulldog in a pantsuit.

Bob Tuttleman

Bob Tuttleman

Human Sparkplug

Too full of life and enthusiasm to even consider sitting still. If you put him in a room with an alligator and told him not to touch the alligator, he would give it a great big hug.

Tammy Dublinger

Tammy Dublinger

Horrible and Awful

Smart and perfect and mean. Glaring and scheming and smug. Great at math and spelling. Enthusiastic Wonder Scout. Devoted to dental hygiene. Tracy’s evil twin.

Tracy Dublinger

Tracy Dublinger

Somehow Even Worse

Smart and perfect and mean. Glaring and scheming and smug. Great at math and spelling. Enthusiastic Wonder Scout. Devoted to dental hygiene. Tammy’s evil twin.

Emily Estevez

Emily Estevez

Frenemy

Sweet and good. Giving and kind. My chief competition for the Eddie Award (given to greatest all-around student) and the leading candidate to be my new best friend.

Leon Magruder

Leon Magruder

Harmless Oddball

Draws comics always and ever. On any surface. An engine of unfiltered imagination. Pays no attention to unimportant details like what day it is or what planet he’s on.

Mrs. Bunyan

Mrs. Bunyan

Fourth Grade Teacher

Older than a mountain. Grouchier than a woodpecker with a stuffy beak. The only thing that makes her happier than talking about dental hygiene is sending kids to the principal’s office.

Marvin Hammer

Marvin Hammer

Kindly Custodian

Takes kids seriously. Smiles pretty much always. Whistles while he works. Is not the sort of person who gives you a hard time if he happens to find you in the hallway with out a pass.

Laser-Eyed Wallaby

Laser-Eyed Wallaby

Do Not Mess With Him

A wallaby. Who shoots lasers from his eyes. The inspiration for Annabelle’s patented “Wallaby Death Stare.” That’s all you get to know. Everything else is classified.

Subscribe to The Real McCoys page on Facebook to:

READ Moxie’s new journal entries as she writes them!

LEARN fabulous new words (as defined by Moxie)!

HEAR when new Annabelle Adams chapters are released!

WATCH live Facebook presentations by Matthew and Robbi!