Children's book series featuring a pair of boys called Broccoli and "The Chronicler"

Question

Since my last question got answered fairly quickly on here I decided to ask about a book series I read decades ago.

I remember when I was going through my Goosebumps reading phase these books were listed as similar at my local library. So I started reading them - it was an incomplete collection though so I never got to finish.

Things I remember about this series:

1. In the first book this strange chubby kid moves next door to this more normal kid. The strange kid's nickname was Broccoli. I can't remember what the other kid's name was. In the first book you find out Broccoli's family is into collecting the occult or something and somehow Broccoli ends up falling through a time machine and the normal kid tags along and they meet Joan of arc (sounds like a silly series I know).

2. One of the next books (I don't fully remember how many books were missing from the series at the library) has you find out that the normal kid has some kind of role called "the chronicler" making him especially smart and he keeps track of all the adventures (the books are written from his perspective). Broccoli is some kind of magical chosen child or something. I can't remember.

3. One of the books they stay in a haunted house that actually turns out to be super haunted. They wind up running into other kids and going on a crazy journey through the house. Each of the new kids finds out they have powers I think. I only remember the one girl has a native american background which gives her strong spiritual abilities.

4. They team up with Ben Franklin and a vampire (I think named Claude? He was the first ever vampire too) who had been trapped in a Gameboy they found at a flea market or something. (I missed that book, these characters came in the next book with this brief description). Claude's got brothers, one is the first shapeshifter but I forget what the third brother was.

The above are the most I can remember about the series. There were other things - the Chronicler wore a suit of armor that made him super strong and never get tired. They team up with an Amazon girl who was originally their enemy or something. They travel through time some more.

I'd really like to know the author's name or the name of the series. Google has been no help.

Answer 1

Someone had a similar question here and the answer was:

I think this is a series by Don Whittington. Some of the titles are: Vampire Mom, Werewolf Tonight, Spookhouse, Dark Charm, Freak Show, Zombie Queen, and Ghost Ship. They were mostly published in 1995 – 6

This seems to be correct. A review from Amazon of one of the books mentions "Broccoli" and Winston and another mentions them being similar to Goosebumps:

This book was my favorite. This book was very exciting and suspenseful. I really got to know Broccoli and especially Winston. I also thought Ben Franklin was very humorous and fun. After a long day, this was a good book to come home and relax by a fire with. I loved this book.

This series of books are wonderful reads for young children. As the publisher of the audio books (no longer available), I got to know them intimately...and I loved them. There exciting, fun, and scary. If you read to your children, you'll enjoy them as much as they do. These are easily as good as R.L. Steins Goosebmup series.

Here's the description from Ghost Ship on Amazon:

Winston and Brock encounter a supernatural schooner commanded by the Flying Dutchman and his crew, and they set sail with the Dutch Captain en route to the Bermuda Triangle to do battle against the ancient ones.

Apparently "Broccoli's" real name is Brock Lee, or something similar and got the nickname "Broccoli".