The Bad Guys (The Bad Guys #1) (1)

by Aaron Blabey

Other authorsAaron Blabey (Illustrator)

Paperback, 2016

Call number

JF BLA

Publication

Scholastic Press (2016), 144 pages

Description

The Bad Guys, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Piranha, want to be heroes, and they decide that the way to do it is free the 200 dogs in the city dog pound--but their plan soon goes awry.

User reviews

LibraryThing member littlel

Perfect for a child that's beginning to read on their own. Not too many sentences, the story flows beautifully and there's just the right amount of slapstick humour to entertain and keep them reading.

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LibraryThing member DaffiMere

A fun book to read. As well as very funny. I was laughing aloud on the train.

The big bad wolf was trying to talk a shark, a snake and a piranha into being good guys. It's great for kids who are just starting to read chapter books on their own

LibraryThing member Kesterbird

Come for the snake-wearing-a-suit, stay for the piranha farts. Sweet, simple; super cute drawings in a story about how kindness can involve crossdressing and explosions.

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

Part beginning chapter-book, part graphic novel/comic book, The Bad Guys is the first of Australian author/artist Aaron Blabey's hilarious series devoted to the (mis)adventures of its eponymous (ahem!) heroes. Narrated by Mr. Wolf, who is tired of being cast as one of the bad guys in stories, it

follows the formation of a new group, composed of traditional "baddies" - Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark - whose intention (whether they like it or not) is to do good deeds. Their first effort - rescuing a cat trapped in a tree - doesn't go quite as planned, but Mr. Wolf is not to be put off, and he soon has his fellow bad guys involved in a new plot: to break two hundred dogs out of the local pound...

Intensely amusing - I was chuckling aloud while reading this at lunch! - The Bad Guys is excellently paced, with the perfect pairing of text and artwork, and a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. The reluctant participation of Mr. Wolf's confederates had me giggling, as did the less-than-enthusiastic response of the creatures they set out to save. The scene in which the rescuers attempt to cajole the terrified cat out of the tree is particularly droll, and the scene in which an exasperated Mr. Snake swallows Mr. Piranha had me in stitches. I would imagine that the target audience for this one - I would say, young readers who are just getting going with chapter-books - will be likewise entertained, and will appreciate the silly sense of humor and hilarious hi-jinks. For my part, I now want to know what these four "bad guys" get up to in their next adventure, The Bad Guys in Mission Unpluckable!

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LibraryThing member AliceaP

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey originally had me quite frustrated because I felt that the labeling (the library's call number) misrepresented the content of the book. [Essentially The Bad Guys was labeled as a Young Reader meaning that the intended audience was anywhere from 2nd-4th grade depending

on the reading level of the child. I feel that it was more accurately categorized as an Easy Reader (1st-2nd grade) which is quite different and generally means there are less words and more illustrations per page. I'm mentioning all of this because while it might not matter to some (like if you're not picking up books for your kid(s)) it may have an impact on others.] This is the first book in a series (6 so far) which follows a crew of 'bad' animals: a wolf, snake, shark, and piranha (who is the funniest and fartiest). The wolf decides to round up fellow bad guys to change their image and reform their behavior. He is initially met with skepticism but throughout the book the other members of the club start to come around to his side and become quite enthusiastic about the enterprise. Their first mission is to break 200 dogs out of an animal shelter but from the outset there are large obstacles in their path...mainly how 4 dangerous animals are going to get in the front door of an animal shelter. Cue the shark coming up with a rather camp solution... The appeal of this book rests mainly in its silly humor and quick pacing. Young audiences will surely gobble this up and ask for the next in the series immediately. 7/10 because it didn't totally blow me away but I could see myself reading more for a quick palate cleanser (I may or may not have read the #6 already).

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LibraryThing member Sheila1957

Mr. Big Bad Wolf wants to turn good so along with a selectively recruited gang he goes on the offensive to change people's minds. Of course, that does not change minds as those who are rescued cannot tell who it good and who is bad.

I found this funny. Kids are gonna love it! Even though they try to

be good, it does not work out so well but Mr. Wolf feels good about their work. I cannot wait to read the next book.

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LibraryThing member ewyatt

The big bad wolf wants to get a crew of bad guys together to be a good gang. He gets a snake, piranha, and shark. They try to help out but their reputations proceed them. Lots of graphic panels, a little text.

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

What a laugh riot. Why are these books not more popular here. Typical bad guys lead by one Wolf decided to make the Good Guys Club and go about rescuing those in need. However while the Bad Guys are trying their hardest to be Good, others only see it as bad. This books mission is to save a cat up a

tree, and rescue the dogs in the pound. But what will everyone else think? If you have a reluctant reader needing easy chapters, then pick up this series. The books are fully illustrated and funny as heck.

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LibraryThing member DianaNewman1617

What a gem in disguise. I knew these books were popular but I never got around to reading it until now. The first book in the series is about a wolf that decides to start a good guys club with a lot of well known bad guys. These bad guys are Mr. Pirahana, Mr, Snake, and Mr. Shark. All these guys

want to do is eat (people/anything) and Mr. Wolf is determined to turn their bad reputations into good ones so he brings them on rescue missions. The rescue missions don't go as smoothly as they'd hope and they are very funny. Students will eat these books right up and they are great for struggling readers, ELL students, and possibly a unit to focus on sight words/words that were in spanish, etc.

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LibraryThing member Damiella

I was looking for something for a four-year old nephew who doesn't like picture books any longer (he's too grown up) so it had to be easy for him.

I got this on recommendation from a local bookseller and it is hilarious. Mr Wolf is the driving force in deciding that he's had enough of being

considered a bad guy so he (and his friends) are going to be good guys instead. It's just a shame that no-one got the memo.

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LibraryThing member bobbybslax

I like the 'talk to the camera' style. Not in love with the characters or their dynamic yet, but I like the sentiment of the series. It's got a fun premise.

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