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The Bad Guys #1

The Bad Guys

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In this hilarious new illustrated chapter book series, bad guys are doing good deeds . . . whether you want them to or not!

They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys . . . and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that . . .

Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Will Operation Dog Pound go smoothly? Will the Bad Guys become the Good Guys? And will Mr. Snake please stop swallowing Mr. Piranha?!

139 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2015

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About the author

Aaron Blabey

169 books786 followers
Aaron is an Australian author of children's books and artist who until the mid-2000s was also an actor. His award winning picture books include Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon and the best-selling Pig the Pug.

In the field of acting, he is probably best known for his lead roles in two television dramedies, 1994's The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, for which he won an Australian Film Institute Award, and 2003's CrashBurn, before retiring from performance in 2005.

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5 stars
8,667 (49%)
4 stars
5,160 (29%)
3 stars
2,738 (15%)
2 stars
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419 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,771 reviews
Profile Image for Tim.
478 reviews782 followers
May 15, 2022


That's right, and Mr. Wolf is sick of being a bad guy. He's through with it, and he's taking you, along with a few of his buddies (Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha) along with him on the path of goodness. Sure, they may be scary, but they'll be nice guys whether you like it or not.



I recently took my daughter to see the movie The Bad Guys and she absolutely loved it. Now, my daughter is four and as anyone who has ever interacted with a child of that age can vouch for me, if they love something, they obsess over it. They'll randomly start talking about it, pretend to be one of the characters at random and expect you to follow along and overall just want more of it.

Seeing a copy of the first book I decided to give it a shot and see if this helped ease some of the desire to watch the movie every five minutes.

Now the book is a little different from the film as it has less of the characters (possibly introduced in a latter book?), different designs and starts with them already on the path to goodness. Still, many of the jokes are the same and it very much has the same sense of humor. The book is cute and a great read for younger children, seeing these obvious "bad guys" trying so hard to be good.

Plus, the book/movie have some obvious nods to things like Reservoir Dogs and heist movies, and as someone who loves the crime genre in cinema, I personally find that great. 4/5 stars
Profile Image for Mischenko.
1,021 reviews96 followers
March 29, 2017
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey is a hilarious chapter book for kids! It's super easy to read and makes it great for kids who are easing into chapter books as there aren't a ton of words on each page. It's also loaded with illustrations.

We found the story hilarious. Mr. Wolf and the gang set off to be heroes by performing tasks that prove they are no longer "bad guys." It ends with them attempting to free two hundred pups from the dog pound.

Kids will love the silly comedy, especially Mr. Snake's farts.

We're looking forward to the other books!

5*****
Profile Image for Bookishrealm.
2,890 reviews6,098 followers
July 4, 2022
Ya'll if you're looking for a great early chapter book LOOK NO FURTHER! I have never laughed this hard while reading a children's book. The book follows a wolf who is tired of being categorized as "bad." He introduces a piranha, a shark, and a snake as his accomplices and they all have horrible rap sheets. The four work together to save the lives of other animals, but, of course, who is going to want help from creatures who have a reputation for eating everything in sight!? The four embark on some interesting and hilarious adventures. There were scenes (especially the cat in the tree scene) that had me literally screaming in delight.



Blabey skillfully wrote a book that would not only appeal to young readers, but also their older counterparts. That takes a great amount of skill. I can definitely see caregivers reading this nightly with their little ones and truly enjoying the reading experience.

The Bad Guys is also a great transitional text for young readers and will prove to be appealing to struggling readers. The layout is extremely reminiscent of the sequential art that can be found in graphic novels, but it has just a tad bit more text. Blabey took great care in making sure that the artwork and story worked well together to provide an intriguing storyline. If I had to pick one character that was my favorite, it would have to be this guy:



I promise he makes the story and his one liners are to die for. I honestly can't wait to read this series again with my little one when she gets older. For right now, I'll continue to enjoy them on my own. This is one that is definitely worth checking out.
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
4,936 reviews2,297 followers
September 28, 2018
Too funny!

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey is a fun book that introduces the reader to bad guys (wolf, snake, piranha, and shark) each with their rap sheet. The wolf is the one that called the meeting and wants them to be Good Guys now. They go out to try to do Good Guy things which is quite funny! Got this from the library.
Profile Image for Furrawn.
636 reviews55 followers
April 30, 2018
Absolutely hilarious. Any child with a good attention span will find this book uproariously funny. I laughed out loud myself multiple times.
It’s 1st to 2nd grade reading level but so very funny.

A wolf decided he wants to be a good guy so he enlists a snake, a piranha, and a shark to be part of his “good guys” gang. Hilarity ensues as they try to do things like rescue a cat up a tree, etc.

They each have rap sheets. This is where I laughed out loud. For example, the wolf’s rap sheet for criminal activity includes
-impersonating sheep
-theft of nightgowns and slippers. The piranha’s rap sheet says, “CRIMINAL ACTIVITY: EATING TOURISTS.”

Admit it... Even you are laughing now because you just read this review. 😂

If you have a child you love, run don’t walk to buy this book and read it aloud with him/her. It’s also about not judging someone by their appearance, people changing, and trying to be a better “person.”
Profile Image for Kathryn.
169 reviews341 followers
July 12, 2017
THIS. IS. THE. BEST. EARLY. CHAPTER. BOOK. EVER.

Adults: if you want an early read aloud that won’t necessitate you ingesting half a bottle of Grey Goose in order to withstand it: THIS STORY IS FOR YOU.

The Big Bad Wolf from fairy tale fame decides to go good and recruits a group of villains to help him: Mr. Snake (AKA the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (AKA the Butt Biter) & Mr. Shark (AKA….what else…...JAWS). His team assembled Ole Wolfie dubs them: THE GOOD GUYS CLUB designed to perform heroic deeds in order to reform their bad reputations.

Their first mission? Rescuing a cat from a tree. But they encounter a few minor stumbling blocks along the way. Like Mr. Snake eating Mr. Piranha (don’t worry, all’s well that ends well...your child won’t be traumatized). Their grand heroic scheme? Freeing 200 dogs from the pound. Can these (kinda) former villains make good and become HEROES?

The Bad Guys is the first in a series formatted to be a mix of text and comic-book like illustrations. Writing is spare and pictures abound making it an ideal choice for a beginning reader. Kiddos who enjoy silly stories like Andy Griffith’s 39-Storey Treehouse series will be hooked.






Profile Image for Angela (Angel's Book Nook).
1,642 reviews930 followers
October 22, 2020
My 8-year-old is not a confident reader. It's been a challenge to find something that he will enjoy and fall in love with reading, but we did in The Bad Guys. We picked The Bad Guys for the comic book style, that it doesn't have a ton of words and to help easy our kid into reading chapter books. It's also very funny and hilarious. It's the perfect series to help a young reader out.
Profile Image for Fatemeh Bahrami.
135 reviews88 followers
April 29, 2023
از اون کتاب‌هاییه که اگه بچه اطرافت داری و بهش نمی‌دی بخونه، ظلم کردی!

- من نسخه‌ی نشر پرتقال رو خوندم و ترجمه زیاد جالب نبود، مال هوپا رو امتحان کنید شاید بهتر باشه.
Profile Image for Prabhjot Kaur.
1,063 reviews201 followers
September 16, 2022
Mr. Wolf has had enough of being a villain and he wants to be the hero now, the good guy. He gathers some other bad guys and comes up with a plan to save the kitty and rescue dogs so that the bad guys club can be turned into the good guys club.

Mr. Wolf invites Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark to join in the club, and with some reluctance from the others, they eventually go for their first good mission and it turns out to be a success. Now that they have had a taste of being good, would they continue to be good? We will find out.

It's a silly, hilarious book with even better art. The main issue I have had with this is that some of the print is way too small for the kids to read, even I have had trouble reading that. Other than that this was pretty good.

4 stars
Profile Image for Lata.
4,416 reviews229 followers
September 27, 2018
Sheer silliness! And funny as a wolf, piranha, snake and shark attempt to do good works, at the wolf's behest. Then they form a group, the Good Guys, even though they're known as the Bad Guys, and ride off to find new ways to do good.
Cute illustrations to go with some pretty funny moments.
Profile Image for Yasamanv.
186 reviews15 followers
December 12, 2024
خیلی بامزه بوددد 🥹 یادم باشه بقیه کتاب های این مجموعه رو هم بخونم‌.
Profile Image for Melki.
6,802 reviews2,535 followers
April 20, 2019
A wolf, a shark, a snake, and my favorite:

description

Team up to do good deeds like rescuing cats from trees, and dogs from the pound . . . and then the hard part - not eating their rescuees.

Hilarious, and loads of fun.

I can't wait for the next adventure.
Profile Image for Josiah.
3,354 reviews153 followers
November 29, 2022
After his Pig the Pug series made him one of the world's most popular creators of picture books, Aaron Blabey forged an equal reputation in early chapter books with the debut of The Bad Guys. Heroes and villains tend to be neatly sorted into separate groups, but Mr. Wolf isn't content with that. He has a hefty rap sheet and a predatory disposition, but Mr. Wolf wants more than to chase grandmothers around for the rest of his life. He aspires to create an organization of do-gooders with three other notorious bad guys: Mr. Snake (who shares Mr. Wolf's weakness for devouring small animals), Mr. Piranha (an export from Bolivia's rivers who has a history of harassing tourists), and Mr. Shark, whose penchant for carnage is legendary. Mr. Wolf aims to reform these three and himself, to save lives and fight for justice, but the prospective members of the Good Guys Club are skeptical. Why should they give up villainy?

Changing old habits takes time. What should the Good Guys do if they find a cat up a tree, Mr. Wolf asks? Eat it, of course! Wait, that's not right...heroes rescue distressed animals, they don't chew on them. The Good Guys could use a practice run before moving on to bigger missions. At least Mr. Wolf has a cool car for them to ride in, souped up with more gadgets than a James Bond vehicle. Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, and Mr. Shark are impressed. When they arrive at a tree with a cat stranded in its branches, Mr. Wolf coaches his new colleagues to help it down, but all those sharp teeth waiting on the ground causes a major freakout. The cat does get down...sort of...but the Good Guys need a more resounding success to punctuate their initiation.

Jailbreaks aren't typically heroic, but what if you free two hundred dogs from a maximum security pound? Mr. Wolf's crew of (former) unsavories can't just waltz in and complete this mission; it require finesse, intelligence, and luck. A disguised Mr. Shark cheekily diverts the main guard as Mr. Wolf attaches Mr. Snake and Mr. Piranha to a grappling hook outside the pound's walls. The plan? To hurl the hook through an open window and anchor it so Mr. Wolf can attach the other end to his car and drive off, ripping a hole in the building. The Good Guys' lack of experience shows in numerous madcap ways, but freeing the dogs would be a noteworthy start for Mr. Wolf's ambitious social project. Are we witnessing the genesis of a new breed of antihero?

The Bad Guys is a hilarious first book for the series. The comedic chemistry between Aaron Blabey's writing and illustrations is sublime; his use of facial expression to convey humor is pitch perfect. I also appreciate that one of the dogs in the pound is a dead ringer for Pig the Pug. There's more here than an abundance of funny, though. If society condemns you as incorrigible, are you doomed to fill that role, or can you push back on your own worst urges and change the story? Those you desire to help might be fearful—sharp teeth portend a predator, do they not?—but if you build trust over time by consistently doing good, prejudice against you will soften. I rate The Bad Guys two and a half stars, and a case can be made that I should round to three. For delightful wit around a core of substance, you won't find many better books for early readers. Aaron Blabey is a unique talent.
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,565 reviews235 followers
April 2, 2019
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 !
Profile Image for MAhdis.
35 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2024
فرض کنید اون گرگی که مامان بزرگ شنل قرمزی رو خورد و خونه سه بچه خوک کوچولو رو خراب کرد و خودش رو تو لباس گوسفندها جا زد، حالا قراره توبه کنه و تبدیل به آدم (گرگ) خوب ماجرا بشه :)))
حالا میاد یه مار ترسناک، یک ساردین که عقیده داره پیرانا ست و یه کوسه آدمخوار رو دعوت میکنه تا با هم به دسته مثبت‌ها تبدیل بشن و کارهای خوب کنن تا دید بقیه رو از بد بوی (پسر بد) بودن خودشون به گود بوی (پسر خوب) بودن عوض کنن:)) این چهارتا قراره با کارهای احمقانه‌شون سگ‌ها رو از پناهگاه نجات بدن، لباس دخترونه بپوشن، عینک دودی بزنن، گربه‌ها رو از بالای درخت نجات بدن و گاهی اوقات هم موقع عصبانیت همدیگرو قورت بدن

یکی از بامزه‌ترین کتاب‌های کودکی بود که خوندم. احساس کردم که دارم یه کارتون بامزه جیگر میبینم با طنزهای زیرپوستی و جزئیات فوق‌العاده‌ی تصویری که اگر بهش دقت کنید کلی حال و هواتون عوض میشه و سر کیف میاین😍😍 من ترجمه فارسی کتاب رو با اسم "اراذل و اوباش" تو فیدی‌پلاس خوندم. جالبه که هفت جلده و خیلی خوشحالم که قراره یه مجموعه بامزه و جذاب بخونم که اصلا هم دلم نمیاد تموم بشه.
Profile Image for Prabhjot Kaur.
1,063 reviews201 followers
December 16, 2020
Mr. Wolf has had enough being a villain and he wants to be the hero now, the good guy. He gathers some other bad guys and comes up with a plan to save the kitty and rescue dogs so that the bad guys club can be turned into the good guys club.

Mr. Wolf invites Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark to join in the club and with some reluctance from the others, they eventually go for their first good mission and it turns out to be a success. Now that they have had a taste of being good, would they continue to be good? We will find out.

It's a silly, hilarious book with even better art. The main issue I have had with this is that some of the print is way too small for the kids to read, even I have had trouble reading that. Other than that this was pretty good.

4 stars
Profile Image for La Coccinelle.
2,254 reviews3,567 followers
September 4, 2018
Okay... well, that was... interesting.

I think it was a little younger than I was expecting. Most of the graphic novels I've read so far have been for middle graders, but this one is really aimed at younger kids. You've got some funny characters, some potty humour, and a basic story. What's not to like? I mean, if you're eight years old...

An overly exuberant wolf decides he wants to go straight, and he takes some of his bad-guy friends along for the ride. There's Mr. Snake, who likes to swallow things. There's Mr. Piranha, who likes to bite things (and who I heard in my head as Cheech Marin for some reason). Lastly, there's Mr. Shark, who is... well, a big bad shark. They're not as enthused about this do-gooder project as the wolf, but they go along with his plans, anyway.

I wasn't that crazy about the plot, but by the time the book was over, I was kind of wanting more. Some parts were kind of funny (like the dog jail, and the way all the dogs kept thinking Mr. Piranha was a sardine). Of course, there had to be some fart jokes thrown in there. And, for some reason, Mr. Piranha has a tongue that looks like a pair of testicles. I have no idea why, and kids might not even notice, but it was kind of a WTF moment for me when I saw that.

This is apparently the first book in a series. I doubt I'll be reading the rest. But I can see how this would be a great series for reluctant young readers.
Profile Image for Roya.
408 reviews36 followers
June 7, 2024
کتابِ عالی برای صبح‌های جمعه و قهقهه و خوشحالی و هیجانِ کشف مجموعه جدید😎🤟
Profile Image for Syazana Syed.
387 reviews36 followers
April 26, 2017
I know its a kids story book. However, I do enjoy all enjoy the funny parts in the story. Thanks to my students for recommend it to me and let me read his story book. 😊
Profile Image for Nicholas Perez.
542 reviews118 followers
Want to read
April 28, 2022
Did not know that the movie was based on a graphic novel.
Profile Image for Spencer Orey.
597 reviews188 followers
December 20, 2022
Really funny, except for when it relies on an unnecessary crossdressing joke. Otherwise hilarious concept and funny execution.
Profile Image for David.
30 reviews2 followers
February 4, 2016
It was funny when the bad guys were smelling trouble and one of them farted. They were trying to save the cat but forgot they were being good and nearly ate it. The best bit was when Mr Snake ate Mr Piranha!! And it was funny when he asked “What do you do if a cat is stuck in a tree?” and Mr Shark said “Eat it.”

Kate
Profile Image for Viki.
119 reviews36 followers
December 27, 2018
Jaj, toto je veľká (a inteligentná) sranda. Hlavne pre deti od siedmeho roka, ale keďže je to skutočne vtipné, dospelý sa bude baviť veľmi dobre. Dobre dobre, faganitos!
Profile Image for Matti Karjalainen.
3,058 reviews60 followers
March 10, 2020
Aaron Blabeyn "Hurja jengi" (Into, 2020) aloittaa uuden helppolukuisen kirjasarjan (vai olisiko kyseessä peräti sarjakuva?), jossa eläinmaailman karmeimmat pahikset - käärme, piraija, susi ja hai - yrittävät ryhtyä kilteiksi ja suorittaa sankaritekoja. Jos kissanpoikasen pelastaminen puusta ei sekään tahdo luonnistua, niin kuinka hurjalta jengiltä mahtaa onnistua viidenkymmenen vangitun koiran vapauttaminen?

Kyllähän minä tästä tykkäsin. Simppeli tarina rullasi mukavasti eteenpäin, vitsit olivat sopivan tyhmiä ja kaiken kruunasi elukoiden Reservoir Dogs -henkinen vaatetus. Voisin kokeilla kakkos-kolmosten vinkkauksessa!
Profile Image for Abby Johnson.
3,373 reviews341 followers
July 21, 2017
This book is SO FUNNY.
Thanks to Hannah who made me pick it up! It's super clever and the pictures and text work together masterfully to create a truly laugh out loud story.

Hand this to fans of Captain Underpants and Bad Kitty post haste.
Profile Image for Sublimacia.
209 reviews13 followers
February 18, 2019
Niekedy má človek proste chuť na niečo rýchle a rozkošné. Smradi sú pre deti a deťom ich posuniem, ale užil som si ich aj ja. A veru dieťa vo mne sa bavilo. Žralok je dokonalý a záchrana mačky ma rozosmiala ako už dlho nič. Veľmi dobre strávených pár minút v artfóre pri vinei.
Profile Image for Jess.
171 reviews14 followers
December 29, 2019
I read this entire book to my son before bed. It was so much fun and it’s hilarious.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,771 reviews

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