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The Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase

Name: The Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase
Rating: 5.5 (3 reviews)
Author: Aaron Blabey
ISBN: 9781338329520

by Aaron Blabey · The Bad Guys #13

Interdimensional chaos meets a friendship worth fighting for — the Bad Guys' funniest and most emotionally powerful adventure yet

Kid

Parent

Teacher

Best fit: ages 7-10 Still works: ages 6-12 Lexile 540L

The story

When Mr. Wolf and his team of reformed villains tumble through portals into hostile alien dimensions, they must find powerful allies to help their prophesied champion defeat a cosmic evil — one that has taken control of Wolf's best friend. Armed with a garbage freighter, a suspicious new ally, and an unshakeable belief that being good matters more than surviving, the team faces their most dangerous and emotionally charged mission yet.

Age verdict

Best for ages 7-10, though the accessible format works for confident readers as young as 6 and the escalating emotional stakes engage readers up to 12.

Our take

A kid-magnet graphic novel that delivers relentless laughs and cinematic action with a surprisingly powerful moral core, but its visual format and comedy DNA limit what parents and teachers can extract beyond pure reading joy

What stands out

Each audience's top 3 dimensions. Out of 30 scored per book.

👦

Kids love

First-chapter grab Exceptional

Compared to benchmark A Court of Mist and Fury (tier 9, YA) — Opens with immediate psychological disturbance as Feyre is trapped in the afterm. Triangulated with An Abundance of Katherines (tier 1). Sits at 9.
Middle momentum Exceptional

Compared to benchmark 5 Worlds Book 1: The Sand Warrior (tier 9, GRAPHIC) — Three parallel protagonist threads create constant forward pull — whenever one c. Triangulated with Julian Is a Mermaid (tier 1). Sits at 9.

👩

Parents love

Reading gateway Strong

Compared to benchmark A Bear Called Paddington (tier 8, MG) — Short illustrated chapters, accessible vocabulary, episodic structure allowing n. Sits at 8.
Creative spark Strong

Compared to benchmark Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute (tier 7, GRAPHIC) — The food-themed gadget designs (Chicken Nugget Bombs, Spatu-copter, Taco-vision . Sits at 7.

🍎

Teachers love

Reluctant reader rescue Strong

Compared to benchmark Babymouse #20: Babymouse Goes for the Gold (tier 8, GRAPHIC) — Graphic novel format with visual storytelling on every page, constant humor, 96-. Triangulated with The Golem's Eye (tier 1). Sits at 8.
Read-aloud power Solid

Compared to benchmark Red Queen (tier 5, YA) — Mare's voice has read-aloud potential in shorter excerpts — the opening chapter . Triangulated with Interrupting Chicken (tier 10). Sits at 5.

✓ Perfect for

• Kids who devour action-comedy graphic novels and are ready for a series that sneaks genuine emotional depth beneath the slapstick and spectacle. Ideal for readers who loved the Bad Guys movie and want to go deeper into the characters' world.

Not ideal for

Readers looking for a standalone story — this is book 13 of an ongoing series with a major cliffhanger ending that requires prior books for full emotional investment.

At a glance

Pages: 192
Chapters: 11
Words: 5k
Lexile: 540L
Difficulty: Easy
POV: Third Person Omniscient
Illustration: Fully Illustrated
Published: 2021
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9781338329520

Mood & style

Tone: Comedic Pacing: Rapid Fire Weight: Light Tension: Supernatural Threat Humor: Visual Comic

You'll know it worked when…

Virtually guaranteed to finish — the relentless pacing, constant humor, minimal text per page, and cinematic visual sequences make it nearly impossible to put down. The only frustration is reaching the cliffhanger ending and needing the next book immediately.

If your kid loved "The Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase"

Matched across 30 dimensions — interest hooks, character appeal, tone, pacing, emotional core. Not by what other people bought. By what fits the same reader profile.