Dylan the Villain
By Jan Carr,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Clever, smart, diabolically fun story of kid supervillain.
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What's the Story?
In DYLAN THE VILLAIN, Mr. and Mrs. Snivel are surprised to give birth to a baby with a purple bandit mask barely disguising the villainous glint in his eye. But like all good parents, they're game and super-supportive of their little supervillain, praising his costumes, supervillain laugh, and supervillain inventions. He's the apple of their eye, even if the apple is rotten to the core. Dylan agrees with them that he's "the cleverest super-villain in the whole wide world," so he's surprised when he goes off to school and meets Addison Van Malice, a classmate who bests him at every villainous turn. When the teacher announces a diabolical robot contest, Dylan manages to win the trophy but only because he accidentally-on-purpose blasts Addison and her (much better) robot into space. Bwa-ha-ha! But when he breaks out in an allergic reaction, we see that Allison is responsible, and the book ends on a cliffhanger -- is she plotting her next move?
Is It Any Good?
A rollicking fun story to tickle the inner villain who resides in us all, this book about a little supervillain getting good at his game is chock-full of humor in the very clever art and text. Readers will root for young Dylan as, in the pursuit of villainy, he makes household messes rivaling ones every kid makes and deals with, and they'll relate to the school rivalries. They'll also laugh at his parents, doting but dumbfounded as his supervillain invention leaves them literally in the dust. The story offers well-behaved kids a safe outlet to enjoy the fantasy of acting out. Since the villainy is silly and cartoony, they probably won't grow up plotting world domination.
Both the main little villains are white, but there are other little villains of color, and it's the girls who come out on top in this story, since supervillain Addison Van Malice is top in her class and constructs the biggest, baddest, most diabolical robot of all. Dylan just can't get ahead of her, even when he blasts her and her robot into space. There's so much humor in both the story and art that this book will continue to serve up pleasure over multiple readings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about real villains vs. funny villains. What is a villain? How do you know these villains are supposed to be funny? What clues can you find in the text? How many funny things do you notice in the art?
Do you have a rivalry with a friend or sibling? Do you ever feel like blasting them into space? What are some different ways of dealing with feelings of competition?
How is Dylan's family like regular families? How is it different?
Book Details
- Author: K.G. Campbell
- Illustrator: K.G. Campbell
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Superheroes, Robots, Space and Aliens
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: March 8, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 6
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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