The Rotten Adventures of Zachary Ruthless

March 14, 2011
If it's true that everyone loves a bad boy, Zachary should attract a sizable fan base. In this series launch by newcomer Woodrow, the 10-year-old is determined to snag the sole opening in the Society of Utterly Rotten, Beastly, and Loathsome Lawbreaking Scoundrelsâaka SOURBALLS. This entails impressing the society's evildoers with his "most horrible deed." After recruiting his neighbor Newt as his "henchman," he purchases a "Box of Rotten," which is all he can afford on a Web site hawking gear for villains. Zachary attempts to use one of the box's "evil goodies," a pair of hypnotizing glasses, to turn the mayor into a zombie in order to take over the town. But the boys discover that the mayor (and his lieutenant mayor) have their own evil plots in place, hoping to join SOURBALLS. Boll weevils, a rubber cockroach, zucchini-flavored gum, and a girl wielding a squirt jar of mustard all help thwart Zachary's rivals' schemes. Blecha's high-energy cartoons add extra absurdity to this pun-studded slice of frivolity, which is likely to snare reluctant readers with a fondness for slapstick. Ages 8â12.

June 1, 2011

Gr 3-5-Ten-year-old Zachary Ruthless's parents are nice, really nice. When they learn that there are bad influences in town, they decide to send their son away to Sister Celia's School for Good Samaritans for the summer. Little do they know that Zachary is the mastermind behind the evil pranks happening in Plentyville, and he goes to great lengths to get accepted into the Society of Utterly Rotten, Beastly, Loathsome, Lawbreaking Scoundrels, otherwise known as SOURBALLS. The black-and-white cartoon drawings help the story along, as when Zachary opens a box of goodies that he has ordered from evilbadguystuff.com. Zachary's antics are a little over-the-top, the irony may be lost on younger readers, and some of the vocabulary is a little advanced for its intended audience. However, fans of Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic) will probably enjoy it. It meets the "gross" requirement with bugs, snakes, barf, and zombies. An additional purchase for those looking for series chapter books.-Tammy DiBartolo, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.