Review By: Courtney Mullaley
Published: 2021
Series: Bad Guys, Book #13
Genre(s): Graphic Novel, Action, Humor, Science Fiction
Audience: Grades 3–6
Content Warnings: Mild language, Comic violence
Goodreads Link: Bad Guys Club: Cut to the Chase
Summary:
In Cut to the Chase, Wolf, Piranha, Snake, and their friends find themselves trapped in a bizarre alternate dimension where danger and humor collide. Floating above a floor of spikes, they must rely on teamwork, quick thinking, and plenty of jokes to survive—and to find the mysterious doorway that might be their way out.
Review:
This is the 13th book in the series. The book is mostly about the characters Wolf, Piranha, Emmy, Snake, and Kitty. They are in a dimension where they need to find the door and get to the next. However, they are floating and unsure how they ended up that way. If somehow they stop floating, they will land on a floor of spikes. However, there are challenges that they face and take on with determination and humor. When they are confronted with the antagonist, Snake, the character Fox releases a burst of energy, knocking everyone out to wake up in a new dimension. The characters face another challenge to find and get to another doorway or dimension. This is how the story leaves the reader hanging, with a “to be continued.”
This was my first graphic novel. I did not love it. I found myself to be confused, especially in the beginning. I think if I had read the first book in the series, I would have been introduced to the characters and known the premise of the books better. I did not know who was on what team or that there were teams. I found the writing with all the speech bubbles troubling to follow. I can see where kids would enjoy this book and find it funny. I would recommend this to my 4th graders to read, as it would definitely get them reading. It hits that elementary humor level well. I did not like that the author uses the words “idiots,” “stupid,” or “losers.”
Major themes include finding humor in troubling situations, friendship, determination, never giving up, facing fears, and bravery.
There are a lot of illustrations, as it is a graphic novel. The pictures are all in black and white. The illustrations show the characters and enhance their emotions while adding an extra layer of humor.
I think kids would like this book. I see my students reading this series a lot, and it was recently recommended to my 8-year-old. There is a lot of humor and action to keep them engaged. The cover shows a character looking scared with shards of glass coming at them, which would grasp an upper elementary reader’s attention. The “major motion picture” sticker on the cover might also encourage readers to check it out.
You could connect this story to art and have kids design their own illustrations or create a new character to join the team. It could be used to discuss figurative language, vocabulary, or problem-solving. Students could write about character traits, motivations, or create their own alternate dimension in a creative writing activity.
There is not much diversity in this title or book.
