Villain School

September 1, 2012
Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains again (Good Curses Evil, 2011) lives up to the "Wayward" as some of its more challenged students keep rescuing captives and saving the day. Never the brightest of bulbs, headmaster's son Rune Drexler fails to notice a series of broad clues--from leading questions to a glimpse of red undies over bright blue tights--that his new roommate, "Dodge VonDoe," is really a spy from Doctor Do-Good's School for Superior Superheroes. Until, that is, his father and a certain crystal ball disappear and the school is taken over by the genuinely villainous Mistress Morgana. As it turns out, VonDoe (or to use his real name Deven Do-Good) is both working for Morgana and plotting to boot out his own superhero father. Deven is also a thoroughgoing bully on his own turf, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Sanders throws family revelations, secret passages, reconciliations, villain humor ("Ugh, monologues. It was hard to believe Morgana had become such a powerful villainess when she was always blabbing her plans to everyone") and even a horrifying (to some) prophecy about villains becoming heroes into the mix, and dishes out just deserts to all. An airy school story beneath a veneer of fantasy, low both on violence and actual villainy. (Light fantasy. 10-12)

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December 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Rune Drexler is back in this witty, silly addition to the series. His year starts off in a grand fashion when a new student, Dodge, is assigned as his roommate. Dodge takes a dramatic interest in Rune's father, the school's headmaster, and his crystal ball. After he executes a daredevil stunt to break into the girls' dorm, the crystal ball turns up missing. Rune and his friends soon find out that Dodge is a spy from the Hero School, sent to get the crystal ball in an attempt to eventually take over the world. In keeping with the role reversal of heroes acting like villains, the villains decide that they want to take the object back and foil the heroes' evil plot. The story is a bit cliched at times with the stereotypical warlock, werewolf, and vampire characters, but Sanders's well-crafted writing provides excellent comic relief and unexpected growth from these stock characters. The action and humor take center stage, but there is also a romance element for those looking for a little love. Enjoyable but forgettable, this is a quick-paced read that will be appreciated by those who love antiheros but aren't quite ready for Cadel Piggott from Catherine Jinks's Evil Genius (Harcourt, 2007) or even Artemis from Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series. (Disney/Hyperion).-Devin Burritt, Wells Public Library, ME

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
Grades 4-7 Good and evil are turned on their heads in this second volume of the Villain School series. Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains is dedicated to helping young evildoers like Big Bad Wolf, Jr. and Jezebel Dracula hone their most maleficent powers. Yet, when a new student is suspected of being a spy for the rival Dr. Do-Good's School for Superior Superheroes, the students at Dreadthorn must band together and decide what is truly the right thing to do. The Villain School series describes a magical and spooky world in which right and wrong are not so easily discernible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2013
When Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains is infiltrated by--horrors!--a hero, Rune and his half-villain "allies" investigate by posing as heroes themselves. A mysterious prophecy and shocking family secrets stir things up even more for Rune. This second Villain School book has the deadpan humor and action of its predecessor, as well as an entertaining good-versus-not-so-evil theme.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)