Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble

Starred review from November 1, 2013
Bad Kitty takes on her greatest foe: Sillier than Puppy, mightier than Uncle Murray, scarier than a bath...it's her creator! For her seventh chapter-book outing (and her 10th appearance overall), Bad Kitty ups the meta-hybrid ante by telling a story that includes her author/illustrator while it also teaches its audience some fundamentals about the writer's craft. At the outset, Bruel introduces himself and invites readers to smell the paper (or download a paper-smelling app if they are reading electronically) and then draws a mirror so that readers can see how handsome he is. He teaches them to draw Bad Kitty, leaving white space so that they can follow along (unless they are reading a library book, but it's OK to draw on the screen). What follows is the nuttiest writing guide ever. Bruel uses Bad Kitty (who's obviously reluctant to play along) to explain the concepts of character, plot, theme and conflict. Uncle Murray helps out with a few definitions. Poor Puppy and giant octopuses (or is that octopi...?) pop in as antagonists. When Strange Kitty (Bad Kitty's fellow feline) points out similarities between this and the Looney Tunes cartoons Rabbit Rampage and Duck Amuck, Bruel admits they inspired him and hopes Bad Kitty will inspire the audience to write their own stories. Surprisingly (and sneakily) instructional, totally hilarious...and worth every penny. (glossary, recipe) (Graphic/nonfiction hybrid. 7-10)

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March 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-In this seventh installment in the series, readers are introduced to the process of writing and illustrating a book in a fun and humorous way. Bruel employs his signature style of addressing readers directly; he begins the book with a step-by-step demonstration of how to draw Bad Kitty and moves on to describe the necessary ingredients of a successful story. Through the process of describing story elements such as protagonist, antagonist, and conflict, the author creates some scenarios that Kitty finds objectionable (most notably, an all-turnip diet), but eventually she convinces him to rewrite the story in her favor. Many of the usual secondary characters (Uncle Murray, Puppy, Strange Kitty, etc.) make an appearance in this volume, and there are some unexpected additions, including a zombie, a giant octopus, and a talking turnip named Terry. Bruel makes no attempt to hide the fact that the intent of this book is to teach readers how to write stories, but his informal writing style and hilarious illustrations make the lesson seem like a fun opportunity rather than a chore. Fans of the naughty feline will not be disappointed by this new volume, and when they finish reading it, they will have the tools, along with the encouragement of Bruel himself, to create their own Bad Kitty-inspired adventures.-Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Grades 2-4 Bad Kitty makes her tenth appearance in this humorous (and partly nonfiction!) introduction to writing stories. Bruel teaches readers how to draw Bad Kitty and write stories of their own by introducing key story components (plot, conflict, character, etc.) and demonstrating them with good old Bad Kitty, who proves an unwilling model. Beginning with the simple scenario of putting Bad Kitty on a diet, things quickly become outrageous as new concepts are introduced. Fun Facts and a glossary are included to help readers grasp the fundamentals of composition. Bruel's sky's-the-limit attitude will encourage boys and girls to use their imaginations and get writing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Using his popular character, Bad Kitty, Bruel teaches readers how to construct a story. Breaking down the writing process into digestible chapters, Bruel provides a solid introduction to story elements and plot development. "Fun Facts" spreads explore more advanced topics. A brief overview of plagiarism rounds out this accessible how-to book; a glossary of literary terms is appended.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)