about the book
Mr. and Mrs. Snivels were surprised when they had a baby and the doctor told them, “Congratulations. It’s a healthy little super-villain!”
Mrs. Snivels was doubly surprised because she didn’t think there were any super villains in the family. Mr. Snivels didn’t say anything (but there totally were).
Mr. and Mrs. Snivels quickly found out that super villain babies were pretty much like regular babies, and they loved their Dylan very much. They raised him to believe he was the smartest, most evil villain in the world.
The Snivels send Dylan to Astrid Rancid’s Academy for the Villanous & Vile, the best villain school around. Dylan is ready to show the kids in the school how great a villain he is when he meets Addison Van Malice. She soon proves she’s equally as evil—if not more so—than Dylan. They battle back and forth when a school contest catches their eyes. Dylan and Addison accept the challenge to build the most diabolical robot in order to prove their skills are better than the other’s.
Unfortunately, the contest proves more challenging than either of them imagined.
about the author
How does an interior designer become an illustrator and author? He gets a master’s degree in art history, that’s how. Well, maybe that’s not how everyone else does it, but it’s how K. G. Campbell did it.
K. G. was born in Kenya but grew up in Scotland. In his young years, he attended school in an old turreted building with secret passages and shadowy traces of otherworldly beings. He wasn’t much for playground games of leapfrog or soccer. He preferred the quiet corners of the schoolhouse where he would write stories and draw pictures. K.G. says he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t “the kid who loved to draw.” He remembers getting excited about art by seeing his father doodle. His father never developed his raw talent, but K. G. considered him an artistic genius.
K. G. isn’t specific about how he ended up in California in the shadows of Hollywood, picking out fabric samples and flooring choices for clients, only that it was a strange and unusual path. He realized, however, that he really loved to draw and write and since he wasn’t getting any younger, he thought he should try to pursue his dream.
If you visit the studio where he works, you’ll discover he’s a neat freak. He completely cleans his office almost every day. He also is an unabashed devotee of routine and he’ll get downright cranky when the world does not cooperate with his plans.
He has immortalized his beloved cat in Tea Party Rules, a book he illustrated. (Also, the family pet in Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters looks an awful lot like his dog. Just sayin’.)
Sources:
Author/Illustrator website
Author interview: Brightly
Author interview: Kids Can Press
Author interview: Idle Illustration
Also by K.G. Campbell:
The Mermaid and the Shoe. Kids Can Press. 2014.
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters. Kids Can Press. 2012.
read more!
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters by K.G. Campbell
Cousin Clara comes to live with Lester and his family. She loves to knit, and makes Lester an ugly yellow sweater with purple pompons. Lester thanks her in order to be polite. Unfortunately, Lester’s parents force him to wear the sweater in public, humiliating him. He destroys the sweater, but Clara makes another and another. How can Lester get rid of these dreadful sweaters?
Quit Calling Me a Monster! by Jory John
A purple, fuzzy, clawed fellow proclaims that it hurts his feelings when people scream at the sight of him, and call him a “monster”…because hey, he doesn’t call them mean names! And yes, perhaps he technically is a monster, but please—called him by his name—Floyd Peterson.
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
Two boys pull out a shark and train from the toy box. Which toy is better? The wacky contests are on! The Shark, of course, wins the high dive duel, but tricky Train takes the basketball brawl. Then there’s the burping bout, and the bowling battle! One after another, each contest gets more ridiculous. Who will be the winner?