Maximillian Villainous

June 11, 2018
Greanias makes her debut with crackling dialogue in this story about being different. As his name suggests, monster Maximillian Villainous comes from a family famous for their villainy. But to the family’s chagrin, Max is not like the others. While his relations enjoy playing tricks on Santa Claus, Mother Nature, and the like, Maximillian counters their mischief with helpfulness and kindness, even writing the Tooth Fairy an apology note after one grievous incident. When Max brings home the most unsuitable of sidekicks—a bunny—his mother is firm: he can only keep the animal if the pair can succeed at a devious task. Max sincerely attempts to meet these demands (“Should be easy to make a baby cry,” he thinks while plotting against Cupid), but his sensitive nature wins out every time. Childlike mixed-media illustrations by Withrow (Bunny Bus) playfully depict monster life (eyeballs for dinner, anyone?), while Max’s conflicting emotions play expressively across his features. A clever, surprising ending emphasizes that different isn’t always so different after all. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rick Richter, Aevitas Creative Management. Illustrator’s agent: Christina Tugeau, Catugeau Agency.

July 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Maximillian comes from a long line of villains. His father stole Santa's sleigh and his grandfather robbed the Tooth Fairy. But Max can't seem to do anything evil at all! After several failed attempts, he and his pet rabbit hatch a plan to give all the children a pet bunny of their own, which "steals hearts" and makes all the kids cry (tears of joy.) Through his scheme, Max's family learns to accept him for who he is. Though the concept is certainly nothing new, it is pretty silly to see how Max's latest attempts at villainy fail-like when he tries to steal the Sandman's sleeping dust, but his bunny minions just end up falling asleep. Withrow's illustrations definitely make the piece; pencil outlines and scribbled shading helps give the artwork a kid-made look and feel. VERDICT A good addition to most collections. Pair with Amy Dixon's Maurice the Unbeastly or Mo Willems's Leonardo the Terrible Monster for a fun storytime about misunderstood monsters.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
Grades K-2 The Villainous family is legendary for their evil pranks, but Maximillian just doesn't have it in him to be bad. When his dad steals Santa's sleigh, Max hands over the family car. When his grandfather robs the Tooth Fairy, Max offers up his own piggy bank. And when Max brings home a fluffy bunny, his family despairs. ( A bunny is not a suitable sidekick. ) After much ado, Max is told he can keep his new friend around if he manages to succeed at just one Villainous Task: 1. Steal something. 2. Make someone cry. 3. Gain fame by being devious. One evil thing can't be too hard, can it? The story perhaps goes on a little long to make a comfortable read-aloud, but the underlying moral about staying true to yourself?even in the face of family pressure?is commendable. Withrow presents Max and his family as colorful, mismatched, Where the Wild Things Are-style monsters. Despite their fearsome reputations, they're more cuddly than scary, making this tale a treat for all ages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Kindly monster-child Maximillian Villainous isn't living up to the Villainous family creed. His mom says that if he wants to keep his new pet (and would-be sidekick) bunny, the duo must succeed at one of three villainous tasks. The resolution to this square-peg-in-round-hole identity farce is devilishly clever, and the art showing the creepy-cuddlesome Villainous clan in slightly off-kilter color combinations is ghoulishly good.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)