- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
The Bad Guys in Attack of the Zittens
Book 4 of 20 in The Bad GuysView the full series
A zombie-kitten apocalypse turns the fourth episode into one of the most gleefully ridiculous early Bad Guys adventures. It is exciting without being genuinely scary, and very friendly to reluctant readers.
- Best for7–10
- FormatIllustrated
- Length144 pp
- Read aloud~58 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Irreverent
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Dr Marmalade is back, and this time the world is facing a zombie-kitten apocalypse. The Bad Guys have their hands full with meowing monsters, an evil mastermind and the urgent need to save everyone before the fur really starts to fly. Attack of the Zittens pushes the series further into comic-book adventure territory, mixing monster-movie language with deliberately silly visuals and constant jokes. The kittens sound scary in theory, but the treatment is cartoonish and ridiculous rather than frightening, so the book keeps the same safe, laugh-heavy energy as earlier episodes. Aaron Blabey's layout, bold faces and punchy dialogue make it very easy to follow, even for children who find prose-heavy books tiring. It is best read after the first three books because it builds on Dr Marmalade's role as a recurring villain, but the immediate silliness also makes it highly approachable.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–10
- Read aloud · 6–10
- Independent · 7–11
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Dog man fans
- Captain underpants fans
- Reluctant readers
- Funny animal comics
- Monster comedy
Avoid if
- Prefers calm books
- Needs realistic stories
- Dislikes zombies
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
The wildly funny Bad Guys series — a legendary reluctant-reader hook and classroom-library staple.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is zombie kittens — Marmalade's plan to turn every kitten in the world into a furry undead nightmare, and the Bad Guys having to fight a horde of them. The kittens are grumpy rather than terrifying, which is exactly the right register for a seven-year-old who wants safe horror.
- Breaking the rules safely
- Having a nemesis
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Bad Guys with the perfect 'safe horror' premise — zombie kittens (grumpy, not scary) as a Marmalade scheme. Gross enough to be funny, never actually frightening. Mid-series; works fine on its own but lands harder if the kid already knows Dr Marmalade.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
The Bad Guys.
20 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Aaron Blabey.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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