- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
The Bad Guys in Intergalactic Gas
Book 5 of 20 in The Bad GuysView the full series
A fifth episode that sends the Bad Guys into space with rockets, aliens and a lot of toilet humour. It is broad, silly and highly readable, especially for children who want jokes and action more than realism.
- 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
- Absurdist
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The world is ending, which is bad news. The good news is that the Bad Guys are ready to save it, or at least they think they are. Their plan involves borrowing a rocket, heading into space and trying to deal with a disaster that quickly becomes much bigger, stranger and smellier than expected. Intergalactic Gas expands the series from animal rescue and comic villains into full sci-fi absurdity, with aliens, rockets, spacesuits and the sort of body-humour jokes that many seven-to-ten-year-olds find irresistible. The structure is still short, punchy and heavily visual, so even though the stakes are technically enormous, the reading experience remains light, silly and accessible. It is a strong match for children who like Dog Man, Captain Underpants and chaotic adventure comics, particularly those who enjoy space settings when they are played for laughs rather than serious wonder.
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
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Dog man fans
- Captain underpants fans
- Reluctant readers
- Space comedy
- Toilet humour
Avoid if
- Prefers calm books
- Needs realistic stories
- Dislikes toilet humour
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
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 fart jokes at industrial scale — Marmalade's intergalactic-gas plan involves Mr Piranha in ways only Mr Piranha can be involved, and the toilet-humour quotient hits its series peak. A seven-year-old gets the rocket adventure plus the silliest body-humour the series offers.
- Adventure and freedom
- Breaking the rules safely
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Bad Guys for the kid who came specifically for fart jokes — the toilet-humour ceiling of the series, played at full volume. Rocket and space premise gives Blabey room for new visual jokes. Reliable mid-series; nobody will be confused about what they're getting.
- 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.
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- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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