- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
The Bad Guys in Mission Unpluckable
Book 2 of 20 in The Bad GuysView the full series
A fast, silly second mission that sends the gang undercover to rescue chickens from a high-security cage farm. It builds the team's comic chemistry while keeping the pages short, visual and very easy to devour.
- 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
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Mr Wolf is determined to prove that his team can be heroes, even if Mr Snake, Mr Shark and Mr Piranha are not always fully convinced. Their next mission is Operation Chicken Freedom: break into a high-security cage farm and rescue 10,000 chickens. Unfortunately, this means planning, disguises, stealth, teamwork and not eating anyone, which is a lot to ask from a gang of supposedly reformed predators. The second Bad Guys episode keeps the same quick comic rhythm as the opener but raises the scale of the mission. It is full of slapstick plans, dramatic entrances, ridiculous expressions and rapid back-and-forth dialogue. Children who enjoyed the first book will get more of the same joke-heavy momentum, while the rescue plot gives the chaos a clear objective. It is especially good for readers who need lots of visual support and immediate comic reward.
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
- Fast reads
Avoid if
- Prefers calm books
- Needs realistic stories
- Sensitive to farm peril
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
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 the heist — 10,000 chickens to liberate from a high-security cage farm protected by lasers, mech-suits and a giant fan. Legs the tarantula joins the team, and the gang's predator instincts have to be kept in check throughout. The Bad Guys at its tightest.
- Adventure and freedom
- Breaking the rules safely
- Making a difference
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Bad Guys where the heist format clicks into its proper shape — Legs the tarantula completes the core team, and the cage-farm mission gives Blabey a clear objective to escalate. One of the strongest in the run. Best read right after the first book.
- 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 ↗
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