- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
The Bad Guys in Open Wide and Say Arrrgh!
Book 15 of 20 in The Bad GuysView the full series
A weird, dentist-chaos fifteenth episode that pushes the series into even more ridiculous monster-action territory. Very funny and visual, but definitely a late-series continuation rather than a jumping-on point.
- Best for7–10
- FormatIllustrated
- Length192 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr15 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 Bad Guys in Open Wide and Say Arrrgh! finds the series deep in full absurd-saga mode. This is the sort of episode where a chainsaw monster, a velociraptor, an elderly piranha and a deranged dentist with an oversized drill can all belong in the same comic universe. Aaron Blabey leans into the weirdness while keeping the book accessible through fast panels, short dialogue, expressive reactions and constant jokes. The title's dentist horror is comic rather than genuinely graphic, but the imagery and premise may feel a touch more intense for very sensitive readers than the earliest rescue-mission books. For established fans, though, this is exactly the appeal: the Bad Guys have become a sprawling, silly, high-action graphic saga where each new episode throws the team into something more ridiculous than the last.
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
- Monster comedy
- Fast reads
Avoid if
- Prefers calm books
- Needs realistic stories
- Fear of dentists
- Needs standalone books
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 kick is dentist horror at full Bad Guys scale — Mr Shark in the chair, a deranged dentist with an oversized drill, the team mounting a comic rescue. The volume where the series leans hardest into ridiculous monster-action, with shark-mouth visual jokes that are predictably great.
- Breaking the rules safely
- Having a nemesis
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Bad Guys for a reader who likes weird late-series swerves — dentist horror played comic, a chainsaw monster, the cast deep in their absurd-saga phase. Not a starting point. The kind of volume only a series this far in could attempt.
- 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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