Victor Spoil's parents are a supervillain duo, the infamous Spoil Sports. Unfortunately for them, their son just doesn't have an evil bone in his body. He can't even bring himself to run with scissors! Fearing the worst for Victor, his parents decide to hire retired villain The Smear to take Victor on as an apprentice. As The Smear begins to make a bit of a comeback, he and Victor come under the attention of Dr. Deplorable, The Smear's old teammate, who wants him out of the picture, since he has knowledge of Dr. D's one weakness. While it may seem wrong to cheer for a potential bad guy, readers will learn, along with Victor, that heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin. Fry has written a hilarious story about an unlikely hero and masterfully incorporates the illustrations into the narrative, many of which continue the text in an old-school, newspaper-comic-strip format. Victor's story is sure to be a hit among reluctant readers and fans of illustrated novels.

A good kid trains to become a villain.Twelve-year-old white kid Victor Spoil comes from a long, long line of famous supervillains. His mother and father are known around the world as the Spoil Sports, and they've been hoping and praying that Victor will follow in their footsteps. But Victor has a problem. Victor is, unfortunately, a good person. Victor can't stand messes, doesn't roughhouse, and is polite to everyone he meets. At their wits' end, his parents call in the disgraced white supervillain the Smear to train Victor. Victor and the Smear go on the road, battling heroes in scripted fights and learning from each other along the way. The novel is harmless enough, but those thirsty for superhero action will be disappointed. With the costumes and arranged battles, these superheroes are nothing more than big-time wrestlers. The plotting is episodic, and the characterization is quite poor—everyone seems to speak in the same bland, "too cool for school" style that seems to be becoming the norm in the James Patterson Presents middle-grade books. The humor, meanwhile, is barely middle-grade, leaning heavily on underwear jokes. When all is said and done, the novel barely registers. Readers may even forget about this one as they're reading it. Entirely skippable. (Adventure. 7-10)

Cartoonist and author Fry (the Odd Squad series) explores what happens when supervillain parents end up with a good kid in this offbeat story, which is bolstered by plenty of loopy b&w comics sequences. Twelve-year-old Victor wants to please his parents, Rupert and Olivia Spoil, but it-s hard when he-s a neatnik who doesn-t have an evil bone in his body. Enter the Smear, one of the many nutty heroes and antiheroes populating the story. Not even the most sinister of villains, Dr. Deplorable, is remotely menacing-Fry draws heroes and evildoers alike as egg-headed, out-of-shape has-beens with such names as Professor Tuba and the Pollinator. The Smear, whose superpower is staining people, has been hired by Victor-s parents to tutor Victor in the art of supervillainy in a world in which superhero battles are all staged, -just like pro wrestling.- Kids who like their humor absurdist may be entertained, but with low-as-can-be stakes and what-s essentially a cast of losers, it may not impress diehard superhero fans. Ages 8-14. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (May)

Gr 4-6From the author of the popular "Odd Squad" series and the syndicated comic strip Over the Hedge comes a tale where superheroes and supervillains are real, though their battles, which once destroyed Boston, are now staged like professional wrestling bouts. Our protagonist is the young Victor, a good kid born to supervillain parents. Wanting to please his mom and dad, he signs on as an apprentice to "the Smear," a supervillain whose power is the ability to stain. The narrative takes some strange turns: there are good bad guys and bad good guys, the mysterious Authority that enforces the truce between heroes and villains, helicopter parenting, and a rebellious tween. The various strands of the plot don't always flow together evenly, and readers may feel the book lacks a unifying story line as the boundary between good guys and bad guys becomes blurred. The illustrations, however, keep the tone light, and the irreverent humor that middle graders relish will go a long way to capturing their interest. VERDICT Superhero fans will enjoy this tongue-in-cheek take on the genre. For large collections.Matthew Forster, Big Words, Clarkston, MI