John Bemelmans Marciano's (Madeline and the Old House in Paris) debut novel is dark humor at its finest.
The Baddenfields descend from a long line of lying, thieving scoundrels who often die young and "in particularly grisly and poetically justified ways," because they refused to listen to the Winterbottoms who serve them. Winterbottom the Eighteenth endeavors to keep Alexander, the last Baddenfield, alive. The fun kicks off when Alexander undergoes a transplant to steal the extra lives of his cat, Shaddenfrood. Marciano will build readers' sympathy for vigilant Winterbottom as he attempts to rescue Alexander from daredevil experiments. Sophie Blackall's (the Ivy and Bean series) darkly comical illustrations depict a reaper watching Alexander's many deaths, including being swallowed by a python and repeatedly gored by a bull.
This quick read blends fantasy with fun, and the ironic touch at the end is sure to garner laughs from an otherwise unfunny event. --Adam Silvera, children's bookseller