You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! (You're a Bad Man MR Gum (Hardback)) [Hardcover]

Andy Stanton (Author), Chad Dezern (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—Mr. Gum lives in a disgustingly filthy house where "he slept, scowled, and picked his nose and ate it." Even the bed isn't made—Mr. Gum chucked "bits of wood on the floor and dumped a mattress on top." But his garden is the most beautiful in the town. Why? Some speculate that he likes to garden, but the real reason is the angry fairy who gives him "pan whacks" if the garden isn't perfect. Unfortunately for Mr. Gum, the neighborhood dog, Jake, frequently messes up the garden—causing Mr. Gum too many whacks with the frying pan. So Mr. Gum leaves spoiled cow hearts laced with rat poison and sweetened with lemonade powder in the center of the lawn. Jake takes the bait, but is ultimately saved by nine-year-old Polly and some magic chocolate (a questionable remedy, since chocolate is dangerous to dogs). English author Andy Stanton provides flawless narration of his book (HarperCollins, 2008). His deadpan delivery and comic timing are perfect. With its quirky cast of characters and silly sense of humor, this story is a great choice for reluctant readers.—Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"A serious assault on the silly bone." (Kirkus Reviews )

"An irresistible, laughter-inducing romp." (Sunday Times (London) )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (February 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061152404
• ISBN-13: 978-0061152405
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,800,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Silly Chicks Review, April 15, 2008

By 

Three Silly Chicks "www.ThreeSillyChicks.com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! (You're a Bad Man MR Gum (Hardback)) (Hardcover)

Mr. Gum really is a bad man. He's slimy and gross and mean to children. But there's this little fairy who whacks him on the head with a frying pan whenever he neglects his garden. As a result, Mr. Gum's garden is the "prettiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden in the whole of Lamonic Bibber." Lamonic Bibber is a town. (This book takes place in England, you see, where pan-whacking fairies and strange town names are the norm.) Anyhoo, enter Jake, "a massive whopper of a dog," who wreaks havoc on Mr. Gum's garden with a conga line of moles in party hats. Needless to say, Mr. Gum is not pleased. In fact, he is mightily bruised from the enormous pan-whacking that ensues. So our scowling villain decides to do away with Jake in a most heinous, hideous way. Fortunately, along comes Polly, a "girl worth liking," who's determined to foil Mr. Gum's plan even if she has to team up with a questionable old hero named Friday O'Leary.

And you know what? We think we'll just stop here and let you read it for yourself. You really should. It's a whopper and a half. And then pass it on to any kid you know who enjoys books by Bruce Hale, Jim Benton, or Jon Scieszka. Or any a kid you know who needs a laugh. Or any adult, for that matter. Wafflemongers especially.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My son loves this CD, August 2, 2008

By 

Jennifer Kline (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! CD (Audio CD)

My son laughs and laughs at You're a Bad Man Mr. Gum! He absolutly adores it, which to me is a sign of a great children's book. The book is whity and creative enough that you won't mind listening to it 200 times, since I swear that is how many times my son has put this on. I think laughter is so good for kids, and I highly recomend this for children in need of a book that will keep them giggling. The author does a fantastic job voicing the production. Five stars for this one!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Funny Book., March 19, 2008

By 

James A. Nichols (Midwest City, OK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! (You're a Bad Man MR Gum (Hardback)) (Hardcover)

I thought this book was so funny, I couldnt stop laughing. The writing style is so great the author adds a lot to lines to make them hilarious. Mr Gum is a really bad and evil man who happens to have the best garden in the world until the friendly town dog finds it and tears everything up. Mr Gum comes up with a plan to get rid of the dog. Polly a local girl finds out his plan and must come up with a way to stop him. Definetly a book to check out. I would highly recommend for 3rd grade and above. I will definetly check out this authors future books.