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Reviewed by:
  • King Flashypants and the Evil Emperor by Andy Riley
  • April Spisak
Riley, Andy King Flashypants and the Evil Emperor; written and illus. by Andy Riley. Holt, 2017 [224p] (The Evil Emperor)
Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-62779-809-9 $13.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-62779-810-5 $9.44
Reviewed from galleys         R Gr. 2-4

Nine-year-old Edwin, the King Flashypants of the title, thinks he can please everyone all the time, tossing candy to his loyal subjects each week, but when the royal piggybank (literally a giant pig-shaped bank) is empty, his minister reminds him that he was told to not to waste his cash on trying to bribe his people into loving him. Ready to slip in and take over is Emperor Nurbison, who delivers a dramatic speech (complete with arm waving and exclamation points) and when that doesn't win over the people of Edwinland, he releases a fearsome dragon (well, it's a cow to which he's added some wings, candles, and other impressive crafty features to make it terrifying) to scare them into loyalty. There's endless silliness in this illustrated British novel, and a mix of full page and spot drawings heighten the humor (the cow [End Page 423] dragon is particularly chuckleworthy). Edwin learns a bit more about how to be a better king, sure, but the point here is to amuse and entertain rather than inform. Pilkey, Krosoczka, and Walliams fans will be instant fans of this royal romp.

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