Guys Read: Heroes & Villains audiobook

I really liked the book. It was packed with good short stories that we could analyze and talk about really well. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes superhero's and villains or if you like any of the authors that contributed to the book. It also has a comic/graphic novel short story in it

Have you always thought that it’s easy to distinguish a hero from a villain? Guys Read: Heroes and Villains challenges the idea that the two can be clearly defined. In this book of short stories, Jon Scieszka, author of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, compiles fictional accounts written by various authors. Each story includes a male main character who struggles with good and evil. An example of one is a fairy tale that involves a thief who turns into a hero by helping Little Red Riding Hood. The thief, known as The Bandit King, is a comical young boy who is a dictator over his own kingdom, but has a change of character when he encounters the strong-willed Hood. Another story is about a boy and his father who are escaping Mexico to come to the United States illegally. This child’s journey is terrifying and readers feel the intense suspense as he narrowly escapes to a better life. Heroes and Villains has a story for every type of boy reader. From historical fiction based off true events of an Irish immigrant in America to a comic about siblings who fight off bogeymen, there is a topic for every interest. Since the book is focused on males, slight violence, harmless illegal activities, vulgar language and toilet humor are scattered through the stories. The only criticism is that many of the tales are lengthy. Chapters do not break up each individual writing piece and some readers could get bored while reading a genre that does not suit their interest. Girls should not be discouraged from reading this book either, even though the series is titled Guys Read. Both females and males will enjoy the characters, action, and humor present throughout this collection.

The short stories in this book mainly focused on the heroes (and occasional villains) that a person would find in the real world. A few of the tales were about pretty serious matters (immigration, kidnapping, etc.) and others were kinda silly (Benedict Arnold being crapped on by a giant pelican, being sucked through a wormhole in the back of a school locker and ending up in a world where Mother Goose needs your help, etc.), but they were all well written and gave their characters a real sense of purpose. These are geared toward younger boys (GUYS Read!), but I think anybody would enjoy them; their themes are universal.

Read about heroes and villains from various contemporary authors in this seires of books from Guys Read editor Jon Scieszck. This is the seventh book in the series by editor Jon Scieszck featuring authors that readers are presently reading. Authors include Pam Munoz Ryan, Sharon Creech, Deborah Hopkinson, Lemony Snicket and Jack Gantos just to name a few. As with all compilations, the reader will pick and choose from a wide variety of story plots. They might even try out a new author after reading their short story from this book. This would be a good selection for the young adult library. Highly recommended for grades 5 through 9.

Excellent book for middle school readers, struggling or reluctant high school readers or advanced elementary readers. For the younger or less mature kids, it's a great family read to discuss some of the big themes about what makes a good guy good and a bad guy bad. Also the short story format can open doors to longer works written by the authors featured.

I'm kind of on the fence for this book it interesting but also hard to follow. But believe me, some of these stories are really good but i think you could just have a great time just reading some of the stories but its your call but overall i give it a 3 star review.

Decent Guys Read collection. As always, some stories were better than others.

I like how there was different stories in 1 book.

Love this series!

Nice, fun collection that makes you think about what really separates heroes from villains. It's a fine line sometimes.