What to read next
Books like The Bad Guys, by age
Finished The Bad Guys? Here are 7 series to try next, grouped by age and kind: the same age as the bad guys; a bit older, when they're ready; the same kind of book as the bad guys. Each one says why it's here and links to the books in order with a checklist.
The picks come from what the series share with The Bad Guys (funny, heroes, animals) and the next reads its own page names. No one paid to be here and there are no shop links. Checked October 29, 2026.
The same age as The Bad Guys
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Ages 7+ Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and hero. It starts a little older, at 7. The The Bad Guys page names it as a next read. Short speech bubbles in big comic panels, with a joke on most pages.
Lunch Lady by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Ages 7–10 Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and hero. It starts a little older, at 7. The The Bad Guys page names it as a next read. Short comics with a lot of white space, a few words per bubble and one joke after another.
Max Meow by John Gallagher
Ages 7–10 Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and hero. It starts a little older, at 7. Bold comic panels with short speech bubbles, sound effects and a lot of silly action.
A bit older, when they're ready
Hilo by Judd Winick
Ages 8–12 Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and hero. It starts a little older, at 8. The The Bad Guys page names it as a next read. Bright comic panels with short speech bubbles, quick jokes and a bigger story that builds across the books.
Chi's Sweet Home by Konami Kanata
Ages 8–12 Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and animal. It starts a little older, at 8. Mostly pictures, with a few words in each bubble, in short scenes of one to a few pages.
Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart
Ages 8–12 Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and animal. It starts a little older, at 8. Comic panels with short speech bubbles and a joke on almost every page, in short stories that run into longer ones.
The same kind of book as The Bad Guys
Ricky Ricotta by Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Dan Santat (Martin Ontiveros drew the first editions)
Ages 4–9 Like The Bad Guys, it's funny and hero. It starts a little younger, at 4, so it's a quick, easy read. Short chapters of big print with a picture on most pages, and a flip-a-page comic in the middle of each book.
More ways to find the next one
- What should I read next?: three taps, three picks.
- By age: 6-year-olds · 7-year-olds · 8-year-olds · 9-year-olds · 10-year-olds
- The Bad Guys books in order