My Kingdom of Darkness: A Branches Book (Pets Rule! #1)

by Susan Tan, Wendy Tan Shiau Wei (Illustrator)

Overview

Pets, hilarity, and plots for world domination come together in Pets Rule!, an early chapter book series perfect for fans of The Secret Life of Pets!

Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

Meet Ember, a rescue Chihuahua who has just been adopted by the Chin family. Ember is no ordinary dog: he thinks he is an evil overlord, destined to rule the world. He enlists the help of the other pets in the house, like Smelly Steve the hamster and Neo the canary, to take over the neighborhood. Their first mission is defeating Masher, the mean squirrel who lives next door. But to his shock, Ember finds himself growing attached to his “minions”, the Chin family—especially Lucy. Does Ember still have what it takes to control of the neighborhood… and the world?

With laugh-out-loud humor, engaging artwork on every page, and nonstop action that will have readers rushing to turn the pages, Pets Rule is the just-right series for any emerging reader!

"This early chapter book expertly cultivates a larger-than-life pseudo-antihero... an infectiously silly series starter." — Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338756333
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/28/2022
Series:	Pets Rule!
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	95,070
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

SUSAN TAN has lived in many places in her life, but calls Concord, Massachusetts, home. After studying at Williams College, she earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she studied children's literature. She currently lives in Somerville, enjoys frequent trips to Chinatown to eat tzuck sang, and teaches at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Susan is the author of the Cilla Lee-Jenkins chapter book series, and the Pets Rule! series.
WENDY TAN SHIAU WEI is a visual development and storyboard artist for animated series, advertising, and films, and an illustrator for children’s books and publishing. Her work can be seen in TV commercials, radio stations, advertisements, shows, publishing, and fashion. Wendy loves telling stories through her work; storyboarding and comics are two of the ways she expresses her thoughts and feelings. She lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with her family.

Editorial Reviews

"This early chapter book expertly cultivates a larger-than-life pseudo-antihero... an infectiously silly series starter." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan:

* “Cilla’s empathy, candor, and skill at turning a phrase indicates that her claim to be a future author extraordinaire is completely justified . . . Anyone who spends time with Cilla Lee-Jenkins will look forward to reading her in the future.” — Booklist, starred review

“Heartwarming and poignant! Meeting Cilla felt like making a new best friend. I can’t wait to share the book with my own daughter.” — Grace Lin, bestselling author of Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver

“Tan writes in a fun and spunky voice that brings to mind favorite characters such as Junie B. Jones, Ramona Quimby, and Fancy Nancy but is still all her own . . . Readers will identify with Cilla and wish they were friends with her in real life.” — School Library Journal

“In Tan’s debut novel… readers will meet spunky 8 ½ year old Cilla, who is 50% Chinese, 50% Caucasian and I think 100% wonderful… I suspect young readers will want to reach into the pages and hug her!” — Rachel Renee Russell writing for Amazon’s Omnivoracious, bestselling author of The Dork Diaries

From the Publisher

2022-04-13
A rescue dog takes on the neighborhood scourge to get one step closer to world domination.

When the Chin family brings home new Chihuahua Ember, he immediately boasts of his plans for a kingdom takeover. Unfortunately, none of the household’s humans understand their would-be overlord’s barks. Not even his “favorite minion,” Lucy, seems phased. The “not cute” but “EVIL” Chihuahua tries his luck with the other pets—a hamster named Steve, a bird named Neo, and a beetle named BeBe. As luck would have it, someone already rules the neighborhood: a mean squirrel named Masher. To get to the top, Ember needs to take Masher down—and brave some very scary trash cans in the process. Is this the “great and terrible destiny” he has been dreaming of? Told in 13 chapters from Ember’s first-person point of view, this early chapter book expertly cultivates a larger-than-life pseudo-antihero. Tan’s tone is light, with bursts of high drama and action. Tan Shiau Wei’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations further enhance the comedy, creating dissonance between the pup’s expectations and reality. The Chin family is cued Chinese. Future installments are already in the works.

An infectiously silly series starter. (questions and activities) (Humor. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews