Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

How to Win the Gruesome Games

Rate this book
Being BAD has never felt so GOOD! The third book in the villainously funny, highly illustrated young middle-grade series from author-illustrator Ryan Hammond. For fans of Amelia Fang, Dog Man and Grimwood. Check out the complete series – Villains Academy and Villains How to Steal a Dragon.
 
‘Heart-warming and hilarious – Villains Academy is a spookalicious treat, set to terrify every other book on your shelf.’ Jack Meggitt-Phillips, author of The Beast and the Bethany
 
‘An absolute HOOT! Evil laughs aplenty!’ Sophy Henn, author and illustrator of the Pizazz series
 
Once a year the five original founders of Villains Academy rise from their graves in honour of the Gruesome Games – a school sports day unlike any other, where the aim is to prank and cheat your way to the finish line. Werewolf Bram and his friends the Cereal Killers are determined to win so their names can be written in the Book of Bad, a record of the most wicked villains to grace the school. But as the games become harder and the pranks get out of hand, are Bram and his friends bad enough to go down as the most victorious villains in history? 

PRAISE FOR VILLAINS

‘A charmingly villainous adventure about friendship, school and unspeakable evil.’ Louie Stowell, author of A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good

‘Criminally fun!’ Danny Wallace, author of The Day the Screens Went Blank

‘Frightfully fun – Villains Academy had me cackling from the very first page!’ Katie Tsang, co-author of the Dragon Realm series
  
‘I loved the spookily funny Villains Academy. It's a work of (evil) genius!’ Jenny McLachlan, author of The Land of Roar

‘A joyful hug of a book with genuine warmth and heart.’ Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear

‘A delightfully fun adventure with real heart and humour.’ Benjamin Dean, author of Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow

‘Immersive, funny, and with a cast of scarily loveable characters, Villains Academy made me feel like I was IN the book!’ Mel Taylor-Bessent, author of The Christmas Carrolls

‘A fabulously funny adventure. I want to enrol in Villains Academy!’ Nick Sheridan, author of The Case of the Runaway Brain

‘Wickedly funny and full of quirky yet loveable characters.’ Iona Rangeley, author of Einstein the Penguin

‘This is a brilliant, bonkers work packed with top-notch illustration.’ Jack Noel, author and illustrator of the Comic Classics series
 
‘Full of wonderful characters, Villains Academy is such a FUN read!’ Rikin Parekh, illustrator of The Worst Class in the World series

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2024

3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read

About the author

Ryan Hammond

9 books

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
15 (75%)
4 stars
5 (25%)
3 stars
0 (0%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Mimi.
717 reviews156 followers
January 5, 2025
"Nobody is born mean...bad...evil. Whatever you want to call it. Nobody is born anything. We're all a product or our upbringing, of our surroundings, our families, and our education. Everyone has different problems and circumstances in their life - but nobody is born evil. It's a choice. One that you have to make."

And the fun at Villains Academy continues! 🤩
Profile Image for Helen.
1,465 reviews38 followers
August 2, 2024
This is such a great series for reluctant readers, the characters are fun, interesting and different to other characters in other books.
THe books are fun to read with illustrations that are just as fun.
Of course behind all the craziness and laughter there is a serious message in the story, that being you don’t need to be good at everything- true friends will support you no matter what.
I always recommend this series to the children at my school and I look forward to their next adventure.
Profile Image for Chloe Booth-Dobson.
352 reviews
April 27, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The villains are back and better than ever!

As with the rest of the series, I adored this book! Villains academy is the perfect series for those young reluctant readers because it’s so full of fun, pranks and so many crazy antics! I’m always recommending this series and I’m sad to see it come to an end but very excited to see what Ryan writes next! As always the illustrations were incredible and added so much depth to the story! I can’t wait to recommend this one to everyone!
Profile Image for Steph Hayward-bailey .
1,076 reviews5 followers
May 22, 2024
Me and my daughter really loved this 3rd installment in the series. The way it shows that you don't have to win to be good at something and how true friends will support you is brilliant for the kids it aimed at. We both enjoyed the pranks as well.
Profile Image for Steph.
1,449 reviews87 followers
May 6, 2024
This series continues to be delightfully fun, full of evil-mess and brilliant characters! When it comes to the Gruesome Games, Bram and his friends are desperate to win… but there’s more than one way to make history! Can’t wait to share this with my kids!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.