Despicable Me

Gr 3—6—Whereas children's novels often prove excellent fodder for successful films, the reverse is occasionally true. This novelization (Little, Brow, 2010) by Annie Auerbach of the 2010 animated movie release from Universal Studies does justice to a delightful story that seems inspired by Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series. The self-proclaimed villain, Gru, is prodded by his mother to come up with a more devious crime after the Great Pyramid is stolen by a competitor. He decides to steal the moon, but the bank will not loan him the funds. Enter three orphan girls, knocking on the door to sell cookies. The girls are later used to steal a shrink ray from another villain (who loves their cookies), and Gru is forced to temporarily adopt them. Though he attempts to maintain control, the girls wind their way into his heart, demanding bedtime stories, dance lessons, and a stuffed unicorn. The theft of the moon proves to be successful, but only briefly. Tim Curry's excellent narration is spot-on. Listeners need not have seen the movie to enjoy this audiobook. This is a more satisfying novel than the very abbreviated movie spin-off by Lucy Rosen (Little, Brown, 2010) intended for a much younger audience.—Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, MI