Kylie Begg: Evil Fred

The Rancid family has turned nastiness into an art form, and never misses an opportunity to be mean and disgusting. Mr Rancid likes to throw slugs over the vegetables at the supermarket and Mrs Rancid's specialty is pinching babies under the guise of kissing them. Their children are even worse and make school life a nightmare for everyone around them.

When a tiny puppy is left on their doorstep, the Rancids' first thought is to drown him, but then they realise they have the chance to train him up as a really horrible dog. They call him Evil Fred and begin a programme of intensive bad-dog training. He is given disobedience lessons and made to watch lots of violent movies.

However, Evil Fred has his own ideas about how a dog should behave and happily subverts all the Rancids' efforts. Evil Fred is a finalist in this year's New Zealand Post Book Awards.

Publisher: Scholastic

Price: $16.99

Age: 8-10

Recommended by: Jenni Keestra