As the world’s most boring tale unfolds, a trio of skeptical creatures beg to change the narrative!

A brave prince and a beautiful princess meet. The princess is attacked by a monster, and the prince defeats the monster. The prince and the princess fall in love, and all is well in the kingdom. But not everyone is happy!

A spider, a dust bunny and a blob read along as this tired tale is told, sharing their astute and funny insights on all that makes the story absurd. They roll their eyes at the gender stereotypes, shake their heads at the lack of diversity, and gasp at the spelling errors. And they are nearly bored to death by the excruciating, slow plot line.

Although readers can walk away, these poor self-aware creatures are stuck in the book. But they are determined to make the most of it, or at least have a little fun trying!

AWARDS

• Winner, The Egghead: The Doug Wright Award for best kids’ book, honouring excellence in Canadian comics
• Winner, Prix Albertine Jeunesse

PRAISE
“Discerning readers of any age should find plenty to like about The Worst Book Ever, which is, in actuality, the very best kind of worst book — the kind that is actually secretly good.” — School Library Journal

“[The Worst Book Ever is] cute and funny, but it also helps readers to be more explicitly aware of the messages we’re presented with in other stories, which I think is a valuable lesson.” — GeekDad

“Gravel is on a sly mission: when they’re not giggling themselves silly, the book’s child readers will be learning, even if only subconsciously, how to think critically” — Montreal Gazette

“Don’t believe the title. ‘It is absolutely not the worst book!’ Turzansky said. Gravel’s story is intentionally error-filled, begging readers to intervene and rescue its exasperated main characters. — CBC Radio

“A fourth-wall-breaking showcase of picture book ‘don’t’s . . . an intentionally dull fairy tale [introduced] with great skepticism.” — Publishers Weekly

“…a laugh-out-loud comic with intentional spelling mistakes, rudimentary drawings, an idiotic sexist hero, and a Greek chorus of blob-like monsters that introduces young readers to literary criticism. The Worst Book Ever was the best thing about 2019… the perfect balance of fun and big themes hidden under more fun.” — Starred Review, Quill & Quire

“It’s not every book that can be trite, dull, sexist, gross, kissy, violent, nondiverse, and replete with misspellings. Of course Gravel does it all deliberately and to such comical effect that ‘I’m wondering if anyone is still reading this book!’ from one of the motley blobs providing reactions to each successive literary malfeasance will definitely be a rhetorical question . . . A clever, ingenious author’s ‘wurst’ work yet.” — Kirkus Reviews