Close Modal

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Emperor of the Universe #5

Illustrated by Robb Mommaerts
Look inside
Hardcover (Paper-over-Board, no jacket)
$14.99 US
5.25"W x 7.31"H x 0.86"D   (13.3 x 18.6 x 2.2 cm) | 14 oz (403 g) | 36 per carton
On sale Oct 20, 2020 | 224 Pages | 9780593096222
Age 8-12 years | Grades 3-7
Reading Level: Lexile 680L | Fountas & Pinnell T
Sales rights: World
"Applaud for KLAWDE. Two paws up!"--Dav Pilkey, creator of the Dog Man series.

"Funny, savage, and brilliant, Klawde is the pet I wish I had."--Max Brallier, New York Times Bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth.

Klawde is not your basic cat. He's an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He's cruel. He's cunning. He's brilliant... and he's also Raj Banerjee's best friend.

Following a humiliating, defeated effort to conquer Earth, Klawde has had it with this this dismal planet. And anyway, what's the point in conquering such an insignificant corner of the galaxy, when there's an entire universe to rule? Luckily for Klawde, the position of Emperor of the Universe is now open for the taking.

So with Barx and Raj by his side, and enemies around every corner, Klawde begins the campaign of his life. Can he win enough hearts and minds to become . . . Emperor of the Universe?

Heavily illustrated, with a hilarious, biting voice that switches between Raj's and Klawde's perspectives, this is the story of an unlikely friendship that emerges between a boy and the evil cat who arrived on his doorstep.
Chapter 0

 
Refresh.
 
Refresh.
 
Refresh.
 
Hiss! No matter how many times I checked my communicator messages, the Galacta-vite had yet to appear—and the evil warlords convention was mere moonrises away!
 
Perhaps the invitation had been delayed by meteor showers in the Blargian Quadrant. I set an alert to notify me the instant it came in, and then closed my eyes to take a Calming Nap.
 
How I looked forward to these gatherings of A.W.E.S.O.M.E.—the Allied Warlords of Evil, Sabotage, Oppression, and More Evil. In attendance would be the most diabolical tyrants, despots, and dictators in the entire universe.
 
It is so fulfilling to be among one’s peers.
 
“Klawde! Hey, Klawde! Are you down in the basement?”
 
It was the boy-ogre, home from school. He descended into the bunker in a more positive mood than usual.
 
“I did so good at the shootaround today,” he said. “I sank more baskets than most of the seventh-graders! I’m so glad it’s finally basketball season.”
 
Though I explicitly told him not to, the Human then described this “basketball” to me. It was a comically absurd activity in which ogres patted an inflated rubber globe with their flat, oversize paws so it would bounce repeatedly upon the ground. At random moments, they would hurl it into the air, aiming for a hoop suspended above their heads.
 
The game seemed little more advanced than the one played by the cave cats of yore, who batted around the skulls of their enemies—and so much less amusing.
 
“Ogre, your chatter is exceptionally mind-numbing today,” I said. “Do you have nothing interesting to speak of?” I did need to take my mind off the missing AWESOME invitation.
 
“Well, I’m doing a school report about a tyrannical general turned dictator.”
 
“Raj,” I said. “I am touched.”
 
“It’s not about you,” the boy-ogre said. “It’s about Napoleon.”
 
Apparently this particular ogre-warlord had led armies that vanquished one part of a small landmass called “Europe” over two hundred years ago. How was that impressive? He couldn’t bring even half of Earth to its knees?
 
“But he conquered a bunch of different countries,” the boy-Human said.
 
“I do not understand why you ogres even divide yourselves up at all. Don’t you realize that you are all utterly the same? I can hardly tell one of you from the other,” I said. “Now, cats, on the other hand—each one of us is an entirely unique and memorable individual.”
 
The ogre rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I’ve got a problem. My partner on the project is Newt. You know how mean she is to me.”
 
“Ah, yes, the one who ran over your stuffed bear with that wheeled board she rides? And who constantly humiliates you with her superior cunning?” I said.
 
“Uh, yeah,” the ogre said. “Her.”
 
“Excellent! Now you have the chance to beat her at her own game. Expose her as an unworthy fraud. As an imbecile!”
 
“But that would only hurt me. Because we’re partners, we get graded together.”
 
“That makes no sense.”
 
“I don’t think you understand the point of teamwork, Klawde,” he said.
 
About this, the boy-ogre was perhaps correct. Why work with someone else when you could work against them? It was yet another example of ogre stupidity.
 


Chapter 1

 
At breakfast, my parents asked me about my school project, but that was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
 
“Basketball tryouts are today,” I said. “I’m really hoping to make the varsity team.”
 
“But you’re only in sixth grade, dear,” Mom said.
 
“I know, but I was as good as the seventh graders back in Brooklyn.”
 
“Well, good luck,” she said. “Although I do wish you were doing a more interesting sport. Like fencing. Or chess!”
 
“Chess isn’t a sport, Mom.”
 
“You’re going to do great, Raj,” Dad said. He nudged me with an elbow. “And maybe you’ll give baseball a try in the spring!”
 
“That’s barely a sport, either,” I mumbled.
 
As I got up to clear my place, Klawde jumped onto the table and took a bite of scrambled eggs off Dad’s plate.
 
“Krish, don’t let the cat do that,” Mom said.
 
Like “let” had anything to do with it. Klawde stared Dad down and then—with lightning quickness—slashed him across the back of his hand.
 
Dad shook his finger and said, “Naughty kitty!”
 
With similar lightning quickness, Mom scooped Klawde off the table.
 
“Pets do not eat on tables in this house.”
 
Klawde let out a major hiss, but I knew he wouldn’t risk scratching her. He might be evil, but he wasn’t stupid.
 
 
 
 

 
Johnny Marciano is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. The fourth book in his Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat series is set to come out in Summer 2020. His previous work for kids ranges from The Witches of Benevento series to The No-Good Nine to Madeline at the White House, while his nonfiction work for adults includes the humorous word book Anonyponymous as well as Whatever Happened to the Metric System. Johnny lives in Headquarters, NJ, with his wife, daughter, two cats, and a dog. View titles by Johnny Marciano
Emily Chenoweth is a former fiction editor of Publishers Weekly. Her work has appeared in Tin House, Bookforum, and People, among other publications. She lives in Portland, Oregon. View titles by Emily Chenoweth
Available for sale exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahamas
•     Bahrain
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Benin
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Botswana
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cameroon
•     Canada
•     Cape Verde
•     Cayman Islands
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominica
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Gambia
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Grenada
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guam
•     Guatemala
•     Guernsey
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Guyana
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Jamaica
•     Japan
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Lesotho
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Malta
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mauritius
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Montserrat
•     Morocco
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     New Zealand
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Nigeria
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     North Mariana
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Pakistan
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Philippines
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Puerto Rico
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Saint Martin
•     Samoa,American
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St Barthelemy
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Sudan
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Tanzania
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA
•     Uganda
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     United Kingdom
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vanuatu
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Western Samoa
•     Yemen
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

About

"Applaud for KLAWDE. Two paws up!"--Dav Pilkey, creator of the Dog Man series.

"Funny, savage, and brilliant, Klawde is the pet I wish I had."--Max Brallier, New York Times Bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth.

Klawde is not your basic cat. He's an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He's cruel. He's cunning. He's brilliant... and he's also Raj Banerjee's best friend.

Following a humiliating, defeated effort to conquer Earth, Klawde has had it with this this dismal planet. And anyway, what's the point in conquering such an insignificant corner of the galaxy, when there's an entire universe to rule? Luckily for Klawde, the position of Emperor of the Universe is now open for the taking.

So with Barx and Raj by his side, and enemies around every corner, Klawde begins the campaign of his life. Can he win enough hearts and minds to become . . . Emperor of the Universe?

Heavily illustrated, with a hilarious, biting voice that switches between Raj's and Klawde's perspectives, this is the story of an unlikely friendship that emerges between a boy and the evil cat who arrived on his doorstep.

Excerpt

Chapter 0

 
Refresh.
 
Refresh.
 
Refresh.
 
Hiss! No matter how many times I checked my communicator messages, the Galacta-vite had yet to appear—and the evil warlords convention was mere moonrises away!
 
Perhaps the invitation had been delayed by meteor showers in the Blargian Quadrant. I set an alert to notify me the instant it came in, and then closed my eyes to take a Calming Nap.
 
How I looked forward to these gatherings of A.W.E.S.O.M.E.—the Allied Warlords of Evil, Sabotage, Oppression, and More Evil. In attendance would be the most diabolical tyrants, despots, and dictators in the entire universe.
 
It is so fulfilling to be among one’s peers.
 
“Klawde! Hey, Klawde! Are you down in the basement?”
 
It was the boy-ogre, home from school. He descended into the bunker in a more positive mood than usual.
 
“I did so good at the shootaround today,” he said. “I sank more baskets than most of the seventh-graders! I’m so glad it’s finally basketball season.”
 
Though I explicitly told him not to, the Human then described this “basketball” to me. It was a comically absurd activity in which ogres patted an inflated rubber globe with their flat, oversize paws so it would bounce repeatedly upon the ground. At random moments, they would hurl it into the air, aiming for a hoop suspended above their heads.
 
The game seemed little more advanced than the one played by the cave cats of yore, who batted around the skulls of their enemies—and so much less amusing.
 
“Ogre, your chatter is exceptionally mind-numbing today,” I said. “Do you have nothing interesting to speak of?” I did need to take my mind off the missing AWESOME invitation.
 
“Well, I’m doing a school report about a tyrannical general turned dictator.”
 
“Raj,” I said. “I am touched.”
 
“It’s not about you,” the boy-ogre said. “It’s about Napoleon.”
 
Apparently this particular ogre-warlord had led armies that vanquished one part of a small landmass called “Europe” over two hundred years ago. How was that impressive? He couldn’t bring even half of Earth to its knees?
 
“But he conquered a bunch of different countries,” the boy-Human said.
 
“I do not understand why you ogres even divide yourselves up at all. Don’t you realize that you are all utterly the same? I can hardly tell one of you from the other,” I said. “Now, cats, on the other hand—each one of us is an entirely unique and memorable individual.”
 
The ogre rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I’ve got a problem. My partner on the project is Newt. You know how mean she is to me.”
 
“Ah, yes, the one who ran over your stuffed bear with that wheeled board she rides? And who constantly humiliates you with her superior cunning?” I said.
 
“Uh, yeah,” the ogre said. “Her.”
 
“Excellent! Now you have the chance to beat her at her own game. Expose her as an unworthy fraud. As an imbecile!”
 
“But that would only hurt me. Because we’re partners, we get graded together.”
 
“That makes no sense.”
 
“I don’t think you understand the point of teamwork, Klawde,” he said.
 
About this, the boy-ogre was perhaps correct. Why work with someone else when you could work against them? It was yet another example of ogre stupidity.
 


Chapter 1

 
At breakfast, my parents asked me about my school project, but that was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
 
“Basketball tryouts are today,” I said. “I’m really hoping to make the varsity team.”
 
“But you’re only in sixth grade, dear,” Mom said.
 
“I know, but I was as good as the seventh graders back in Brooklyn.”
 
“Well, good luck,” she said. “Although I do wish you were doing a more interesting sport. Like fencing. Or chess!”
 
“Chess isn’t a sport, Mom.”
 
“You’re going to do great, Raj,” Dad said. He nudged me with an elbow. “And maybe you’ll give baseball a try in the spring!”
 
“That’s barely a sport, either,” I mumbled.
 
As I got up to clear my place, Klawde jumped onto the table and took a bite of scrambled eggs off Dad’s plate.
 
“Krish, don’t let the cat do that,” Mom said.
 
Like “let” had anything to do with it. Klawde stared Dad down and then—with lightning quickness—slashed him across the back of his hand.
 
Dad shook his finger and said, “Naughty kitty!”
 
With similar lightning quickness, Mom scooped Klawde off the table.
 
“Pets do not eat on tables in this house.”
 
Klawde let out a major hiss, but I knew he wouldn’t risk scratching her. He might be evil, but he wasn’t stupid.
 
 
 
 

 

Author

Johnny Marciano is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. The fourth book in his Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat series is set to come out in Summer 2020. His previous work for kids ranges from The Witches of Benevento series to The No-Good Nine to Madeline at the White House, while his nonfiction work for adults includes the humorous word book Anonyponymous as well as Whatever Happened to the Metric System. Johnny lives in Headquarters, NJ, with his wife, daughter, two cats, and a dog. View titles by Johnny Marciano
Emily Chenoweth is a former fiction editor of Publishers Weekly. Her work has appeared in Tin House, Bookforum, and People, among other publications. She lives in Portland, Oregon. View titles by Emily Chenoweth

Rights

Available for sale exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahamas
•     Bahrain
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Benin
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Botswana
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cameroon
•     Canada
•     Cape Verde
•     Cayman Islands
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominica
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Gambia
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Grenada
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guam
•     Guatemala
•     Guernsey
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Guyana
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Jamaica
•     Japan
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Lesotho
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Malta
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mauritius
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Montserrat
•     Morocco
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     New Zealand
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Nigeria
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     North Mariana
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Pakistan
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Philippines
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Puerto Rico
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Saint Martin
•     Samoa,American
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St Barthelemy
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Sudan
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Tanzania
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA
•     Uganda
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     United Kingdom
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vanuatu
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Western Samoa
•     Yemen
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe