New Unpublished Title: ROBIN AND THE SNACK HEIST by Matthew Graeme
Synopsis
A six-year-old invites the Evil Overlord to his party, from the makers of ‘The Office’.
Leo is having a sixth birthday party. His problem is that tradition dictates that he has to invite everyone from his kindergarten class, including the 8ft tall, armour-clad, Evil Overlord. Leo is so vigilant at ensuring the Evil Overlord doesn’t do anything "evil", that he has a terrible time himself.
Leo participates in a series of classic Australian party games and birthday rituals as part of the perfect party. However, Leo struggles to view the Evil Overlord as anything other than a villain. This rigid attitude compels him to waste his only kindergarten party attempting to prevent catastrophe befalling the event by the hand of his “special" guest. Ironically, Leo fails to recognise that his true goal is to actually enjoy his party so, unwittingly, does everything in his power to sabotage himself.
Throughout the story, two conflicts are established, Leo's internal conflict with himself and the external one with the Evil Overlord for readers. These conflicts are encouraged through Leo's promise to the reader that something "evil" is about to happen. At the climax, the reader reconciles their conflict with the Evil Overlord through the non-sequitur "evil" act of receiving two party bags of all things. The fact that Leo is an unreliable narrator throughout helps resolve this further. Being his own foil, Leo then reconciles the conflict with himself at the end of the book by acknowledging that he appreciates the gift he received from the Evil Overlord and is excited to attend his party in turn.
Market Position Statement
My Party Guest is Evil is a comedy/fantasy story that follows Leo, a six-year-old boy looking forward to his birthday party whilst dreading the arrival of one particular guest. This book is aimed at children aged between 4-7 as it taps into the exciting and familiar cultural phenomenon of the kindergarten birthday party.
The style of this book is comparable to the Do Not Open this Book series (Andy Lee), as Leo also interacts with the reader. However, My Party Guest is Evil stands out from these titles as the story switches between character-driven narrative and comical, over-the-top dialogue directly to the reader, similar to popular shows such as The Office or Parks and Recreation. By breaking the fourth wall, the story ensures young children can relate to Leo, eliminating any ambiguity from the character.
The series of self-inflicted punishment provides many opportunities to entertain readers whilst giving parents, carers and teachers a chance to teach life lessons such as "making the most of it” and “don't judge a book by its cover".
Page 1
‘Do I really have to invite everyone?’ Leo asked his mum.
‘Everyone has to be invited. It's not fair if only one person isn't.’
‘But, mum, he's evil!’
Page 2
All I want is to have a normal birthday party. Presents, games, cake and fun! Is that so much to ask? No one else has to invite the Evil Overlord to THEIR party.
Illustrator notes:
Page 1
Leo and his mum are sitting at the table, writing out party invitations to his sixth birthday party. He looks absolutely incredulous when his mum tells him he has to invite everyone.
Page 2
Leo breaks the fouth wall, addressing the reader.
Created by Matthew Graeme, 2025