Star of a long-running comic strip, sixth-grader Nate Wright makes the leap to a cartoon-laden chapter book in the smart alecky vein of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Nate (who’s “not exactly Joe Honor Roll”) dissects the horrors of middle school, from vindictive teachers to the popular girls’ lunch table, aka Fort Knox (“You can try to get in, but you have no chance”). The wisp of a plot revolves around a fortune cookie that predicts, “Today you will surpass all others,” launching Nate into actions that indeed cause him to surpass all others with seven detentions. (His ill-conceived plans include speed-eating 148 servings of cafeteria green beans.) The book’s appeal lies in Nate’s wickedly astute observations and the savvy integration of cartoons with text. Angry teachers’ speech bubbles drip with icicles, and sidebars house humorous asides: “When a teacher completely snaps and starts screaming, it’s called a Full Godfrey. (When Mrs. Godfrey does it, it’s called Monday).” Though Nate may not achieve the fame he seeks with his classmates, this sharp-witted and unflappable protagonist just might find it with readers. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

Praise for BIG NATE ON A ROLL: “Nate is often compared to Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid and will appeal to the same audience, he bears more resemblance to the tricksters of folklore...the interplay between text and pictures remains fresh, as does the distinction between Peirce’s cartoons and Nate’s own cartoons.

Praise for BIG NATE STRIKES AGAIN: “The millions of Wimpy Kid fans will be thrilled to find another cartoon buddy to read about, this good-hearted king of detention.

Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or of Nate himself will savor P.S. 38’s most beleaguered hero.What carries the day are the zany illustrations and unflagging enthusiasm of Nate himself.

Nate’s persistent good cheer and moxie make him a likeable new proxy for young misfits.

Many laugh-out-loud moments...There is so much to like here...The millions of Wimpy Kid fans will be thrilled to find another cartoon buddy to read about, this good-hearted king of detention.

"Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or of Nate himself will savor P.S. 38’s most beleaguered hero.What carries the day are the zany illustrations and unflagging enthusiasm of Nate himself."

"Many laugh-out-loud moments...There is so much to like here...The millions of Wimpy Kid fans will be thrilled to find another cartoon buddy to read about, this good-hearted king of detention."

Trouble starts when Big Nate gets a fortune cookie that tells him, "Today you will surpass all others." He takes it to heart and for the rest of the book tries to discover exactly in what way he will do that. As the day wears on, and as Nate gets detention slips for bad behavior in one class after another, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He tries to break the world record for eating green beans, with disastrous results. He thinks that he has finally done it when he finishes a math pop quiz before anyone else, only to find out later that he forgot to answer the questions on the back of the page. As the day ends with Nate sitting in detention, and the fortune seemingly unfulfilled, Mrs. Czerwicki, the detention monitor, asks him how many detention slips he actually has. The answer is seven, and Mrs. Czerwicki confirms that no one has ever gotten seven detention slips before. Nate is the new record holder. He has, indeed, surpassed all others. This is a funny book with a witty plot, but there are some drawbacks. The book contains many stand-alone vignettes throughout; these are comical, but many do not contribute anything to the plot. In fact, the plot does not really get going until the first third of the book is over. While some children will be entertained by all the diversions, others may find the technique distracting. In any event, this would probably be a good book for boys who may think that reading is not fun, or who are having trouble getting motivated to read. This book is derived from the "Big Nate" comic strip presents his adventures in a graphic novel. Reviewer: Leona Illig

Gr 4–6—Nate is a sixth grader who has a problem with organization. Everything is going wrong, and he's piling up detention after detention. Things start to improve when he gets a fortune cookie with a message stating that he will "surpass all others," giving him a purpose for the day and leading to humorous incidents such as when he tries to beat a speed record for eating green beans, and when he tickles his science teacher with a feather duster. This fully developed protagonist debuted in a comic strip; this is Peirce's first book about him, and it is a successful, laugh-out-loud venture. Readers meet a variety of characters, each with a unique personality or trait. Peirce's black-and-white ink illustrations, whether they are comics Nate has drawn or other funny images, help to develop the story. Big Nate will fill in gaps in collections that are looking for books for reluctant readers, and for Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams) read-alikes.—Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL