Big Nate on a Roll (2011)

My only complaint is that there was not enough Gina! ( )

This is an incredibly well-illustrated chapter book that tells a great story. Told and illustrated in the first person, It follows Nate as he struggles in school and at home with finding his place. He struggles with another character, Arthur, who Nate calls "Mr. Perfect" and "Mr. Lucky" and who has joined Nate's scout troop. The book is reminiscent of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and may be a pre-curser to it for readers. It is funny and very graphic-novel-esque in style and appeal. It would be a great book to get mid-late elementary-age students into reading because of the content and style. ( )

great series for 2-3 graders

(by Lucs, 9)
When Nate finds out too late that Artur (who is supposedly Russian) is part of their Timber Scouts, Nate has to sell tons of wall hangings, more than Artur. Then Nate has a brilliant idea: he's going to get money and buy the posters himself! He does chores to get a little more money. As he gets more and more money, he catches up with Artur, and is officially called the winner. This book, #3, is like Dairy of a Wimpy Kid #3 because the cover is green and Greg and Nate are both in the Scouts. Come on a read it! ( )

Jake's Review: I love when you get me these books mom, because I get to share them at school and all my buds like them. Nate is so funny and he is sorta like me. He gets in trouble all the time and likes to skateboard as much as I do. The story goes by really fast and I wish it was longer. Nate's Dad is kinda dumb but I like him because he is dumb. I hate Spitzy the Dog because he is annoying and really ugly looking. The only thing I didn't like were that some of the pictures were not complete, but Mom explained to me that this copy is an ARC and the completed version will look better. I really can't wait till the next Nate book comes out, because I like these books as much as I like the Wimpy Kid books.

Jake's Rating: 9/10

Mom's Review: These books are absolutely delightful and perfect for the middle school reader, especially for the reluctant ones. Jake loves lending these to Brian because Brian will actually read them (Books and Brian do not go together) and Brian's mom loves them because of this. These are also great books for adult readers because we all have a bit of Nate in us. His honesty and wit will make even the more jaded reader laugh. The story is nice and fast paced so most kids will be hooked and not want to put it down -- which will keep them away from their iPods for a while (Jake's note: I heard that and totally know who you are talking about). School and Public Libraries would be smart to have a couple of copies of each of the titles in the series -- trust me they will be well used.

Mom's Rating: 9.5/10

We received this from Harper Collins Children's in exchange for an honest review and Jake totally loves them for it (me too of course) ( )