Tom Gates: Everything's Amazing (Sort of)

I was ill the other day and in need of a little of that TLC that I used to get from my mom when I was in grade school and home sick. So I decided to see if I could replicate a little of that TLC by wrapping up in my jammies and blankie, eating chicken noodle soup and crackers, and reading Tom Gates, Everything’s Amazing (Sort Of). And, you know … it worked! (Well, as much as it could without my actual mom and her Vicks VapoRub being present) When I read Tom Gates, I was transported back to the world of the grade school reader. That world where you felt so much joy while you were reading a book, when you felt like you were actually living within that book and with all of those characters.

Tom Gates is a UK series, and has been show more compared to the American Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which is high praise, indeed. It’s a sketch-book diary, where Tom’s doodles and drawings and handwritten fonts make the words and the stories come alive. Best of all is Tom’s character, which comes shining through in all of his adventures and mishaps (perhaps embellished a wee bit, Tom? LOL) – he’s got a exuberant, cheerful optimism that just can’t be beat.

I thought Tom Gates: Everything's Amazing (Sort Of) was funny, fun, creative, sweet, and absolutely delightful. I’d recommend it highly to any upper-grade schooler on your list … or those of you who, like me, sometimes long to be back in grade school themselves. show less

This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

First things first, this book is so British! It's like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (or at least like what I'd heard they're like), but written by a British author so full of words and phrases that make me feel like I'm a little English kid. As someone who dearly loves all things U.K., that definitely brings this book up in my esteem - for an American kid reading this with no real understanding of the linguistic differences between our two cultures, it could be very off-putting. On the plus side: Pichon includes a glossary for things that, as Tom puts it, "might sound a bit ODD." On the negative: it's literally the last page of the entire book, so confused readers won't discover show more it until they've already muddled through the entire book.

But what of the book itself? Well, I have to say that this sucker is not winning any literary awards. It's like cotton candy, all fluff and no substance - but you know what? It's good cotton candy. It's realistic and silly and funny and witty, and Tom is such a genuine character that I could totally imagine running into him on some random street corner in the UK. He's also a genuinely nice kid, which I really liked - the problem with the popular series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid is that all of the characters are such jerks I can't stand reading about them. Tom, on the other hand, isn't obnoxious or horrible or unreasonably disrespectful. He argues with his sister, sure, and complains about his grandmother's cooking and makes fun of his father's terrible old-fashioned dance moves, but he does it in a way that's just honest, not over-the-top. I fight with my siblings, too. I pick at food I don't like (but, just like Tom, when someone I love cooks it I only complain about it when they're not there to be hurt). I laugh at my parents when they seem particularly out of touch with modern culture. That doesn't make me a mean person, it just makes me human, and the same goes for Tom.

So if you get a chance to read a Tom Gates books, by all means do so! I'm not going to go around advertising it from the street corners as God's gift to literature, but it might just be exactly the fun, light, silly read you're looking for.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary ARC of this novel at KidLitCon. show less

I had never read a graphic novel previous to this book so I couldn't understand the excitement surrounding the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Smile, or similar series, but I can now! I thoroughly enjoyed middle-school student, Tom Gates, perspective of what an adult would have perceived as fairly typical events in the life of a typical student. Embarrassing parents, out-of-touch grandparents, a moody sister, friends (and friend problems), a birthday party, a school dance, homework... It was all there and it was all fun to read.
I can't wait to introduce this book to my classroom library and watch my students reaction!

As an adult, it took me awhile to get into this book. It wasn't until about half way through when I figured out the chapter dividers and started enjoying it. By the time I reached the end, I was chuckling out loud. Having said that, I have purposely kept it out of my fifth grade classroom until I could review it. I knew it would immediately be checked out and I wouldn't see it again until the end of the year. I expect this to be a great hit with middle-schoolers and older elementary students. The story did remind me of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, but I thought the doodles were much better. Tom Gates will be loved by many kids.

Tom Gates: Everything's Amazing (Sort of) is a humorous account of a boy who has all the typical problems of a tween: a devilish older sister, school bullies, parents who embarrass him at every turn, and grandparents (lovingly named The Fossils) who are out of touch, but tolerable.

His birthday is coming up and although he leaves gift hints all over, he's not sure they are taken seriously and his parents want his party to be held at Dino Village! For goodness sake, that's a little kid venue! Yet, he gets to invite all his friends and it turns out better than he thought it would. Luckily for Tom, too, his band will not be playing at the school disco and thankfully his friend's dad won't be the DJ. Things are turning out ok.

For fans of show more Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Tom Gates series will be a quick read, but it does not come close to matching the cleverness of Kinney's work. The story is scattered and pointless at times (maybe on purpose?). Another distracting element are the British terms used throughout the book. Some of them left me scratching my head for their meaning. There is a small glossary in the back of the book, but it does not define all the confusing terms for us.

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers, L. Pichon, and Candlewick Press for this copy. show less

This is a cute sketch book for intermediate and middle school readers. I loved how many of the words were visually/concrete and the font/style matched the meaning. In terms of plot, there was nothing overly exciting or riveting, but I do have lower readers and reluctant readers in my classroom that would enjoy the layout and artwork in the book. The "cliff hanger" to get you to buy the next book was awkward and not real persuasive for me to keep reading the next one.

My 11 year old jumped right in and quickly read this book the day it arrived. He says it was great, five stars, and even better in ways than Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He really liked the various illustrations and use of fancy text (similar to the Geronimo Stilton books).

It seems like this is another good entry into the diary style of books that all tweens seem to love.