Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Mistakes Were Made is not the sort of book I'd normally pay much attention to. I'm not a huge fan of children's lit and this one looked a bit too juvenile for me (not that I'm not very childish at heart). I picked up this novel for one reason: Tom McCarthy, genius behind such movie gems as The Station Agent, Win Win, and Up, is adapting the novel to film. McCarthy isn't a filmmaker who deals in adaptations, so I was intrigued with what this book was all about.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that McCarthy has taken on this project. It's quirky, which is right up McCarthy's alley, but it has a different tone than McCarthy's usual “quirky with heavy underlying dramatic weight.” But enough about a film that doesn't even exist yet.

This is a show more hilarious book. The humor is fresh and often unexpected—even though Timmy's lack of common sense is established early, the disconnect is so absurd and finely drawn that I laughed out loud every time he reached a conclusion. This is the kind of humor that can be understood by children and adults alike, but may at times be lost on some children.

The narrative was great and the plot worked fine for the style. I was very much engaged for the bulk of the story. At the point where the story begins to wrap, however, the plot sort of fizzled. The conclusion was very rushed and not all that entertaining. For a novel which spent so much time setting up the dynamics of the narrative and the setting, as well as introducing us to a myriad of wonderful characters, I guess there just wasn't enough room to build a satisfactory ending. Hopefully, now that the stage is set, the following books in the series provide a stronger story arc. (And, yes, I do plan on continuing this series.)

The Timmy Failure movie is schedule for release in 2020. I'm sure given McCarthy's handling, it'll be a fabulous movie—though one cannot forget (and maybe not forgive) The Cobbler. show less

This is exactly the kind of book I usually do circles around, biding my time before finally sucumbing to its pages. It's exactly the kind of humor I avoided when I was a kid myself (considering myself way too sophisticated as I indulged my inner Laura Ingalls Wilder) and after the string of Wimpy Kid copy-cats disappointments, I assumed this would just be another sad attempt for the Wimpy Kid set. Au contraire. This snappy novel by Stephan Pastis positively sings: it is sly, it is humorous, it is sweet, and it is edgy in all the right ways. It is just the kind of smart, funny book I want to hand to my readers, particularly (as you can guess), my reluctant boy readers. They will eat this up, every bit of verbosity, every imaginary polar show more bear, every missing Segway, and every Weevil Bun. Because, (insert sheepish admittance), so did I. show less

Not a genre I gravitate too, but the drawing and bright red cover drew me in. this is darkly, sarcastically hilarious, full of witting and cutting remarks I'd like to use and not give Timmy Failure credit. This was a quick, easy, enjoyable read. I actually like the sort of dark undercurrent here that Timmy has a single mother under employed and sinking into financial ruin.

When you recommend books to children for a living, sometimes the children want to recommend books back. And then you end up reading truly terrible things. Timmy is a jerk. It was painful to read more than 25 pages. He's like a child version of Donald Trump, without the money. It's like a mashup of Wimpy Kid and Calvin & Hobbes in the worst possible ways. I know that there are people who find "stupid" funny. I am not one of them.

Timmy Failure is the founder, president, and CEO of the best detective agency in town, probably the nation (at least that what he says). Timmy is self-confident and clearly the sharpest kid at school, even if no one else sees that. This book is his documentation of the cases he solves. The author, Stephan Pastis, (also the creator of Pearls Before Swine), does an incredible job of combing witty humor with clever drawings. If taken seriously, this book could be viewed as depressing, but, if taken in the manner it was intended, humor, the book is hilarious.

What I liked: the humor is fantastic. There were many times when I (literally) laughed out loud, and the drawings were so on point with the humor. The main character, Timmy, is unique show more and eccentric, and the mother is fabulous. There are many jokes that, while funny for kids, are even funnier for adults. This would be a great book to read with your child.

What I didn’t like: not much. My only criticism, and it’s not a big one, is that the book seemed a bit long. Although, if you took out the drawings, it’d be fairly short, it still felt like it dragged a bit in the middle. Not enough to put it down, though.

5 out of 5 stars show less

The story of Timmy Failure, his polar bear, and their detective agency is somewhat amusing, though never laugh-out-loud funny. Many of the chapter titles, however, may make an adult chuckle. It goes on way too long and there are inconsistencies between Timmy's misunderstanding of the meaning of "garbanzo" and his seeming understanding of a word such as "recidivism". His inability to overcome his prejudices to see what is plain to everyone else also gets annoying after a while--although it is likely to make your child feel smarter while reading it.

I read this on recommendation from one of my students. Some parts are funny, but there are a few pop culture references children likely won't understand. I also kept waiting for the reveal that Timmy had ADHD or Asperger's. He's clearly intelligent and imaginative, but also VERY unfocused, academically unmotivated, and rude to his friends. I'm intrigued enough to read the next book, but I hope Timmy's interactions with his classmates aren't so negative.