Big Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild! (Volume 9)

Big Nate will appeal to middle school boys especially. Nate faces struggles with teachers, the school principal, his dad, and sports in this collection. The collection of comics is truly funny at times, and I appreciated the humor and irony of the various scenarios in which Nate finds himself. The characters are unique and cleverly individualistic, but broad enough so that middle schoolers might say that they resemble their own classmates in some way.
This will be an engaging reading experience for middle school boys especially.

A very popular series about a young man named Nate, that navigates all of the precarious situations a young person faces on a daily basis. From starting a band (Enslave the Mollusk!), to trouble at school, soccer practice, and girlfriends, Big Nate takes a lighthearted look at very real situations kids bump into every day. Good fun, and it is broken into story lines that connect, but are not contingent so that a daily, or weekly reading session will not interupt the flow, allowing many good stopping points throughout.

As these are all starting to blend together in their mediocrity, I'll just affix a conversation I had with some students about Big Nate:
One of my students caught me reading this and they were SOOO excited to see a teacher reading the same stuff THEY read. So, I decided to take the opportunity to ask a few students why they enjoy Big Nate. I was met with blank stares. "Well...ummmm..."
Me: If you don't like it, why do you read it?
Her: Because it's fast. We get more points for more books, so we can get quick points.
Her fellow students: *nods and murmurs of agreement*

Ah. That makes so much sense.

Love this series and the great drawings.