My eight-year-old son and I read this together since he's a huge fan of the Big Nate series. We loved the graphics that were included from the cartoon series, and the three stories included in this book kept us laughing and coming back for more.

My children enjoy the Big Nate series, and they enjoyed this one.
Will read more of this series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

'Big Nate: Destined for Awesomeness' by Lincoln Peirce is a graphic novel adaptation of three episodes of the new Big Nate animated series.

In the first story, Big Nate is on the verge of too many detentions in one week, triggering a school urban legend. In another, Nate has a terrible birthday until his dad mistakenly lets him use his credit card, which ends in a dog sled race. In the final episode, Nate's fears of cats jeopardizes his school project and his crush on Gina. Each chapter ends with the Big Nate original cartoon that likely inspired it.

I haven't seen the series, but I am a Big Nate fan. This didn't ring true to me as a fan. I much prefer my Big Nate in the normal shorter comics. The art is from the show, and it's actually not too bad.

As a fan of the comic strip--I haven't seen the TV show--it was jarring to see the characters in 3D. Eventually, I got used to it, though. More importantly, this was far different from the strip compilations in that it was three long stories rather than the much smaller arcs we get in the dailies. I don't think that new format helped here, as I lost interest in the plots quickly.

1st Line: " ' Hey!' "

Review: Full disclosure: I am a HUGE fan of Big Nate and his world. Had I a bit more nerve, I would have been Nate as a child (though maybe a bit smarter about things), so between the sarcasm, narcissism, bad jokes, worse plots, and his battle with school teachers, administrators, and pretty much anyone in authority, I was geared for this one. Have read at least a dozen or more collections of Lincoln Peirce's about this irascible, slightly nuts sixth-grader over the last few years, so was ready.

But this one's different; it's actually the first of a series of books based on the new Paramount+ animated series starring Nate and his friends and family. Instead of a collection of comic strips, here you have full-color panels laying out three episodes from the show, complete with comic speech bubbles. Not having Paramount+, I haven't seen the show, so seeing all these beloved characters not just in color but in 3D was a bit jarring (not in a bad way). Further, instead of three-panel or Sunday paper vignettes that basically tell a single joke, here Nate's antics play out in three fully-narrative stories, each episode with its own beginning, middle and end.

The Legend of the Gunting (probably my favorite), about Nate's herculean efforts to avoid one more detention for the week, is funny and goes nicely nuts with a new kid in school who makes Norman Bates look like Shirley Temple. Go Nate! It's Your Birthday, which went a bit over-the-top for me in regards to what I'd think even Nate would try to get away with, outlines the perils of (purposefully) misinterpreting how your dad tells you to use his credit card. Lastly, CATastrophe! is about Nate's crippling fear of felines ... and when he has to deal with one first-hand, in order to get a certain girl's attention and a class project completed.

Well done and a fun read ... but what blew my mind was when, not too far into the book, I realized how much the images reminded me of my own childhood obsession with ViewMaster reels. Between the speech bubbles and pop-out words to express action and the 3D animation, it was like clicking through an old ViewMaster again, and the warm memories that THAT brought alone only added to what was already a funny, enjoyable, action-packed read. (Available August 30) 4/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know what to expect from this book before reading it. This graphic novel is well illustrated. However, the behaviors of the characters aren't what we are looking to teach our children so this would be a pass for us. The stories aren't things that we want to normalize for our kids.



*I received dARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

My son is a big fan of the Big Nate books, but prefers the old school Big Nate books to this book based on the TV show. As a caveat, he has not watched the TV show.

This was a cute collection of Big Nate comics made into longer stories. I think I like the comic version of Big Nate better than this new TV/movie more 3-D version, but then again I've been a fan of the comic for many years. My favorite story was based on a comic strip where Nate goes to Jenny's house and finds out she has a cat, and he's deathly afraid of cats. The one where Nate charges up his dad's credit card was pretty good too but the cat one was the best. I always remember his dad the best, frankly, because he has such a distinctive look, and I've seen a number of humans that look like him ;( I'm glad to have this reintroduction to Big Nate and I'll keep an eye out for more TV/movie versions of the gang.

I received a promotional copy of this book and am giving an honest review.

I was very excited when I saw that their would be a graphic novel version of Big Nate. I teacher 2nd grade and I have many students who love reading the original series. I wanted to get a first hand look at the new book to see if my students would be interested in the new way it is being portrayed.

At the beginning it seemed well laid out. It seemed like the book had vibes of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the old TV series Recess. Nate seemed quirky and fun. However after reading further, I got concerns that would have me think twice about recommending it to my students or teachers in my school. There were many instances that I felt would be triggering for the students I teach.

I work in a low income area. A large number of students at the school I teach are on the free/reduced lunch program. Many times I have had students who do not have school supplies or even a change of clothes. I have had students who deal with neglect, domestic abuse, or homelessness. You might think that my experience is the exception and not the rule. I know schools near me that do not have as many challenges that my school does. However, I am not alone. There are many schools and districts across the US that deal with these same issues.

Concerns:
1. ADULTS: All of the adults in Nate's school and at home do not seem to be helpful or even care about Nate. The teachers are portrayed as malicious or powerless. Nate's dad even talks about how he gave up on his dreams and things that haunt his past, but doesn't give Nate advice. Similar characters are in kid TV shows about school, however there was a teacher and/or parents who cared about the kids. There is no mentor or Yoda to help him through things. It just feels defeating when you read it in this book.

2. Bentley Carter: He is introduced as a rich kid and is supposed to be treated differently because of it. This is presented by the principal to Nate's whole class. Bentley seems to have white particles in his hair in the illustrations. I think that the illustrator means for it to be dandruff, however the students I teach have more experience with lice. To them, lice is embarrassing. You get sent home, everyone in class gets sent home with a letter so that their parents know to keep an eye on their child's hygiene.

3. Chad: When Nate and his friends hide under a table, Chad makes the comment "This is just like the table I sleep under at home." It is meant to be funny. However, many students in my school deal with neglect. Even if they have parents who love them and want the best for them, they may not be able to provide for them or to have someone there when they get home from school (even when they are young elementary students). Later, Chad is blamed for something and the PE teacher blows a whistle at him, his friends say "Look out!," and then the PE teacher is shown holding Chad and the sound "WHAM!" is displayed. This leaves a lot to the imagination. Is Chad just being taken away or was there harm done. Maybe I just see things differently because of my experiences, but this isn't funny.

I feel like this book had so much potential. Graphic novels have been on the rise for kids for years and to choose a beloved character is wonderful. I understand that not every book needs to have a educational value. That it can just be for fun. However, the triggers in this book would be too much for my students.

I have to say I was a little bit cautious about approaching this, when I saw it was not a real Big Nate book, but one based on the cartoon series. And don't pretend I was alone in doubting its ability to share the same shelves as the real thing, either. Here we see evidence that the series is actually pretty solid, all told – nicely colourised and rounded-out character forms, with some hand-drawn styling perfectly in keeping with Nate's own comic drawing. It of course goes more for the drama and longer-form narratives than the joke-obsessed daily strips can, and while its jokes seem fewer apart than needed now and again, when they land they are pretty strong. There is also scope for more subsidiary detail – witness the early instance of one of Mrs Godfrey's victims, drooling over his desk with an SOS drawn on his eyelids.

So, in the first story Nate is one detention away from managing all five in a given week, which actually may be a fate worse than Godfrey if school legend is anything to go by. Unfortunately, at the same time he's in charge of a most irksome, goading hoodlum of a newcomer. Next, the "Ididnotarod" sled-dog race features as Nate is desperate for the prize money – in fact, any money. Finally, when Nate manages to wrangle a homework project to be worked on by him and Jenny, his worst fears come true when it turns out she owns... a.... cat.

Three stories, then, all suitably flippant yet serious, daft yet grounded, bonkers yet oh so slightly everyday. All the characters transfer (although Dee Dee looks too hermaphroditic, which probably explains her humongous acting CV) and we might actually get more from them – I can't remember learning Nate's dad's name (although it has to be said some of what we do learn about him is a bit TMI). All told, it's a promising start to what will probably become yet another strand to the book franchise, although for their quick changes in scenario and situation for all the different yucks I think the originals will remain my favourite. A strong four stars.

Oh, and Ebeneezer was right.

I really enjoyed reading Agent Moose: Operation Owl by Mo O’Hara. I had not read any Agent Moose books before reading this one, but I don’t think that it impacted my reading in any way. This book is a graphic novel that is based around a central problem, and Agent Moose and his team has to solve the problem before it ruins their home. I would say this is a book best suitable for second grade and up. I think that advanced first graders could read the book but there is some big language in the book. The author does a good job of explaining the big vocabulary within the text without losing the reader. I will definitely be putting this book in my classroom library and I will look into buying more of this series!

Review to come August 14th on blog and later on Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I was excited that a new Big Nate book was out on Netgalley... and then I was worried when I saw it wasn't the normal style but some kind of 3D/CGI stuff. Apparently there is some tv series out now on the US Nickelodeon and this book is made along with that/features some of the episodes. I tried a preview somewhere and well, the style is still not for me, but I liked the story I saw + that we also got the original art.

In this book we three stories/episodes. They are: Legend of the Gunting, Go Nate! It's Your Birthday, and CATastrophe. I did have fun reading this book, but I really had to get used to the 3D/CGI stuff (still not a fan and so I am not going to read the TV books or watch the show), not to mention at times it just felt like something was missing. Whereas with the other books by Lincoln Peirce it just feels like it is all moving and going, this one felt very stilted. I guess that is what you get if you just pluck it from the TV-series. Plus, I felt like the jokes were missing the usual Nate-punch. With the normal books I am laughing my butt off, here I just chuckled, a few times max. It just wasn't the same.

In these three stories we have Nate getting almost the max of detentions, setting off something called the Gunting (yes, really), a new transfer student arrives and makes it hard for Nate (causing him to hide when the guy is around, but eventually braving things and setting things right), next up is his birthday... and his dad should really have specified. He knows how his son is, yet, he seems to forget each time, haha. I had a laugh at how Nate just went lose with that card and the shock later when he found out how much he actually had spend. OH no. I also like that there is some focus on Nate's sister, Ellen. Who is apparently afraid of small spaces and she has to do something for a parade or something that involves cramped spaces. I had a laugh at how her dad tried to help her out. Oh noes. And the last story is about projects, cats, and souls. Yep. I know, it is confusing, but read the story and you will get it. I had a laugh that Ellen was spying on her dad and tried to help him conquer one of his fears (he has many). I didn't like how Nate couldn't be honest, but I am happy in the end things went OK for him.

I do love that we still get some of the normal Nate comics and sometimes see his doodles in places. I also like that at the end of each story we get a comic that started it all, that was the inspiration of the story.

All in all, I am still happy I picked this one up. It wasn't bad, but it certainly cannot beat the real Nate books.

My son LOVES the Big Nate books, so he was beyond excited when I showed him this! He’s 9 and this series is one of his faves!

We had no idea that this was being made into a television series, but we will absolutely be tuning in!

We looked through this one together, but he prefers physical books to electronic ones!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Publishing date on this is Aug 30th so we will be grabbing the real deal!
Thanks so much to @Netgalley for this e - arc in exchange for an honest review!