Big Nate: Say Good-bye to Dork City

4.5

"Big Nate: Say Good-bye to Dork City" is a funny and witty 216-page comic book about 6th Grader Nate (who has a penchant for getting up to mischief) and his best friends Teddy and Francis. We also get to meet Nate's dad, Nate's kooky dog Spitsy, his school teachers and classmates.

About the artwork: I liked the artwork. The drawing style reminded me of a cross between the funnies in newspapers and Charlie Brown & Snoopy cartoons. The colors are bright, colorful and fun and the general feeling from seeing the comic strips is that you're in the hands of a professional cartoonist who knows what he's doing.

About the writing: Full of ironic humor, a clever way with words, sarcasm, slapstick and unexpected twist punch lines.

I was surprised at just how witty and funny some of the punchlines in the comics were! Considering the target audience for this comic book is children around the 6th Grade age (and I think they would enjoy it at this age), I can wholeheartedly say that I thoroughly enjoyed it too despite being almost 30!

The book is 216 pages of stories from Nate's life and there is a sense of continuity throughout the book. Having said that, each short 1-3 page scene can stand on its own as well so you could dip in at any point of the book and still enjoy it.

Overall: A really fun comic book that takes you on a chuckle-filled journey depicting what it can be like to be a 6th grader in school these days.

My only criticism would be the title of the book which in my opinion could have been a better one. It almost prevented me from picking this up because it made me think it was more of a kids book than it turned out to be. But I checked out Lincoln Peirce's reviews on GoodReads and their positivity convinced me to give it a chance anyway. I'm glad I did!

My son loved this book. I read him bits every night. The characters were funny and lively perfect to entertain a 7 year old boy.

So cute! Big Nate is a great read for the middle grades!

This comic story book about Nate is a witty collection of interrelated short stories meaning that it is easy to read it as a whole or dip in and out of it.Nate and his best friends Teddy and Francis get into all kinds of mischief and adventures that children will easily relate to - and they will certainly appreciate the often unexpected jokes and punch lines which appear throughout the book.

The cartoon images are bright, colourful and brilliantly help relate Nate’s adventures in a style that will appeal to readers of all ages. This is a story that will appeal to children and works well as a standalone story without having to have read any of the associated comic books.

Back on my old bandwagon, whilst I recognise and acknowledge that comics traditionally have the text in block capitals and this is certainly a comic book, I really wish that more would be produced using both upper and lower case text (some people call it camel text) to make the actual words more accessible to younger and less confident readers who would love the stories by may well struggle to read it independently in its current format.

My 11 year old son has read each and every one of the Big Nate books over and over so when I saw this was a "read now" option I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I was instantly able to see the attraction to these characters and was literally laughing out loud through out this book that is over 200 pages.long! I will definitely keep purchasing Big Nate books for him in the future.

My students will enjoy this book.

Big Nate is - as always - a master at getting himself into trouble, and his antics in "... say Good-bye to Dork City" are no exception. From writing ill-thought-out limericks about teachers to attempting to B.S. his way through homework.

It's not all about his antics though, as some emphasis is put on his friendships as well - both those that make sense, and those that don't. The story line of him joining, then leaving Marcus' posse was especially well done and added more depth to the comic than is usually found.

Received from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

These really are the cutest books. I've loved comic strips since I was a little kid snatching the comics from the newspaper, and the snarkier, the better. Big Nate has a great snark level, along with karmic retribution for the repeated times when he's being a jerk. That's really the best part, the karmic retribution. Makes it all worth it.

I've seen parents talking about how they don't like their children reading this series, because Nate is so disrespectful to his friends, teachers, and parents. But truth be told, it does open the door to discussion about what happens to him based on this behavior. Both kids and adults can get something out of these hilarious strips.

My daughter turned me on to the Big Nate books. She loves them. I had seen some of the kids in my classes reading them, too. So I tried some of them. And I got a lot of good laughs. The Big Nate books seem to come in two types: long-form graphic novels and series of shorter comic strips. This one is the shorter comic strips.

From sadistic soccer coaches to health food Halloweens, Nate and his friends rock the sixth grade life. In the central set of strips, Nate works his way into the posse of the coolest kid in school. There he learns that getting what you want is sometimes a double-edged sword.

It is a quick, light read. It is fun and enjoyable. If you have read Big Nate before, there won’t be any bad surprises. If you haven’t read Big Nate yet, it is a good introduction. This one goes into my classroom library.

Big Nate is up to his usual silliness in this latest collection. Whether it is jamming with his band, Enslave the Mollusk; trying to get Jenny to notice him as a potential boyfriend; or writing 7 paragraphs about his New year's resolution to be less competitive (since he knows the rest of the class is only writing 4 paragraphs); Nate is happily unaware of his own shortcomings. We get to laugh with him and at him when he does things like get a detention on the way out of school because he is yelling in the halls about not having detention for once. The title refers to a scene in which Nate believes he has finally made it into the "in-crowd." Sadly, as happens to him so often, he is wrong. But who would really want to be part of that crowd when it is run by a dictatorial bully who tells you with whom you can be friends, and threatens to bust your face if you decide to leave his posse? I especially liked the part where Francis uses Nate to demonstrate how some people can remember one type of information, but not another. He quizzes Nate about all sorts of trivia and Nate knows every answer, but when he asks him a simple question from one of their science lessons, Nate has no idea what he's talking about.

Young readers who enjoy Nate's attitude and his attempts to win Jenny's heart, make some spending money, or train his dog will be delighted with this latest edition. More mature readers will still get a laugh from watching Nate try to bamboozle everyone around him, especially the adults in his life. His attempt to prove that Mr. Galvin needs to retire because he must be over 70, after all - he writes in cursive - is one such funny moment. Be prepared to laugh and think to yourself, "I know someone like that," while you're reading this book.

Written by Benjamin, age 9: Big Nate: Say Good-bye to Dork City is about a kid named Nate. With help from his friends, Teddy and Francis, he succeeds and fails in life. He's is not really popular but he thinks he is.

I think the Big Nate series is really funny because it's not just one big story, it's multiple little tiny stories that go about the same subject. It's also really funny because Nate thinks he is really really cool but everybody else thinks he is a big dork.

If you are the parent of a kid who doesn’t enjoy reading, you’ll try anything to turn things around (especially when you are someone who spends ALLLLLLL of your own free time with your face in a book). The Big Nate series has been a saving grace for my sanity. These books are funny, fast, and the comic book format eliminates some of the “I’m booooooooooored” complaints heard during reading time. Next year my youngest will have to choose from the Truman Award Nominees for his reading selections. While those books might be more fun for me I will miss the effortless buddy reads that Big Nate brought to my life.

Endless thanks to NetGalley for keeping my little one a little one just a bit longer : )

There's nothing better than a new Big Nate book. I'm finding out that I need to read the review copy because once it hits the library, kids are clamoring for it before it's even cataloged. By the time I get to read it, it's falling apart..

Over the years I've read and laughed at the Big Nate cartoons in the Sunday Comics page, so I was excited to preview Big Nate: Say Goodbye to Dork City by Lincoln Peirce. Mr. Peirce certainly has a sense of the absurd, demonstrated by the various adventures of Nate, an eleven year old boy attending sixth grade at PS 38. The author draws upon his own experiences growing up and then adapts them into the comic book venue. While some parents might be horrified at characters who mock adults, ignore the rules, and get into numerous misadventures, children recognize that the stories told are all in good fun, not to be confused with a checklist of behaviors to emulate. On occasion there is a moral to be learned, even if it is told in a bizarre or convoluted way. You see, children get it and the grosser the story, the better they like it. Peirce is going for laughs and sometimes his audience is the parents who should be reading these books along with their kids. Topics such as sportsmanship, competition, bullying, and school are explored with a humorous tone. What a great way to enter into a discussion on the issues facing today's students.

As a librarian, I can assure parents that those reluctant readers will enjoy both the style and the topic of this book. Students in the mid to upper elementary grades through middle school, and even high schoolers and adults will smile and LOL at Big Nate's antics. In this particular book, one of the story sets is about Nate attempting to be part of the "cool" kid's crowd. Once he becomes part of Marcus' posse, he must give up hanging out with his dorky friends. Nate soon discovers that being a dork is better than being a "poop" boy to a bully, but leaving the posse has repercussions. This is just one of many mini adventures found within this book. (My favorite cartoon is where Nate is disgusted when his friend's cat is coughing up a hairball, which his dog then proceeds to eat. - Ewwwwwww!)

Four stars for a fun read which I'm sure all kids will enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC download in exchange for an honest review.

I will order this book for our library. Thank you for sharing this title on NetGalley. NetGalley has become an important tool for helping me find new materials for our library.

Another addition to the Big Nate series. As funny as ever and completely relatable for my 11 yr old son.

Very funny book on a number of levels. Ideal for reluctant older readers. As a teacher of a school with students from year 5 upward, i can see this appealing to boys from years 5 to 8. Parts made me laugh out loud , especially regarding the "sub" teacher jackpot and Nate's friendship with the principal. You could almost market those parts to teachers as they are spot on!

Really cute collection of comics. Funny with great messages that are not overly preachy.

'Big Nate: Say Good-bye to Dork City' is a big full-color, full-of-fun collection that's great for younger readers and people who like to laugh.

This time around, Nate finds himself in the cool kid's posse, but he might not survive it. He tries to convince his dad to buy the big school photo package so he has lots of wallet-size pictures to give the girls. He survives a Halloween where his dad wants to give out healthy treats. He writes haikus about Brazil nuts, and convinces his friends to join him in detention. His nemesis Mrs. Godfrey becomes principal for a week. These are just a few of the adventures and misadventures Nate finds himself in this time around.

Lincoln Peirce writes a great comic strip. I've read a couple of these collections, and they're just a lot of fun. If you've got a kid who doesn't like to read, you might try handing them some Big Nate and see what happens.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

It's another adventure for our favorite sixth grader Nate Wright as this little man with the big ego tries to navigate middle school with all the flair and coolness he can muster and for Nate that is a lot.

This collection of cartoons will keep you laughing like there's no tomorrow. It's perfect for children of all ages, from 4 to 100.

Nate as always is a little full of himself, but hey, the confidence works, just not so much on the ladies as he'd wish. Although, it does get him a lot of detention.

Rating 5 out of 5 Read@Book

We loved this book! My 9 year old daughter devours all things Big Nate and this book was no exception!

Awesome. Pierce never lets the kids down!

A collection of BigNate Comic strips. You don't need to read any of the other Big Nate books before reading this one, as it can stand on its own. Enjoyable, quick read.

Funny and creative as always.