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katykelly's review
5.0
I much prefer this to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I really do.
This is one book that can work brilliantly for kids, and brilliantly for adults on another level.
For a nine-year-old, Timmy Failure is a very funny story about an amateur detective with a 'mortal enemy', a polar bear 'associate' for his detective business, and a bit of an ego regarding his own cleverness. He solves cases (usually regarding missing items) and fails spectacularly in school, as well as managing to alienate himself from almost every other child he knows. A big case comes up: his mum's much-treasured Segway (that has been doubling as his Failuremobile) goes missing - he knows the Evil One, his rival detective, must have stolen it. Can he and Total, his forever-ravenous polar bear colleague, find out the truth, before Mum does?
For the adult, Timmy Failure is the child we feel both sorry and nostalgic for - the innocence of his childhood imaginings (is Total real?), his clever-beyond-his-years reasoning (putting 'Chang' as the answer to test questions about famous people as it's the "most common last name in the world". It appeals on a whole new level. He may not seem bright in school (Fs, zeroes on tests), never listening to his about-to-have-a-nervous-breakdown teacher, but he's actually pretty smart (though he can't see the crush a classmate has on him, or the obvious solutions to his cases. Corrina Corrina, the Evil One whom Timmy blacks out in his pictures is a sad character to an adult reading - he sees her as the Enemy. We see her (through the diary Timmy finds) as a lonely girl who may be rich (nanny, big house, everything she could want) but who never spends any time with her single-parent father. Timmy though spends more time than he would like with his own single-parent mum.
That's another aspect I liked - we see two single-parent families, and Timmy doesn't comment on them, on missing a father figure, on the fact that his mum is dating - but the adult reader sees past the words and can see hard-working parents struggling to keep their children on the right track whilst juggling their own jobs and lives.
Oh and as a library worker, I really enjoyed the scenes when Timmy visits his own local library and meets Flo, the rather unusual librarian. Made me laugh.
Such a great series! I really, really enjoyed this, loved how it works for different readers. Timmy is much more a likeable character than the hero of Wimpy Kid, he may not say sorry ("mistakes were made"), but he's pretty adorable and the style of writing is incredibly engaging.
The reader (of whatever age) knows throughout that they know MORE than Timmy, which does make it all the more interesting to see if he will ever catch up with us. Definitely doesn't talk down the reader, as some references will go over the age group's head.
I'm planning on using this with my Junior Book Club, and I can see it being a popular choice. This is a very easy read (the near 300-page length is full of drawings and very short chapters) make it accessible enough for confident 7 or 8 year olds to manage.
This is one book that can work brilliantly for kids, and brilliantly for adults on another level.
For a nine-year-old, Timmy Failure is a very funny story about an amateur detective with a 'mortal enemy', a polar bear 'associate' for his detective business, and a bit of an ego regarding his own cleverness. He solves cases (usually regarding missing items) and fails spectacularly in school, as well as managing to alienate himself from almost every other child he knows. A big case comes up: his mum's much-treasured Segway (that has been doubling as his Failuremobile) goes missing - he knows the Evil One, his rival detective, must have stolen it. Can he and Total, his forever-ravenous polar bear colleague, find out the truth, before Mum does?
For the adult, Timmy Failure is the child we feel both sorry and nostalgic for - the innocence of his childhood imaginings (is Total real?), his clever-beyond-his-years reasoning (putting 'Chang' as the answer to test questions about famous people as it's the "most common last name in the world". It appeals on a whole new level. He may not seem bright in school (Fs, zeroes on tests), never listening to his about-to-have-a-nervous-breakdown teacher, but he's actually pretty smart (though he can't see the crush a classmate has on him, or the obvious solutions to his cases. Corrina Corrina, the Evil One whom Timmy blacks out in his pictures is a sad character to an adult reading - he sees her as the Enemy. We see her (through the diary Timmy finds) as a lonely girl who may be rich (nanny, big house, everything she could want) but who never spends any time with her single-parent father. Timmy though spends more time than he would like with his own single-parent mum.
That's another aspect I liked - we see two single-parent families, and Timmy doesn't comment on them, on missing a father figure, on the fact that his mum is dating - but the adult reader sees past the words and can see hard-working parents struggling to keep their children on the right track whilst juggling their own jobs and lives.
Oh and as a library worker, I really enjoyed the scenes when Timmy visits his own local library and meets Flo, the rather unusual librarian. Made me laugh.
Such a great series! I really, really enjoyed this, loved how it works for different readers. Timmy is much more a likeable character than the hero of Wimpy Kid, he may not say sorry ("mistakes were made"), but he's pretty adorable and the style of writing is incredibly engaging.
The reader (of whatever age) knows throughout that they know MORE than Timmy, which does make it all the more interesting to see if he will ever catch up with us. Definitely doesn't talk down the reader, as some references will go over the age group's head.
I'm planning on using this with my Junior Book Club, and I can see it being a popular choice. This is a very easy read (the near 300-page length is full of drawings and very short chapters) make it accessible enough for confident 7 or 8 year olds to manage.
curatedsymposium's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rjdenney's review
4.0
4 STARS!!!
This was a freaking hilarious read and I did not expect to laugh so much during my read of this but I did and I loved it. I got a wisdom tooth taken out a few days ago and it made it so hard to not bust out laughing reading every page because it hurts haha I was wondering how this was going to play with the mystery side of the story considering it is mostly illustrations made by the main character himself and not his 1,500 pound side-kick polar bear named Total and it turns out that it worked really well. Now there are no dead bodies and such, which you all know I love my mysteries with bodies... yeah, I'm morbid but this was still such a fun and hilarious read. I can't wait to read the rest in the series.
I was sent the entire series by Candle Wick Press for an honest review. All opinions and feels are my own. :)
- Richard
This was a freaking hilarious read and I did not expect to laugh so much during my read of this but I did and I loved it. I got a wisdom tooth taken out a few days ago and it made it so hard to not bust out laughing reading every page because it hurts haha I was wondering how this was going to play with the mystery side of the story considering it is mostly illustrations made by the main character himself and not his 1,500 pound side-kick polar bear named Total and it turns out that it worked really well. Now there are no dead bodies and such, which you all know I love my mysteries with bodies... yeah, I'm morbid but this was still such a fun and hilarious read. I can't wait to read the rest in the series.
I was sent the entire series by Candle Wick Press for an honest review. All opinions and feels are my own. :)
- Richard
casspro's review
3.0
While "Timmy Failure" is billed as a children's book, it reads as an adult book. It's filled with irony, but at a level that kids can understand. Poor Timmy just can't catch a break, yet he seems to end up on top--just a good underdog detective should. It'll be interesting to see what adventures Mr. Pastis takes young Timmy.
mrsandwitch77's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wrasea's review against another edition
4.0
"With no privacy to be had in my trash-chute office, I rush to the library with the enemy’s secrets. I run in a crooked line to avoid assassins."
showell's review
3.0
Similar in style to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but funny. I knocked it down a couple of stars bc while it’s funny Timmy is terrible to his friends.
virtualgiff's review
4.0
Written for children but a fun family read. Very different than the Disney movie. We read it as a family and the adults enjoyed the subtle adult humour peppered throughout (think Pixar movie).