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bk2016's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mehsi's review against another edition
3.0
I found a new Nate at one of my libraries yesterday! They are very hard to find in English (and I refuse to read the Dutch versions), so I am always delighted when I find one lost and hidden. However, this one wasn't as fun. It takes place over an entire day, a day filled with a fortune cookie, friendship, and tons and tons of detention slips. I did think that the teachers were a bit overreacting at times, especially since Nate did have a good explanation for quite a few of them (for instance the pants one or with the beans). The ending had me grinning though, sure, maybe not the best thing to be proud of, but at least he achieved something. :P I liked the little facts about characters, the illustrations and comics were quite fun. All in all, I still enjoyed myself, but just not too much. Nate was just too much for me, too big-headed.
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
Gevonden in een minibieb, en ja gezegd dat ik niet per se de NL edities wil lezen maar ja. Soms heb je gewoon zin in een maf boek. En Big Nate of Niek de Groot is perfect daarvoor. In dit boek een hele schooldag met Niek en hij zal inderdaad iets overtreffen, maar of hij er blij mee moet zijn... Soms was Niek erg vervelend, maar ik moest ook wel lachen dat alles wat hij probeerde eindigde in roze briefjes. XD Leuke illustraties + strips. Hopelijk heeft Niek de volgende dag een betere dag.
saiadvik's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
ellethefantasyqueen's review against another edition
3.0
I am obviously not the target audience for this. It was an interesting read. It did remind me a lot of Diary of a Wimpy Kid but whatever gets kids reading I guess! I do agree that it is a bit odd for teachers to be represented negatively but again it is a childrens book and I am sure many children can relate to this. We still love you teachers don't worry!
jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
I've finally got around to reading a few of the Big Nate books and am going to review them together with one review. My biggest sticking point is that I don't particularly like Nate. He's a bit of a jerk. I get not every kid likes school, or likes his teachers, but Nate really goes over the top in his disdain for school and for adults that never seems to go away. I have a problem with that. While it's not up my alley, I can see why this would be a book that middle school students would enjoy and I can think of several students who might like the series.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those comic-book-normal-book mixes. It's faster to read because of all the pictures (hence me starting and finishing within an hour) and presumably easier for book hating children to get into as it's more visually appealing.
In terms of personal enjoyment I would have rated this only one star. The art is nice, it's competently written, and Nate has a strong narrative voice. But, it's not funny.
Obviously, humor is subjective. I can definitely see there are jokes being made. I could see what should be funny about a certain situation. I also feel that to a kid it will be funny so I am aware that this is about my own preferences. But, I couldn't help but compare this to Diary of a Wimpy Kid which was the big series of this type when I was coming up. Especially since the book is actively compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid in its marketing.
And Diary of a Wimpy Kid (at least the first few books) is far superior. I re-read that book every once in awhile and it still holds up. It isn't only funny but it's altogether a more witty and clever insight into life when you're twelve. Big Nate didn't have a prayer. I found reading it like reading a chapter book - simple, kind of cute but no deeper substance.
Since I realize that I'm biased I've given Big Nate an average rating. I'm not the primary demographic. I can recognize the relative skill on display here. I appreciate it for the easy, breezy read it is. I won't recommend it if you're an adult because I've read better. However, I won't be writing off Big Nate entirely just yet as it is entirely possible the books get better.
In terms of personal enjoyment I would have rated this only one star. The art is nice, it's competently written, and Nate has a strong narrative voice. But, it's not funny.
Obviously, humor is subjective. I can definitely see there are jokes being made. I could see what should be funny about a certain situation. I also feel that to a kid it will be funny so I am aware that this is about my own preferences. But, I couldn't help but compare this to Diary of a Wimpy Kid which was the big series of this type when I was coming up. Especially since the book is actively compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid in its marketing.
And Diary of a Wimpy Kid (at least the first few books) is far superior. I re-read that book every once in awhile and it still holds up. It isn't only funny but it's altogether a more witty and clever insight into life when you're twelve. Big Nate didn't have a prayer. I found reading it like reading a chapter book - simple, kind of cute but no deeper substance.
Since I realize that I'm biased I've given Big Nate an average rating. I'm not the primary demographic. I can recognize the relative skill on display here. I appreciate it for the easy, breezy read it is. I won't recommend it if you're an adult because I've read better. However, I won't be writing off Big Nate entirely just yet as it is entirely possible the books get better.