Book Review: Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Peirce

✰✰✰✰½ Middle school can be full of surprises and challenges for anyone. In this installment of the Big Nate series, Nate Wright is entering dangerous territory. His class is being assigned a special project and the kids get to work in pairs. As luck would have it, Nate is randomly paired up with his archenemy, Gina Hemphill-Toms. Gina isn't too happy either. As an A+ student, she's worried that Nate will bring down her grade point average.

On the flip side of the coin, Nate covets winning the SPOFFY (Sports Played Only For Fun) trophy. He feels he is destined to win it during fleeceball season until he finds out that Gina is on his team. Nooo! It can't be, but it is. Since Gina doesn't even like sports, Nate worries that she will ruin everything.

Will both Nate and Gina ruin everything for the other? Or can they come up with a plan to get what they both want? This is a great story about teamwork and friendship. Kids who enjoy reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series are sure to enjoy the adventures of Nate Wright in the Big Nate series as well.

The Bottom Line: Author Lincoln Peirce captures the essence of middle school perfectly. This quick read takes me right back to my middle school days. It is highly entertaining. Nate Wright is so much fun that even reluctant readers will enjoy his latest adventure. While this book is a follow-up to Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, it is not necessary to have read that book first. Anyone can easily pick up this second book and get right into the action. It is filled with age appropriate humor and fun illustrations. I, for one, can't wait to read the next book. Highly recommended for kids in grades 4 and up.

For more fun, check out the Big Nate website.

Details: Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Peirce. Advance Reader's Edition published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2010. 224 p. ISBN: 978-0-06-194436-9 Note: I received a complimentary Advance Reader's Edition from HarperCollins Publishers in exchange for a review. This was made possible by the Early Reviewer program at LibraryThing.