ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Timmy Failure, would-be supersleuth and self-anointed smartest person in the world, is back (Timmy Failure, 2013), and he has learned absolutely nothing from his previous adventure. Timmy; his mother; and his "sidekick," the 1200 pound polar bear Total, have moved in with Great-Aunt Colander while his mom looks for a job. Great-Aunt Colander, widowed and trapped by the terms of her late husband's will, dreams of being an inventor. She is as successful an inventor as Timmy is a detective, and he initially has little patience for her. Yet Timmy generates staunch loyalty among those who know him best, and Great-Aunt Colander has a real affection for her clueless nephew, whose behavior and retreat into fantasy mask an anger he cannot articulate. Pastis (Pearls before Swine series) has a knack for comic timing, and the interplay between cartoon, text, and the absurdities of the story should continue to attract readers who wish they could shake their fists at the world with such inept panache. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Support is great for Pastis' second title about Timmy Failure and includes a major consumer advertising campaign and a 10-city author tour.

Horn Book

Timmy is back, clueless as ever, his sleuthing even clumsier than in the first installment. Timmy and his polar bear sidekick, Total, haplessly plow through the shenanigans thwarting Timmy's domination of the school detective competition. Great-aunt Coriander and her own wacky aspirations add a new layer to the winning combination of sardonically humorous text and pen-and-ink cartoons that has won Timmy many fans.

School Library Journal (Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

Gr 3-8 The too-smart-for-his-own-good kid detective is back for a second zany installment, along with his 1500-pound polar/bear business partner, Total. Timmy has big dreams for his crime-solving empire, fueled by his complete self-confidence, delusions of grandeur, and his assured win in a competition to find a stolen globe worth $500. But first, shenanigans are afoot and must be thwarted. Timmy is a wonderfully frustrating narrator. He is egotistical, oblivious to his own ineptitude, and blames any missteps on the shortcomings of others. Yet, as Timmy's grip on reality begins to weaken and his actions begin to alienate those around him, readers will nevertheless sympathize with his unraveling. Fans of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series (Abrams) or the "Big Nate" books (Andrew McMeel) will enjoy the sharp, ironic humor as well as the black-and-white comic illustrations. While some advanced vocabulary and a few adult-directed jokes and references may escape middle-grade readers, plenty of the puns, plays-on-words, and clever comedic timing will result in laugh-out-loud moments. Elly Schook, Jamieson Elementary School, Chicago