School Library Journal (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 4-6 Nate is a sixth grader who has a problem with organization. Everything is going wrong, and he's piling up detention after detention. Things start to improve when he gets a fortune cookie with a message stating that he will "surpass all others," giving him a purpose for the day and leading to humorous incidents such as when he tries to beat a speed record for eating green beans, and when he tickles his science teacher with a feather duster. This fully developed protagonist debuted in a comic strip; this is Peirce's first book about him, and it is a successful, laugh-out-loud venture. Readers meet a variety of characters, each with a unique personality or trait. Peirce's black-and-white ink illustrations, whether they are comics Nate has drawn or other funny images, help to develop the story. Big Nate will fill in gaps in collections that are looking for books for reluctant readers, and for Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams) read-alikes. Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL

ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

Unabashedly capitalizing on the Wimpy Kid wave (with a Jeff Kinney blurb-recommendation splashed across the cover), Peirce's book, for a slightly younger audience, uses a mix of prose and cartoons to tell a quick story about a day in the life of an extroverted, impish kid. Peirce does have comics cred on his side: his hero, Nate, has been the star of a long-running daily comic strip. He is the classic clever kid who hates school and whose antics land him in ever-hotter water with grumbly teachers. On this particular day, he wakes up feeling fine, sweats a bit about an upcoming test, then opens a fortune cookie at school that reads, "Today you will surpass all others." So, he dutifully goes about trying to best other kids at everything but seems to only have a knack for racking up detention slips. The cartoons provide plenty of gags at the expense of various adults and classmates, and Nate's persistent good cheer and moxie make him a likable new proxy for young misfits.

Kirkus Reviews

Sixth grader Nate Wright doesn't excel in much at P.S..38. He's not as smart as his best friend Francis nor as lamely funny as his other best friend Teddy, and he's certainly not (unfortunately) successful at everything, like his annoying older sister Ellen. So when Teddy slips Nate a fortune cookie and the fortune reads "Today you will surpass all others," Nate is stoked. Just how will he surpass all others? Every time he tries anything—like making grumpy Mr. Gavin laugh or breaking the speed-eating world record by snarfing down a mountain of slimy green beans—he ends up getting detention. This really seems more like a candidate for Worst Day Ever! Peirce skillfully and often hilariously imports his comic-strip character into a full-length story. The many comic strips, some drawn by Nate on lined paper and others featuring him as a character, and copious spot illustrations move the story along to a conclusion some may see coming but all will enjoy. Perfect for fans of Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid. Thank goodness sequels are planned. Final art not seen. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-11)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Star of a long-running comic strip, sixth-grader Nate Wright makes the leap to a cartoon-laden chapter book in the smart alecky vein of <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Nate (who’s “not exactly Joe Honor Roll”) dissects the horrors of middle school, from vindictive teachers to the popular girls’ lunch table, aka Fort Knox (“You can try to get in, but you have no chance”). The wisp of a plot revolves around a fortune cookie that predicts, “Today you will surpass all others,” launching Nate into actions that indeed cause him to surpass all others with seven detentions. (His ill-conceived plans include speed-eating 148 servings of cafeteria green beans.) The book’s appeal lies in Nate’s wickedly astute observations and the savvy integration of cartoons with text. Angry teachers’ speech bubbles drip with icicles, and sidebars house humorous asides: “When a teacher completely snaps and starts screaming, it’s called a Full Godfrey. (When Mrs. Godfrey does it, it’s called Monday).” Though Nate may not achieve the fame he seeks with his classmates, this sharp-witted and unflappable protagonist just might find it with readers. Ages 8–12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)