Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Comic-strip collection makes middle-school trials relatable.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 11 kid reviews
Kids say this book is hilarious and relatable, appealing to ages 5-12, but parents should be cautious due to its mature content and occasional sexual innuendo. Although the humor resonates with young readers, some reviewers express concern about the negative behaviors depicted, suggesting that it may influence children to mimic inappropriate language and attitudes towards authority.
- humorous content
- mature themes
- parental concerns
- character influence
- age recommendations
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Nate is an average middle-schooler who isn't crazy about school, doing his best to navigate the treacherous waters of 6th grade. There are teachers to battle with, boys and girls to impress, classes to get out of and homework to dodge. Can Nate survive another day in the trenches with just a sense of humor and his wits?
Is It Any Good?
Kids who aren't big readers or who themselves feel like outsiders will take well to both Big Nate graphic novels like Big Nate in Class by Himself and comic strip collections like this one. Much like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing for previous generations, BIG NATE: FROM THE TOP focuses on a marginalized middle schooler doing his best to get through the daily grind of teachers, classmates, and life as a preteen. Nate isn't the greatest role model for boys — he spends a lot of energy trying to get out of things, goofing off, and worrying about impressing girls or staying out of trouble. However, he's a smart kid with a quick wit, the sort who is likely to find his niche a little later than others.
The Big Nate books are easy to read, relatable, and sympathetic to clever outcasts. Parents who've struggled to find a good literacy connection point for their middle-school boys may have luck here, where there are some good lessons about humor and clever problem-solving that can shore up confidence in reading, and at school.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about single-dad households. Do you see many stories about kids being raised by dads? Do you know any kids raised by dads? What are the unique challenges they face?
Nate uses his sense of humor to cope with situations that might be difficult or embarrassing. Have you used your sense of humor to deal with anything? What happened? How did it turn out?
Nate is very interested in being cool. Do you want to be cool? How would you describe what it means to be cool?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Lincoln Peirce
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
- Publication date : October 19, 2010
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 224
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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