Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Schultz
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Offbeat imagination rules in funny, poignant graphic novel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Eleven-year-old Timmy Failure fancies himself the world's greatest detective. He's not. But he does have the world's laziest, most unusual business partner: a 1,500-pound polar bear named Total, which may or may not be a figment of Timmy's extremely offbeat, overactive imagination. In his attempts to solve cases involving missing Halloween candy or stolen shoes, Timmy -- head of the Total Failure detective agency -- loses his mom's Segway and blunders his way into a series of mishaps. He also fails to perform acceptably in school. The larger mystery becomes: How will Timmy recover the missing Segway, and can he improve his grades enough to keep from being held back a grade?
Is It Any Good?
There's a charm to this off-the-wall, slapstick graphic novel that makes it almost as poignant as it is funny. Timmy's (often self-created) problems and his long-suffering mother are realistic and touching; readers will worry about his grades and his blunders. On the whole, Stephen Pastis has created a sweet, hilarious set of oddball characters that will make readers crack up, and will help unusual kids feel "normal."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about graphic novels. Why do you think theyr'e so popular? What others have you read?
Some people have compared this book to Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. How is Timmy Failure like Wimpy Kid, and how is it different?
Read the author's Pearls Before Swine comic strip in the newspaper, and then try making your own comic.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Stephan Pastis
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick Press
- Publication date : February 26, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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