Children's Literature – Chelsea Couillard-Smith
Pastis’ third entry in his “Timmy Failure” series will please young fans and draw in new readers. Timmy and his imaginary polar bear, Total, are Total Failure, Inc., a detective agency that claims to “have solved most of the world’s crimes.” Timmy is on the prowl for a new mystery, but he’s also on probation at school due to a previous incident that ended with a tree stump through the principal’s window. Despite his mother’s warnings to focus on his schoolwork, particularly the nature project that counts for half of his grade, Timmy accepts a detective job to locate the mythical ‘Miracle Project’ a completed nature project from a previous year that is rumored to have received an A+++++. Multiple classmates, including Timmy himself, are hoping to use the ‘Miracle Report’ as a shortcut to a good grade. But Timmy’s enemy, Corrina Corrina, is on the case as well, and there’s also overachiever Scutaro Holmes to contend with. Will Timmy be able to locate the project before it falls into enemy hands, or will Principal Scrimshaw end his investigation before it begins? Readers new to Timmy’s adventures will be quickly brought up to speed on the basics of his world. Timmy’s overly dramatic narrative voice and Pastis’ ink cartoons provide plenty of moments of droll humor. It’s refreshing to see many of the adults in his life remaining patient and understanding with him in spite of his being so snarky and sarcastic. Surprisingly, many of Timmy’s classmates are determined to befriend him when most of what he says is either mean-spirited or meaningless to anyone not privy to his internal monologue. Still, fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will enjoy the laughs and the realistic classroom dynamics and will find the hapless Timmy to be a kindred spirit. Reviewer: Chelsea Couillard-Smith; Ages 8 to 11.