The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

June 9, 2014
From his penchant for doodling to his myopic self-interest, fifth-year student Tom Gates can easily be seen as a British cousin to Jeff Kinney’s Greg Heffley. In Tom’s first novel, published in the U.K. in 2011 (where it won a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and a Roald Dahl Funny Prize), he recounts his ongoing antagonism of his older sister, Delia; his attempts to see his favorite band, Dude3, perform in town; and various family and school-day mishaps, including a disastrous camping trip, inedible meals cooked by his grandparents (aka “the Fossils”), and joining the school choir. The book is typeset in a handwritten-looking font, accompanied by Tom’s doodles and text that he’s embellished for emphasis. A glossary explains the Briticisms Tom uses throughout: “ ‘Rumbled!’ basically means ‘I’m busted!’ ” explains a tiny cartoon of Tom’s head—it’s a phrase he has reason to deploy more than once. Truly laugh-out-loud moments are few and far between, but readers who like their fiction heavily illustrated and their heroes mischievous should find it diverting enough. Ages 8–12. Agent: Caroline Walsh, David Higham Associates.

November 1, 2014

Gr 3-5-Fifth-grader Tom Gates has a lot of negatives in his life. His older sister annoys him and he retaliates by playing tricks on her. His teachers assign too much homework and when he runs out of time to do it he offers over-the-top, fantastical excuses for why it's not done. Adding to these issues, his family has many mishaps, like failed camping trips and the dog chewing up his tickets to a rock concert. Tom endures it all with his penchant for doodling and writing about everything that happens. For example, whenever the teachers focus on him in class he creates doodles of them staring at him with their "beady eyes." This helps him feel better. His self-centered storytelling is over-the-top but will be enjoyed by those who can't get enough of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books (Abrams/Amulet). The engaging illustrations are plentiful and will delight avid and reluctant readers alike. This title was originally published in the United Kingdom; some British words and phrases are sprinkled throughout. A humorous glossary explaining the Briticisms is appended.-Tina Martin, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

The winner of the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize for readers ages 7 to 11 makes its way across the pond. In this British contribution to the Wimpy Kid bandwagon, Tom doodles his school days away, fails to do his homework, schemes to get the upper hand on twit Marcus Meldrew, tries to attract the attention of lovely Amy Porter, jockeys for tickets to the Dude3 concert, designs logos for his band, DogZombies, and annoys his older sister, Delia. His account is set in a typeface named for the author (generated from her handwriting, perhaps?) and is liberally illustrated with Tom's cartoons and doodles. Some of his artistic tics are pretty funny: When he refers to his teacher's gaze, he adds two little eyeballs as visual punctuation; goth Delia's expression hardly ever changes, even when she's feeling "jolly"; particularly embarrassing moments are labeled "shame" with little arrows. The book has been unevenly Americanized, leaching from it some of its potential distinctiveness. Most insultingly, "Mum" is now "Mom," but some terms found in the glossary such as "biscuit" and "jumper" have been translated in the text as "cookie" and "sweater," rendering those entries rather baffling. Although Tom's account is diarylike, it is undated, making it feel like the book's action is much shorter than the school term it evidently spans. Tom may be brilliant, but he's unlikely to unseat Greg Heffley in American hearts. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-11) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.