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Other titles in the Timmy Failure series:

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Timmy Failure)

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Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Timmy Failure) Cover

ISBN13: 9780763660505
ISBN10: 0763660507
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Meet "detective" Timmy Failure, star of the kids’ comedy of the year. Created by New York Times best-selling cartoonist Stephan Pastis.

Take Timmy Failure — the clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation.  Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Failuremobile — Timmy’s mom’s Segway — and what you have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is so obsessed with getting into "Stanfurd" that he can’t carry out a no-brainer spy mission. From the offbeat creator of Pearls Before Swine comes an endearingly bumbling hero in a caper whose peerless hilarity is accompanied by a whodunit twist. With perfectly paced visual humor, Stephan Pastis gets you snorting with laughter, then slyly carries the joke a beat further — or sweetens it with an unexpected poignant moment — making this a comics-inspired story (the first in a new series) that truly stands apart from the pack.

Review:

"Mysteries abound in the first children's book from Pastis, creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Who stole the Halloween candy of Timmy's classmate Gabe? Who is the mysterious girl Timmy refuses to discuss? Why is no one fazed that Timmy has a pet polar bear named Total? Fortunately, Timmy is an aspiring detective, who believes his agency, Total Failure Inc. ('We won't fail, despite what the name says'), is 'on the verge of being a Fortune 500 company.' Unfortunately, Timmy is a terrible sleuth, who doesn't leap to the wrong conclusions so much as cannonball into a swimming pool full of them. His narration reveals an impressive command of business-speak (he doesn't talk with his single mother — he teleconferences), while the wide-eyed characters resemble a cross between the work of George Booth and Sara Varon. Pastis has assembled an eccentric and funny cast (running gags revolve around Total's voracious appetite and a librarian who looks like one of the Hells Angels), yet there are also touching interactions to be found, particularly between Timmy and his mother. Ages 8 — 12. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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About the Author

Stephan Pastis is the creator of Pearls Before Swine, an acclaimed comic strip that appears in more than six hundred newspapers and boasts a devoted following. His 2011 compilation Larry in Wonderland debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback graphic novels. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is his first book for young readers. He lives in Northern California.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Candace @ LoveyDoveyBooks, March 3, 2013 (view all comments by Candace @ LoveyDoveyBooks)
Stephan Pastis's Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is not a failure! Timmy delights readers with his experience as one of the best detectives in the world. He lays it all out from his questionable sleuthing skills to silly mishaps at home and school.

Timmy Failure is dead set on building his business into a detective agency empire, but he is not without trials: one being his lazy partner Total, who is also a polar bear, and others being his idiot best friend Rollo and his evil rival Corinna Corinna.

How Timmy describes those around him is almost so exaggerated you might wonder what's wrong with him. Timmy has a very strong voice which actually surprised me since he's an eleven-year-old. He expresses his opinions very decidedly. I find that his peculiar personality adds to his story's humor and helps readers understand where his super self-confidence comes from. Then, of course, there are the illustrations that provide further detail for whatever crazy plan goes wrong. Those drawings are like an extension of Timmy's voice and just as comical.

Pastis hits the mark when it comes to providing humorous entertainment for the middle grade age group. It's a big plus that adults and older teens will enjoy Timmy's antics as well. Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is the just the first installment in Stephan Pastis's debut series and the hilarious plot will surely tide you over until the next!
*Book provided via publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Also posted on Lovey Dovey Books
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780763660505
Author:
Pastis, Stephan
Publisher:
Candlewick Press (MA)
Subject:
Children s-General
Subject:
Humorous Stories
Subject:
Children s humor
Series:
Timmy Failure
Publication Date:
20130231
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
from 3 up to 7
Language:
English
Illustrations:
1-COLOR
Pages:
304
Dimensions:
8.35 x 5.5 x 0.98 in 1 lb
Age Level:
from 8 up to 12
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Related Subjects

Children's » Featured Titles
Children's » General
Children's » Humor
Children's » Middle Readers » General
Children's » Middle Readers » New Arrivals

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Timmy Failure) New Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$14.99 In Stock
Product details 304 pages Candlewick Press (MA) - English 9780763660505 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Mysteries abound in the first children's book from Pastis, creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Who stole the Halloween candy of Timmy's classmate Gabe? Who is the mysterious girl Timmy refuses to discuss? Why is no one fazed that Timmy has a pet polar bear named Total? Fortunately, Timmy is an aspiring detective, who believes his agency, Total Failure Inc. ('We won't fail, despite what the name says'), is 'on the verge of being a Fortune 500 company.' Unfortunately, Timmy is a terrible sleuth, who doesn't leap to the wrong conclusions so much as cannonball into a swimming pool full of them. His narration reveals an impressive command of business-speak (he doesn't talk with his single mother — he teleconferences), while the wide-eyed characters resemble a cross between the work of George Booth and Sara Varon. Pastis has assembled an eccentric and funny cast (running gags revolve around Total's voracious appetite and a librarian who looks like one of the Hells Angels), yet there are also touching interactions to be found, particularly between Timmy and his mother. Ages 8 — 12. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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