Kid Konnection: Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you a fun book featuring a famous cartoon character!

Summary: Nate Wright is a wisecracking 11-year-old who knows he's destined for greatness. Nate is the star of Big Nate, the daily and Sunday comic strip that made its debut in 1991. Nate's a sixth-grade chess prodigy, a self-described genius, and the all-time record holder for detentions in school history. He's often in hot water with his teachers and classmates, but Nate's winning personality and can-do attitude always make him a big hit with readers. -- Andrews McMeel

BIG NATE: GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE by Lincoln Peirce is the latest collection of Big Nate comic strips, and it's so entertaining. Eleven year old Nate is a piece of work. He's constantly finding himself in trouble, mainly with his teachers, but somehow he always manages to smooth things over!

Big Nate is quite the popular guy! The Big Nate comic strip has been around since 1991, and Big Nate books have been on the New York Times best-seller list for over two years. I think that pretty much says it all -- people love to read about Nate and his antics. Despite not being about to stay out of trouble for very long, Nate is rather likable and certainly funny! I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times as I read through this comic collection.

I am a big fan of graphic novels and cartoons for kids who aren't big readers. My thought is that if a child is willing to read anything, it's a good thing. Plus, you never know when they will decide to make the transition to larger, chapter books. I especially appreciate that a kid can read a few of the comic strips and not be overwhelmed with so many words. And honestly, the humor in this book doesn't hurt either!

As fun as this Big Nate collection is, you might be surprised to learn that this book can also teach kids a thing two.  There is a handy-dandy teacher's guide with activities that align with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts for grades 3 -5. There are discussion questions, group activities, and creative writing exercises.

In addition to having over 200 color pages of comic strips, this book also has a pull-out poster. I think BIG NATE: GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE would make a fantastic gift for any middle grade reader. Highly recommended... especially for reluctant readers.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!