Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Timmy Failure #1: Mistakes Were Made
by Stephan Pastis
304 pages
Elementary+

The name is Failure, Timmy Failure.  He runs Failure, Inc., a detective agency designed to solve all local and global mysteries!  With his partner, the polar bear Total, he prowls the city on his mother's Segway, accepting cases from other kids to look into their problems.

Timmy's major competition is the Weevil Bun, I mean Evil One: Corrina Corrina.  She has a competing detective agency and is everything evil in the world! Of course Timmy is much better at solving mysteries, but she keeps taking cases away from Timmy!  Noooo!!!!

When his Segway goes missing, he knows Corrina Corrina is behind it. Now, he must plot and find a way to get it back! He must overcome a reduction in workspace (his mother's closet), group tests at school, and even the loss of his polar bear!  Timmy must get the Segway back, or face his mother's wrath.

This was a laugh-out-loud book, all the way! Timmy is hilarious, and all his conclusions, while making me cringe, were also super funny.  The only thing I worry about is kids accepting Timmy's faulty logic as reasonable.  Hopefully they realize how ridiculous he is.

I also like that while humor is definitely the focus, there are also so serious issues that Timmy must face.  His friendship with Total the polar bear is definitely tried, he has to deal with his mother and the hard times that she is going through, and he has to face the possibility of failure in school.  Timmy has all these issues he has to cope with, and the detective agency is his way of dealing with it.

Over all, great book!  This is a great recommendation for kids that like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Has lots of illustrations, plus the humor.  Boys will definitely dig this book, and lots of fun!