Middle grade readers will appreciate all the silly sleuthing and absurd details, and older readers–including parents who come along for the ride–will find a satisfying layer of more sophisticated humor, too. peppers nearly every page of this comic romp with at least one intentionally amateurish black-and-white illustration, enhancing the laughs along the way as Timmy misses even the most obvious clues in Clouseauesque fashion. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books The wide-eyed figures that populate Pastis’ pen and ink illustrations have a delightfully peculiar, coiled energy.but there’s a nice emotional element to Timmy’s relationship with his struggling single mom, and readers will find a few moments of poignancy amidst all the laughs. Pastis, the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine, brings a wonderfully droll and playful humor to a younger audience, balancing more straightforward gags with bits of irony and sarcasm. The Pearls Before Swine cartoonist’s frequent black-and-white illustrations help to cast Timmy’s adventure in an appropriately ironic light. Readers should be simultaneously amused and touched by this quirky antihero. 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. Lincoln Peirce, creator of the Big Nate series For Timmy Failure, success is the only option! Pastis crafts a great story starring an unforgettable protagonist whose unorthodox approach to detective work (and world domination) will have readers in stitches. It's original and quirky, with real heart. Timmy Failure is a fabulously fun read and the line drawings are a treat. Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis