Big Nate: Mr. Popularity by Lincoln Peirce | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The fourth Big Nate comic compilation in the New York Times bestselling series by Lincoln Peirce, in full color!Big Nate is a New York Times bestseller and the star of his own comic strip.Here comes the latest comic compilation from Lincoln Peirce, all about king of detention and cartooning genius Nate Wright!Includes over 300 full-color comic strips, plus bonus Big Nate activities in the back!

Why Did I Read This Book?

Honest to goodness you guys my reason for reading Mr. Popularity by Lincoln Peirce is kind of pathetic — I picked this book for the 24 Hour Readathon that I totally failed at because it is a comic book aimed at middle graders and following logic would be a super quick read. Also? I could get it off my shelves and into the hands of a member of the intended audience, actual children, way sooner than expected by making this book one of my readathon picks. Guess what? I was totally right on the count of this being a fast book. However, I am not 100% sold on this book, probably because I am not in the intended audience.

What’s The Story Here?

So, Mr. Popularity is about Big Nate who decides to run for student body president, but that’s not really until the middle of the book. Instead, the book opens with summer storytime at the library and a rather interesting storyteller. It then goes into Nate trying to get a gig drawing comics for the newspaper. And well, sequentially sort of follows Nate through the school year as he eventually runs for president. Oh, and tries to flirt with this one girl whose boyfriend is leaving the country for a bit. She’s just not that into him. Actually, his friends are not that into him either.

To be totally frank, I thought the way Nate was treated seemed kind of mean spirited but I am also sort of old and sensitive to those sort of things, so that turned me off as a reader. I mean, his friends trick him into running for president and don’t have faith in him. The one girl who he likes isn’t very nice to him. I don’t know, that just did not appeal to me. However, I get that it’s just a book and that the intended audience will likely find it all hilarious. Don’t get me wrong, there were some funny bits, but it’s just not my taste in humor.

How’s The Art?

The art is a lot like what you would find in the Sunday Paper. There’s nothing wrong with that. So, if you are the person who reads the Sunday Paper specifically for the comics, you will like the comics in this book. I hesitate to call this a graphic novel, but I guess it is, given that the book is comprised entirely of comics and pictures. The art is not intricate or super detailed. However, the book is all in color. The colors are not particularly loud, but a bit soothing. I would say that the art is not over stimulating. Like, this is an easy book to concentrate on. I am not sure how much sense that makes, but this is a great book, artwise, for the intended audience.

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

• Fans of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid
• Middle schoolers
• Elementary schoolers
• People who always steal the comics section of the paper

Sum It Up With A GIF:

I always just want Charlie Brown to get to kick the football, so maybe that’s why this book and I did not fully connect, because I don’t totally find Lucy whipping the football away funny, just like I don’t find a ton of Mr. Popularity funny.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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