Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

www.indiebound.org

Title: Big Nate: in a Class by Himself
Author: Lincoln Peirce
Genre: Graphic Novel- comedy and humor
Grade level(s) appropriateness: 3-7
A brief synopsis/review: Nate is a sixth grade student who enjoys reading fortune cookies. When he receives a fortune cookie from his friend Francis that says, "Today you will surpass all others," Nate believes he will easily achieve this and have a great day at school. However, he finds himself receiving seven detentions in every class, including the principal. Nate dreads going to detention after school where he meets with his supervisor, Mrs. Czerwicki. At the detention room, Mrs. Czerwicki is surprised by the number of detentions Nate received in one day. She informs him that he has had the most detentions than any other student in his school. Nate is thrilled to have set a new school record with his seven detentions.
Theme(s): Coming of age in middle school and growing up
Noteworthy features or issues with text: Each and every page is filled with funny and creative cartoon drawings like a comic book- depicts the story being told. The text and illustrations are kid-friendly; students will find themselves flipping through the pages quickly (page-turner!). While reading the text, I found myself bursting out laughing, especially when Nate talks about substitute teachers.
Teaching ideas: Students could write their own stories on how they are "destined for greatness," a statement that Nate frequently refers to in the story- "What do you hope to accomplish in your future?" Since fortune cookies are significant part of the plot, students could write their own fortunes and explain what they mean. Students could explore other graphic novels and comic-based texts to help them better understand the structure and organization of such texts. Their interpretations/findings could guide them in creating their own comic strip/mini book. Students could also write about their best or worst school experience or about their favorite or least favorite teacher and draw a picture to represent what they wrote. Figurative language, idiomatic expressions, and modern slang are also used in the text- Students could complete matching activities where they match the word/phrase (as said in the story) to its correct definition/meaning. Big Nate is also written in first person point of view which could be discussed with the class by looking at examples from the text.
Curriculum tie-ins and/or related activities: Vocabulary mentioned throughout the story could be added to the class word wall. Students could make reference to the word wall daily to build upon their understanding of the Big Nate vocabulary. Vocabulary could include: ace, apologize, brainpower, brilliant, caricature, convince, detention, disaster, forgery, frivolous, gullible, homeroom, insolence, predicament, surpass, etc. Through this text, students can practice the following reading strategies: making connections, predicting, and inferring.
Read aloud suitability: No, this book would be great to use for partner and/or small group reading. Reading aloud would take away from the comic-like illustrations.
Connections to other texts/content areas: This book is part of the Big Nate series featuring books like, Big Nate: Strikes Again, Big Nate Goes for Broke, and Big Nate: Game On! The Big Nate series is also comparable to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney which includes cartoons/drawings that go along with the storyline.
Other additional comments: Big Nate: In a Class by Himself is the first novel in the New York Times bestselling series. The book was nominated for the 2013 Young Readers Choice Awards, won the 2012-2013 Great Stone Face Book Award, and won a 2011 Read Kiddo Read "Pageturner" award.

Check out the Big Nate webpage, featuring books, games, videos, author blog, comic strips and more: http://www.bignatebooks.com/

** Take a look at the video trailer for "Big Nate": http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m25YL14RUGP4LU/ref=ent_fb_link