The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

The diary-style, comic novel gets a UK makeover with this look at Tom Gates’ fifth-grade year, documenting with hilarious detail every mishap (like forgetting about class-picture day) and success (like hiding his older sister’s sunglasses in some bagged salad). The handwritten font and cartoon drawings bring Tom’s experiences to life, making his struggles and dreams immensely relatable. ... Tom’s upbeat outlook and everyday trials will have readers laughing out loud and eager for this series’ next installment.

How Tom makes peace with his teacher, Marcus Meldrow, and his sister and still gets to go to the Dude 3 concert will keep readers chuckling. Readers of Wimpy Kid books will love this series with a UK twist written by an award-winning British author.

Will be enjoyed by those who can’t get enough of Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books. The engaging illustrations are plentiful and will delight avid and reluctant readers alike.

Tom Gates can easily be seen as a British cousin to Jeff Kinney’s Greg Heffley. ... The book is typeset in a handwritten-looking font, accompanied by Tom’s doodles and text that he’s embellished for emphasis. ... [R]eaders who like their fiction heavily illustrated and their heroes mischievous should find it diverting.

We like Tom and the exuberant way he illustrates his account of himself with little drawings and embellishments, and we sympathize with his efforts to conjure a dynamic logo for DogZombies, the band he has formed with his friend Derek. ... Life occasionally doles out difficulty to Tom Gates. ... Our hero may be mortified, but readers ages 9 to 12 won't mind a bit.