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Mistakes Were Made

(Timmy Failure #1)

Stephan Pastis

3.92 · Rating details · 6,282 ratings · 977 reviews

Meet "detective" Timmy Failure, star of the kids’ comedy of the year. Created by New York Times best-selling cartoonist Stephan Pastis.

Take eleven-year-old Timmy Failure — the clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Fai ...more

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Hardcover, 294 pages

Published February 26th 2013 by Candlewick Press

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The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Middle Grade Novels of 2013

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Newbery 2014

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· 6,282 ratings · 977 reviews

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Start your review of Mistakes Were Made (Timmy Failure, #1)

Aug 27, 2016 Ryan rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, unfinished-series, middle-grade, favourites

My little brother made me read this book a few months back, and I honestly really enjoyed it. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go buy a polar bear side-kick for myself. ...more

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Nov 16, 2013 Barb Middleton rated it really liked it

Shelves: humor

In English classes, teachers often have lessons where students examine the reliability of a character's voice. Some tell the truth and some don't. Huckleberry Finn is an "unreliable narrator" who even says outright that sometimes he tells the truth, sometimes he lies, and sometimes he stretches the truth. Take a look at Holden Caulfield in "Catcher and the Rye," another top-notch unreliable narrator spewing contradictory statements and hyperboles in most of his dialogue. Some unreliable narrator In English classes, teachers often have lessons where students examine the reliability of a character's voice. Some tell the truth and some don't. Huckleberry Finn is an "unreliable narrator" who even says outright that sometimes he tells the truth, sometimes he lies, and sometimes he stretches the truth. Take a look at Holden Caulfield in "Catcher and the Rye," another top-notch unreliable narrator spewing contradictory statements and hyperboles in most of his dialogue. Some unreliable narrators in children's literature are: "The False Prince" by Jennifer Nielsen, "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead, and "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers. Add to that list, "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made," except stamp some great comic book pictures along with text and a protagonist like Elmer Fudd and you have a comedic unreliable narrator that makes me think of the Looney Tunes cartoon characters I grew up with in the 60's and 70's. In some ways Timmy's character reminds me of Junie B. Jones who acts superior to others, calls people stupid, yells at adults, acts like a twit head, talks back, and is mean to most peers. As the students say, "she's so dumb she's funny!" Timmy is so patently dumb he's funny too.

Timmy is a cathartic release of emotions for people who are either weary of making mistakes (like me) or afraid of making mistakes. Timmy makes mistakes. He drives a Failuremobile. He has a detective agency with a 1500 pound polar bear as a partner who never speaks in the book. The first case mentioned in the plot involves a kid in Timmy's class who hires him to find his missing Halloween candy. Timmy sees the classmate's younger brother with wrappers and writes in his notebook that the kid "is not tidy." He's the world's worst detective and as a parade of characters continue so does the humor and evidence of Timmy's problems at home and school. One such character, Timmy's teacher, shows he shouldn't be teaching anymore. He lacks energy, enthusiasm, and calls Timmy, "Captain Thickhead." While the scene is funny, Pastis uses good comedic technique by observing or poking fun at the failures found in human nature. When the new creative teacher is hired, the contrast between the two is duly noted.

Timmy hasn't had an easy life and its his problems interspersed with the humor that make this book better than similar fare. His single mom has lost her job and is dating a loser boyfriend that puts Timmy down. His mom clearly loves Timmy, reading to him before bed, blowing in his ear trying to make him laugh, and disciplining him when necessary. He's a handful and she does the best she can but the two live in a one bedroom apartment and there is little space. His nemesis is a classmate, "Corrina, Corrina" who also has a detective agency, is smart, and has a more stable life. Timmy isn't even on her radar even though he thinks that all she thinks about is him. He's failing school and his friend is the playground lady and polar bear that is either real or a figment of his imagination.

Pastis sure defies stereotypes. Take Flo the librarian that is short not for "Florence. It's short for 'Misshelve my books and the blood will FLOw." Timmy thinks that Flo gives him favors because he knows that he's a detective with connections to spring him from jail, need be. "And I, in turn, know he's looking out for the Timmynator." Flo looks like he belongs on a motorcycle wearing a leather vest with no shirt underneath and a World War I spiked German Helmet. Detective Timmy usually comes up with the most ludicrous reasons for solving his crimes and observing others. He notes that Flo reads dangerous books such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Emily Dickinson poetry. Timmy's delusional behavior hides the desperate side of his reality. I just saw a movie trailer for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Timmy seems like the juvenile version of Walter Mitty.

One of my favorite parts is when Timmy has been grounded and forced to study because his mom got a letter from the principal saying he was failing grade level and would be held back. "I'm sitting there reading something about something when I see the pattern of the wood grain in my desk. And before I know it, I'm watching tiny me running through the maze." A funny illustration of big-Timmy and mini-Timmy tooling on the wood grain with big Timmy cheering "Go, me, go" accompanies the text. Timmy's muses, "And away goes an hour. So I try to read again. But I hear a dog. Which makes me think of cars. Which rhymes with jars. Which hold mayonnaise. So now I'm eating a bologna sandwich. And two hours are gone. So I try to study again." I had a laugh-out-loud moment on the elliptical machine scaring the woman chugging away next to me.

Timmy is a bit of a kindred spirit. I sat down to write this book review and the sunshine slashed a bright path across the smooth tile floor. It radiated warmth. What goes with warm sunshine? A chocolate sundae. I looked in the freezer. No ice cream. Ah, but a handy-dandy ice cream shop is around the corner. I snuck there and smothered my chocolate ice cream with M & M's. And there goes an hour. Then I looked at the kitchen table. The Pringles chips looked good. Which rhymes with tingles. Which made me go eat them. Which reminded me to make a dentist appointment. Which reminded me to pack my tennis bag and prepare a lesson for coaching tomorrow. And now two hours are gone. I'm back at my laptop. The sun is gone. Ah well. I'll try again.

When I was in college we used to stick popcorn up our nose and sing into our curling irons like microphones. And no, I did this perfectly sober. Okay... maybe I'm being an unreliable narrator with an unreliable memory, but that's besides the point. One of the things I love working with kids is they remind me to lighten up and be silly like I did as a kid (or young adult). When Timmy sticks three pencils up his nose because Rollo is so serious about studying I guffawed pretty loud while reading that on the elliptical machine. It was the second time I startled a girl exercising next to me. The text reads, "Here's how I teach Rollo" and the photo has Timmy with one eye looking dead on and the other slightly askew. A pencil hangs from each nose and one is sticking out of his ear with the speech bubble, "How'd those get in there?" Juvenile, silliness abounds with some heartfelt issues that Timmy is dealing with that make this quite witty and more memorable than the influx of Diary-of-a-Wimpy-Kid-wanna-be's. Stephen Pastis was a lawyer before becoming a syndicated cartoonist and is most known for the comic strip, "Pearls Before Swine." His adult wit and childish humor should make this popular with the middle grade readers. Toss in some really funny illustrations and you have a winner. Move over Junie B. Jones. You've met your match. ...more

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Nov 15, 2015 Irena BookDustMagic rated it it was amazing

My friend, who is a librarian in the children's library, wanted me to read his favorite children's book.
He said it has a smart humour and then he told me he actually doesn't know in which age rang this book belongs.

Do you know what I think? In every age rang!
Because, I think the adults will appreciate this story written in the child's perspective and children will have a great time reading it, no matter what their age is.

Let me show you who we're dealing with here:

This is Timmy:
description

He has a detect ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 ✦BookishlyRichie✦ rated it really liked it

4 STARS!!!

This was a freaking hilarious read and I did not expect to laugh so much during my read of this but I did and I loved it. I got a wisdom tooth taken out a few days ago and it made it so hard to not bust out laughing reading every page because it hurts haha I was wondering how this was going to play with the mystery side of the story considering it is mostly illustrations made by the main character himself and not his 1,500 pound side-kick polar bear named Total and it turns out that it ...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grade

Ah, Timmy Failure. I'm a little confused about how I feel about this book. It's hysterical, well written, introduces some new vocabulary (to myself, in addition to the middle-grade readers this book is aimed at), and shows glimpses at more serious real-life issues (single motherhood, economical issues, struggles in school). At the same time though, there's some mean name calling, hatred towards a little girl with no real reason (a little girl we find out is dealing with some family issues of her ...more

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Aug 17, 2013 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it it was ok

Shelves: childrensbooks, humor

Timmy Failure lost me. This looked like it should be funny, but I just didn't like it very much. The cartoony line art was appealing, and the idea of a clueless boy detective with a polar bear sidekick sounded like it had lots of potential.
The problem was, I just didn't like Timmy. Not only was he clueless and irresponsible, he was kind of a jerk to his classmates.
I did like his relationship with his mother and the new teacher, and there I could see a glimmer of appeal. Timmy is so utterly in ...more

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Jul 26, 2013 Kristi rated it did not like it

So, what I liked:

Pastis describes boys to a tee. Page 7: Drawing of Mom wagging finger and saying "Never. Ever. Ever." To which Timmy says, "I thought that was vague. So I use it."

That had me rolling.

What I didn't like:

Timmy reminds me of Greg from DIARY OF A WIMPY KID. They're both jerks. They treat their friends rotten and they're completely selfish and unambitious. This is not an accurate, or even a likable, portrayal of boys.

Also, I kept waiting for the big reveal, that Timmy has Asperger ...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Betsy rated it really liked it

Call it the attack of the syndicated cartoonists. For whatever reason, in the year 2013 we are seeing droves of escapees from the comic strip pages leaping from the burning remains of the newspaper industry into the slightly less volatile world of books for kids. How different could it be, right? As a result you’ve The Odd Squad by Michael Fry (Over the Hedge) and Zits Chillax by Jerry Scott (Zits). Even editorial cartoonists are getting in on the act with Pulitzer prize winner Matt Davies and h ...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Mike rated it it was amazing

Shelves: milk-out-your-nose-funny, best-for-boys, best-of-2013, brilliantly-written, reviewed

I've heard Timmy Failure described as the "the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid." I love statements like that. They get the best eye-rolls. But wait, check out the first lines.

"It's harder to drive a polar bear into somebody's living room than you'd think. You need a living room window that's big enough to fit a car. You need a car that's big enough to fit a polar bear. And you need a bolar bear that's big enough to not point out your errors."

I know what you're thinking. How will the rest of a book fro I've heard Timmy Failure described as the "the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid." I love statements like that. They get the best eye-rolls. But wait, check out the first lines.

"It's harder to drive a polar bear into somebody's living room than you'd think. You need a living room window that's big enough to fit a car. You need a car that's big enough to fit a polar bear. And you need a bolar bear that's big enough to not point out your errors."

I know what you're thinking. How will the rest of a book from a first time children's author ever pull off a story with an opening like that?

Well, if this one's going to show up with a blurb from Jeff Kinney on the cover, let's start the comparisons. If you know any fans of Wimpy Kid, they read it like I watch Arrested Development. Over and over and over again. Sometimes they read the same book again and again. Sometimes they start from the beginning and go through the series. Hey, if you're forced to read for 20 minutes a night, might as well enjoy it, right? We fall in love with stories that are greater than the sum of their parts.

Failure's got it. They say boys tend to be more plot-centric. That they don't care for character development and feelings and all that. There better be some good ol' violence or at the very least some bathroom humor. And yeah, I love the books that pull those elements off as much as the next 10-year-old, but when character is given the treatment Pastis and Kinney work, we love that too.

Pastis captures the magic that, until now, I’ve only seen from Jeff Kinney. We’re able to laugh our way through every situation, every interaction, every moment of Timmy’s complete ineptitude; without ever losing our sense of compassion for a kid who’s got the deck stacked against him.

It’s Timmy’s situation that highlights the brilliance of Patsis’ writing. Betsy Bird brought up the question about whether Total, Timmy’s associate who happens to be a 1,500 pound polar bear, is a real part of the story or as her husband thinks, a manifestation of Timmy’s break from reality. I was sure I agreed with Matt. Most of the time. Because there are more places where you could evidence the latter. But then, there are those moments where Total absolutely has to be real.

This conundrum completely mirrors Timmy’s character. Most of the events lead you to conclude that Timmy is cognitively limited and a complete outcast. He eats on a lunch bench by himself to ensure the other kids won’t steal his secrets. Except, nobody is ever overtly mean to him. He seems to spend enough time with friends, dropping great punchlines as opposed to actually solving their cases. Even Flo, hardcore-biker-librarian shows up at his play.

When Timmy ends up with a new teacher and he’s asked to work on “cases” he actually pulls off decent grades. Which, of course, on affirms the shortcomings of the educational system since Timmy has to be the one to solve the cases.

In the end, I truly believe that Timmy’s a smart kid who just doesn’t have a reason to try. Or, he’s completely out of touch with reality. Or, he’s both. Or, the contradictions are all complete oversights by the author. Either way, it couldn’t matter any less. Timmy Failure is as touching (don’t tell) as it is a riot. ...more

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Feb 13, 2017 dianne rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, own-children-s

Well, it was Fayleure
“But somebody changed it.”

Giggly and hilarious. The best kids’ books are written for everyone with new discoveries found each re-read, with each child that you can read it to, or with.

Like Winnie-the-Pooh:

“Hello, Rabbit,' he said, 'is that you?'
'Let's pretend it isn't,' said Rabbit, 'and see what happens.”

or

Owl … “could read quite comfortably when you weren't looking over his shoulder and saying "Well?" all the time, and he could --
"Well?" said Rabbit
"Yes," said Owl, lo ...more

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Dec 25, 2016 Kathleen Dixon rated it really liked it

Shelves: db-reads, children-s

I read this book some time this year and have recommended it to many buyers at the bookshop I work in. Timmy Failure is one of those hopelessly ignorant but amazingly self-confident people, and though in real life they are difficult to relate to, in this book it's very funny. And one can hope that he grows out of it.

And he's a nicer kid than the wimpy one that sells more. ...more

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Nov 29, 2015 Tia rated it did not like it

This kid is supposed to be comic, but seemed like an idiot and a brat. Maybe his antics are supposed to be so outlandish that even a child can see through them, but I'd rather my child just not be exposed to it at all. ...more

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Sep 12, 2019 La La rated it did not like it

Timmy is like that awful boy from the Wimpy Kid books, but he's the MC and the hero; yeah, run that concept through your brain again. Being a jerk, calling people names, body shaming others, being mean, destroying other's property... yay, let's hear it for all the "misunderstood" kids in the world, let them be themselves and celebrate it. What kind of a message is that to be sending elementary school children?

I know Timmy probably has ADHD, it was hinted at many times, but the author painted a p Timmy is like that awful boy from the Wimpy Kid books, but he's the MC and the hero; yeah, run that concept through your brain again. Being a jerk, calling people names, body shaming others, being mean, destroying other's property... yay, let's hear it for all the "misunderstood" kids in the world, let them be themselves and celebrate it. What kind of a message is that to be sending elementary school children?

I know Timmy probably has ADHD, it was hinted at many times, but the author painted a picture of a rude, disrepectful, bullying, over the top destructive (I'm talking taking a car and crashing it into a house... almost killing someone destructive, not an I found my mom's box of paperclips and bent all of them out of shape destructive) child with zero redeeming characteristics. That's not a very good representation of children with ADHD.

And speaking of the car crash... there were no consequences for Timmy, in fact the police gave him chocolate milk and a tour of the police station.

Then there was all the adult puns and wording, "Those inclined toward generous interpretation might say it's a goddess rising from the sea. Or Adam touching the hand of God," which also showcases the horrible punctuation in this book. For a while I was thinking this was intended as an adult parody of an MG early reader chapter book (like Diary of a Wimpy Kid) because there was so much adult humor, but no, it's an early reader chapter book according to the publisher.

There was a lot of body shaming going on in this story, and in a way that made it seem like it was okay to do, even funny cool.

At the very end the teacher tricked Timmy into doing his homework, which I know was a nod to teachers and parents who have students and children with ADHD, but it wasn't presented in a way that 7-11 year olds would get it. It just looked like another way Timmy was being rewarded for not following rules.

This book should be retitled The Making of a Juvenile Delinquent.

I won the first four books of this series, and was excited to have them to put in the Little Free Library at our neighborhood community center, but I can't put this book in it with a clear conscience. I'm going to recycle it. I will skim read the other three before I decide what to do with them. ...more

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May 01, 2013 Chris rated it liked it

Shelves: not-graphic, j, humor, illustrated

I'm a sucker for a flawed, unreliable narrator, love understated, deadpan humor, and believe self-delusion is an unavoidable fact of life that should be embraced by all good stories, so it would seem that Timmy Failure has a winning formula for me since it has all three of these in abundance. Unfortunately, the humor never quite connected with my funny bone. I think it had something to do with how obviously hard Pastis works to make sure readers notice Timmy's failings and feel superior in respo ...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Adina rated it it was amazing

What I love about Timmy Failure is that you can read it on two levels. On the one hand, it's hilarious. Timmy's delusions of grandeur and boundless faith in himself make for a lot of funny situations. But the adult reader, and probably quite a few sophisticated kids, will also see Timmy struggling to make a very imperfect world into the one he'd rather have, and will be happy when things turn out well for Timmy despite his best efforts. ...more

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Feb 27, 2019 Toshi Parmar rated it it was amazing

Absolutely marvelous. I was expecting more puns, since this is from a guy who runs pearls before swine but absolufuckinglutely marvdonkulous!

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Oct 24, 2012 babyhippoface rated it it was ok

Shelves: humor, kids-fiction

Rating Decision Crisis: 2 stars, or 3? Started slow, Timmy too much like Wimpy Kid/AwfulHumanBeing Greg Heffley, but improved, slowly....

Did warrant a few chuckles, though; Timmy's statement that Corrina Corrina "has the ethics of a donkey" made me laugh out loud, as did his understanding that Flo the Librarian was reading more books about killing innocent creatures when he sees him reading my favorite book of all-time, To Kill a Mockingbird. Another truly funny moment comes when Timmy sees the Rating Decision Crisis: 2 stars, or 3? Started slow, Timmy too much like Wimpy Kid/AwfulHumanBeing Greg Heffley, but improved, slowly....

Did warrant a few chuckles, though; Timmy's statement that Corrina Corrina "has the ethics of a donkey" made me laugh out loud, as did his understanding that Flo the Librarian was reading more books about killing innocent creatures when he sees him reading my favorite book of all-time, To Kill a Mockingbird. Another truly funny moment comes when Timmy sees the photo of Emily Dickinson on the book Flo the Librarian is reading and thinks, “if she can crush things with her fist, her photo is somewhat misleading.” Had there been more of those moments, I would've bumped the star power up a notch or two.

Timmy Failure is an idiot. That's the only way I know to describe him. He thinks he's a genius, but he is oblivious to what is going on around him. He fancies himself a detective but misses clues a 4-year-old would catch. He's also mean to his friend Rollo ("the rotund boy"), mean to his classmate who clearly has a crush on him, and he's mean to his other classmate, Corrina Corrina, who has enough problems on her own with her emotionally absent father. He's not very respectful of his mother or his teacher. He just seems to think he's the smartest and really has no time for anyone who doesn't think that, too.

Whether his pet polar bear Total is real or not, a la Calvin & Hobbes, I couldn't say. He didn't add a whole lot to the story, but I did enjoy seeing him steal Staci the polar bear's beach ball.

Perhaps a re-reading would make me like this more. Maybe I'm looking at it all wrong. Maybe it's because I'm predisposed to dislike Greg Heffley and his ilk. Immensely. But...since I don't have the ability to award 2.5 stars, I'm going to have to stick with the two-star "it was ok", because I just didn't like it enough to say, "I liked it".

All that said, though, I think kids will love this one, and if I had any money at all in my library budget, I'd buy a couple of copies. ...more

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May 24, 2015 Erik Fazekas rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens-books, read-in-en, p, contemporary

Timmy Failure je môj nový najobľúbenejší osemročný hrdina!
Má toľko dobrých heftov, že kebyže ich mám vypísať, tak to bude polka knihy! Akože fakt si to prečítajte. Timmy Failure stojí za to. A ak si udrží kvalitu aj v Ďalších častiach, tak sa veľmo teším!
I like him very much!

ochutnávka:
I asked mother for a teleconference to discuss this and other thingsm but she is constantly rescheduling. I'm not pushing the issue for now, but I expect it will come up at her year-end review. That's the annu ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Adam rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013, middle-grade, novels

It's no Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze, but it's pretty good. The main character is equally as inept and self-centered as Wimpy Kid, but not nearly as rude or whiny. He comes off as more just...oblivious and bumbling.

Definitely some recognizable humor and style from Pearls Before Swine.

I reviewed this on the TMC Guys Read Blog at http://guysread.wordpress.com/2013/03... ...more

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May 29, 2013 Jeremy rated it it was ok

Shelves: children-s-lit

Yes, Timmy Failure, mistakes WERE made. The first mistake was your very existence. Does the world really need another one of those Wimpy Kid knockoffs?

The second mistake was making you a bumbling arrogant character that no reader could possibly root for.

The third mistake was immediately allowing the reader to solve the mystery but still forcing us to wait for Timmy to solve it, in the name of comedy.

There were no real stakes, no real characters, no originality, but there WAS a lazy polar bear de ...more

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Apr 19, 2018 Nic rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel

Fun and amusing.

I was almost done with the book before it occurred to me that Total, Timmy's polar bear friend, might not be real. This idea FILLED ME WITH RAGE. I hate when books have fantastical elements that turn out to be someone's imagination or a dream or a hallucination or whatnot. So while I'm glad that the book never actually indicates that Total is imaginary, I wish it would go farther in the opposite direction, making it clear that he's real. (That's something I love about the Phoebe ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Victor The Reader rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-from-digital-library, childrens-fiction-reviews

A very charming and humorously odd story about self proclaimed boy genius and detective Timmy Failure🧣, when a simple case turns into a bizarre search and rescue mission that goes weird in many ways. Timmy is a very interesting character, even if the way he sees things are a little off, but the story and characters provide plenty of chuckles and an exciting series. A- (91%/Excellent)

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Mar 18, 2020 Michelle rated it really liked it

This book was the right amount of sarcasm, humor and ridiculousness!

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Jul 26, 2020 Gmr rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

You know how all books are not for all readers and some books work SO MUCH BETTER when read aloud? Yeah, this was definitely the case with the particular book and myself. I was all ready to throw in the towel because quite honestly, I couldn't believe what I was reading. I get it is for a much younger audience than I, but I read a fairly large amount of Children's Fiction and even Picture Books, so the fact that this one was giving me fits was enough to aggravate. HOWEVER, in my exasperated stat ...more

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May 18, 2020 Krystal Caracol rated it really liked it

My 8yo son has been trying to get me to read this, so I finally did, and it is cleverly funny and ridiculous! I'm interested in continuing these books. ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Ethan rated it it was amazing

Wow. I am speechless.

For the past few months, I've made a concerted effort to try to read as many classics as possible - I've read 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Oliver Twist', 'The Catcher in the Rye', '1984' as well as a few others, and I can say in full confidence that none of these books are even comparable to the sheer genius that is 'Mistakes Were Made'. This is a book like no other - a tale of ambition, courage and perseverance and the protagonist has got to be one of the most well-rounded and ...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Nicole rated it really liked it

Timmy Failure: Mistakes were Made (Book 1) by Stephan Pastis
Candlewick, 2013
294 pages
Fantasy/Humorous
Recommended for grades 4-6

Timmy Failure thinks himself to be a topnotch detective that is destined to run a multi-billion dollar detective agency. The irony here is that Timmy does live up to his name, no matter how much he tries to assure readers he isn't a failure, by missing the blatantly obvious answers to all his cases.
When Timmy borrows his mother's Segway and loses it, he is determined to ...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Paul Hankins added it

Shelves: funny, graphic-novels-younger-readers-humo, graphic-novels-younger-readers, november-2012-reads

From the creator of PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, this one reads like The Wimpy Kid meets Calvin and Hobbs meets I AM A GENIUS OF INCREDIBLE EVIL AND I WANT TO BE YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT.

This one has some layers that do not get as fully developed (single mother, family economics, new relationships) as say a similar title, MILO: STICKY NOTES AND BRAIN FREEZES (loss, grief, single parent homes), but I think the target audience for this title will not mind this so much with the bumbling antics of Timmy, Rollo, ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Brenda rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, humor

I liked the character of Timmy but am curious how much others will enjoy him. Maybe it's his over confidence in his detective skills or his bumbling nature, he just isn't really as good at crime solving as he thinks he is. Yet, maybe that is his charm. Timmy does land himself in some interesting predicaments and I can see children enjoying how he gets out of them. Timmy's 1500 pound sidekick business partner, Total the polar bear was hard to imagine wandering around solving cases with him but t ...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Charlou rated it liked it

Shelves: j

Timmy Failure is a detective. He thinks he is very successful. His partner is a polar bear named Total. Yep, it is the Total Failure Detective Agency. A girl nemesis, a missing Segway, and troubles at school all seem to be insurmountable problems. But not for long.
Why I picked it up - It's one of those Wimpy Kid read a-likes.
Why I finished it - It was funny though possibly a different funny for kids. This book seemed to want to cover a lot, maybe too much, and much seemed glossed over perhaps ...more

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Harvie Williams- Mrs Sodano	2	2	Jun 25, 2017 07:48PM
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Timmy Failure Mistakes Were Made	4	27	Feb 18, 2014 07:46PM

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Videos About This Book

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis - Book Trailer

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Stephan Pastis on how to draw Timmy Failure and his friends

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About Stephan Pastis

Stephan Pastis

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Stephan Pastis was born in 1968 and raised in San Marino, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989 with a degree in political science. Although he had always wanted to be a syndicated cartoonist, Pastis realized that the odds of syndication were slim, so he entered UCLA Law School in 1990 and became an attorney instead. He practiced la ...more