From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026

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What Members Thought

The Styling Librarian
Ok, I'll admit it. I was concerned about my eyes. I thought they'd be strained after rolling them throughout this reading. I know this is a book that will be welcomed and treasured by many of my students. I personally became frustrated over and over again even though I enjoyed the book overall. Not so keen on reading books with characters calling one another idiot... I also found some of the language a little too high cognitively to accept in comparison to his academic performance. *I know he pr ...more
Samantha
Mar 02, 2013 rated it really liked it
Soooooooo funny! Timmy is a detective and attempts to solve local cases with the help of his business partner a 1500 lb polar bear named Total. The only problem is Timmy's perception of himself as a successful detective is far from reality. It would be more realistic to point out that Timmy often misses the most obvious clues in his cases with humorous effects.

When his cases distract him from his schoolwork his mother puts the kibosh on all things related to his detective business, but that doe
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KWinks
May 26, 2013 rated it it was amazing
I read this last week in my attempt to hurry up and read a whole bunch of chapter books before the summer so that I can spiffy up my RA. I feel I must begin with a disclaimer: I really, really dislike the Wimpy Kid books. Timmy Failure is written in a similar style (heavy on illustrations). The difference? Timmy Failure is laugh out loud hysterical. I read it in my living room and everyone kept telling me to shush because I was laughing so hard they couldn't hear the TV.
Timmy and his business p
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Julie Williams
Oct 05, 2013 rated it liked it


Diary of a Wimpy Kid is hugely popular and there are many other authors out there who are making similar books. I would place this book in that category. Not that there is anything wrong with it...find what the kids are reading and go with it.

In this book Timmy Failure is a budding detective with a pet polar bear named Total and a nemesis named Corinna Corinna. This book is about his escapades as he tries to solve crimes while working out of his office in his mom's closet and then, when they mo
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Mari Anne
Jul 11, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: mg-ya
Cute, saracastic MG novel about a young boy who although clueless, starts a detective agency. Cute message about single parents (and their boyfriends) in the book. Overall funny but a few things bugged me. The main character seems younger than he is written. He also seems to take pride in being a terrible student and even purposefully fails several tests. He also lies to his mother and justifies it, which again, isn't a message I would want my child to get out of a book. While I enjoyed this boo ...more
Dolores
Apr 01, 2013 rated it liked it
For fans of "Wimpy Kid" here is an illustrated book with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Timmy Failure fancies himself quite a detective. He has a bit of an unusual partner and a sworn enemy, who doesn't seem to even know his name. In his first book, there are several cases on his plate, and in spite of some pretty big obstacles, he manages to come through. There is no case too small (missing socks) or too large (mystery of the French Revolution) for this intrepid detective. Timmy is a good ma ...more
Mary Ann
Feb 01, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 6th, humor, school-stories, 4th, 5th
Timmy Failure is the eleven-year old founder of the detective agency Total Failure with his best friend and sidekick Total, a 1,500 pound polar bear. Timmy is utterly serious and entirely convinced of his own importance, even though readers are constantly aware of his incompetence. Kids love being in on the joke, being able to laugh at Timmy's constant troubles and his clueless arrogance.

Timmy is sure that his detective business will rake in millions, but he's willing to start small with cases o
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Donna
Mar 02, 2014 rated it it was amazing
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is laugh-out-loud funny in spots. Much as I enjoy the Wimpy Kid series, I have to say I like this even better. This is the first in a series that is definitely in the vein of the Wimpy Kid books. The vocabulary is sophisticated and that's part of the hilarity. There are some more serious themes underlying the hilarity--single-parenthood, tight budgets, etc. This is an all-around fun read and I look forward to picking up the sequel.
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Pamela
Oct 27, 2013 rated it liked it
Completely clueless narrator, but endearing with his imaginary detective agency partner, a polar bear named Total, and his desire to help out his mom. Book is sprinkled with line drawings and has humor reminiscent of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so it's a good one to steer kids to who love that series. Though it's been a long time since I read that series, I liked this story more than I remember liking that one. ...more
Karen Arendt
Apr 13, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: humor, middle-grade
This book will appeal to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate. Timmy considers himself a smart, owns his own private detective business and has a polar bear as a pet. What keeps the story interesting is that Timmy is so sorely misguided- in his cases, in his perception of his friends, in his own mother. It may be hard to understand how one person can be so truly unintelligent, but readers will (and are supposed to) see the humor in Timmy.
Paige Y.
Apr 11, 2014 rated it it was ok
It was really hard for me to like this one very much, but I can certainly see why my middle school students love it.
Camille
Jul 01, 2013 rated it really liked it
Somewhat reminiscent of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Tommy Failure is a hilarious young detective. He often misses the obvious, struggles at school but is oblivious to anything that doesn't relate to Total Failure, Inc.

I'm looking forward to future installments of this series.
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Claire
Apr 13, 2013 rated it really liked it
Laugh out loud.
Jessica
Nov 01, 2012 marked it as remove-from-to-read
Susie
Nov 24, 2012 marked it as to-read
Shanshad Whelan
Jan 30, 2013 rated it liked it
Jennifer
Jan 31, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: 2013
Joshua Whiting
Feb 06, 2013 marked it as to-read
Kathy
Mar 23, 2013 marked it as to-read
Shelves: juvenile
Jill
Mar 24, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: es, ms
Jody
May 02, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: school-age, funny
Kimberly
May 15, 2013 rated it it was ok
Terrie Hinojosa
May 23, 2013 marked it as to-read
K8
Jul 28, 2013 rated it liked it
Heather
Aug 25, 2013 rated it liked it
Sarah
Dec 04, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Brenda
Feb 24, 2015 rated it really liked it
Peak
Aug 21, 2018 rated it really liked it
Shelves: kids-books, 2018
Rebecca
Feb 12, 2019 rated it liked it