I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost ten years old, and she loves Big Nate comics. Needless to say, she was very excited about being able to read What’s a Little Noogie Between Friends?

Nate is a fairly typical middle school boy. He goes to school, plays sports, and spends time with his friends. He has a reputation as a slacker, and this forms the basis for most of the jokes in the book. Peirce does not present an idealized version of school life; Nate makes mistakes and is sometimes the punchline rather than the one doling out the jokes. Nate is a very real character, and that’s what makes him so fun to read about.      

This is a typical comic strip collection. Each page is divided into panels- most of the pages have 4 panels, but some have 8 panels. The book contains several story arcs- one involves Nate babysitting, and another involves Nate on the basketball team. These stories take place over several pages of panels, but there is always a small punchline in the last panel of each page.

My daughter really enjoyed reading this book, and she read it in one sitting. She said that it was very funny, and that other kids would like this book because it talks about school and things that kids can relate to. She also asked when the next Big Nate book was coming out.

I would recommend Big Nate: What’s a Little Noogie Between Friends? This book will appeal to fans of the Big Nate comic strip, as well as to children in elementary/middle school who can relate to Nate’s predicaments. Peirce’s style and humor are reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot, and my daughter is already looking forward to the next Big Nate book!