Clueless McGee

Clueless McGee #1

by Jeff Mack

Big Nate meets Encyclopedia Brown
Clueless McGee is just your average fifth-grader: snarky, awkward, and a magnet for trouble. The only difference: he's also an amateur detective. Determined to make his absent father proud, he uses the skills he's learned playing video games to solve mysteries. Only he's no Sherlock Holmes. Or Encyclopedia Brown. Or even Scooby-Doo. When the school bully is framed for filling the orchestra teacher's tuba with macaroni and cheese, Clueless is on the case. But can he catch the culprit before he strikes again? His only obstacle, as Jeff Mack shows us in his hilarious new illustrated series, is his own ineptitude . . . questionable talent . . . and limited intelligence. No problem!

Genres: Humor, Mystery, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books, Graphic Novels, Juvenile

256 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Born in Syracuse, New York, Jeff Mack has written and illustrated a long list of picture books, chapter books, and early readers, including Clueless McGee, Good News Bad News, Frog and Fly, the Hippo and Rabbit series, and Hush Little Polar Bear.

He has also illustrated many books for other authors, including James Howe's Bunnicula and Friends series and Eve Bunting's Hurry! Hurry!, one of School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2007.

At home in Easthampton, Massachusetts, he continues to write, illustrate, and visit schools and libraries to talk about his work. Visit him at www.jeffmack.com.

Bio taken from Jeff's website: http://www.jeffmack.com/short_biograp....
More biographical information can be found at http://www.jeffmack.com/biography.html.

Reviews

[Jude Lipscomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny book about a kid who is always dreaming about karate and is getting into trouble. He likes to hang out with his friend and is figuring out all these secrets about all this stuff that is going on around him.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best book I have ever read, I think back to it almost every week. If your child enjoys living I would totally buy them this book. It has all of kids favourite things, video games, and mac and cheese. Buy this book or I will shoot u and ur kid. Im just messing with you, well not really. This epic book will broaden their vocabulary and raise their IQ. Buy it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good choice for someone looking for a book similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, because of the diary-like entries in the form of letters to the kid's dad. Not as much artwork in this book, though.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good pick for the Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid crowd, and reluctant readers. A silly story, amply illustrated with loads of kid humor (farts, puke, wet pants...) there is a mystery to solve and bullies to deal with. My biggest question was left unanswered---where is dad?

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this series for my middle kid, and he loved it so much he said that I should read it out loud to his sister. This is one of those rare books that made all of my kids laugh out loud. Fans of Timmy Failure, Mac B, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid should definitely try this one.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A double dose of funny combined with a sprinkle of mystery sums up this book at it's best.

[Person2023 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and humorous, McGee's naive characteristics make him a guy to laugh at.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an accurate title! 😂

[Johnnypepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5, but I really liked this one; see http://www.eatreadandbemommy.com/2020... for details.

[Tori Darland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was fast paced. The main character was a little annoying. I wonder where his dad was. It was overall good

[Spencer Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Clueless McGee many years ago. It was pretty funny

[Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak humor

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny! I laughed out loud. So excited for Jeff Mack to visit our school this spring!

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

J McGee thinks he’s a detective, ninja and a spy just like his dad…only he’s not. In fact, PJ is kind of a disaster, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to solve the mystery of the stolen Mac’n'Cheese! The school’s most favorite lunch is missing and PJ decides he (along with his friend Dante) is the guy to find out who did it! After searching for clues, and making a few mistakes… OK, not a few, he pretty much messed everything up. PJ is sure he knows who stole the Mac’n'Cheese, but then that person hired him to clear his name. Is PJ wrong? Probably. After annoying the entire school and getting into all sorts of trouble, PJ is still clueless!

This was a VERY funny book. It was a quick read but it was enjoyable. There wasn’t any message or lesson to the story, it was just fun. The illustrations that Mr. Mack created really made the story. PJ was a very funny character I liked how he was so…clueless. I thought that how the story was told was very unique. PJ tells the story through letters he writes to his dad. PJ thinks his dad is on some super secret spy mission only the reader doesn’t know where he really is.I wonder if we will find out in the next book. Fans of Big Nate and the Wimpy Kid series will really like this book. I also think kids 8+ would like this book!
**NOTE I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

PJ is a silly goofy fifth grader. He misses his father so much he starts righting to him. He writes descriptive letters explaining how he is a secret agent-nija for his school. His school has a bandit on the loose. Someone is stealing all the Mac and Cheese and PJ is going to solve the mystery. PJ thinks he knows who is stealing the Mac and Cheese, the bully Jack, but not everything is adding up. This book is extremely funny and I believe children wouldn’t be able to put down. The book would be perfect for 3rd-5th graders, boys more so than girls. The drawings inside kept me laughing! I really enjoyed the description and humor in this book. I truly would love have loved this book as a child! It is simply magnificent. Just a little insider, the second Clueless McGee will be coming out this winter! I cannot wait, I will be purchasing it the first day it is out!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

P.J. McGee is a 5th grader who wants to be a private investigator just like his dad (although the reader will catch on before P.J. that his dad isn't a P.I.). This story is told through letters he writes to his absent father. In this first in the series, P.J. tries to solve the mystery of who stole the cafeteria's macaroni and cheese. While not as good as the Big Nate or Wimpy Kid books, this will be a good one to recommend to kids who have exhausted those series and are looking for something similar. P.J. can be kind of annoying, but I had to sympathize with him because a lot of his behavioral issues seem to stem from his dad's absence. While I have a pretty good idea as to what his dad actually does for a living, I'm interested to see how this storyline plays out in later books.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

PJ is a fifth grader who aspires to be a secret agent-ninja. He chronicles the pursuit of this mission in journal entries and drawings to his father who lives far away. Ninjahood is a topic further explored when a mystery conspires at school: case of the missing, highly coveted macaroni and cheese. PJ's character is inconsistent at best, often appearing as too immature for a believable fifth grader. Simple drawings lack real humor (more like an adult trying to "get" kid humor). the book misses many opportunities for better character formation as well as an opportunity to deal with larger issues. Wimpy-kid style at its worst.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great readlike for Wimpy Kid fans. PJ is a 5th grader who wants to be a secret agent/ninja. He lives with his mom and sister and the entire book is written as letters to his dad. When the famous macaroni and cheese from the cafeteria goes missing PJ takes on the case. All clues seem to point to Jack, the meanest bully in school, but not everything adds up. Funny, but with some bigger issues surrounding the characters (PJ's dad is not in the picture; PJ has a nervous habit of chewing his pajamas). Recommended for boys grades 3-5, though I think girls will like it too.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It was funny reading about this elementary kid who still believed his father to be a super-secret spy (who knows--he might actually be one!), loved running around, displaying his "awesome" and "authentic" karate moves, breaking some delicate and non-delicate [items] along the way. He wants to be like his dad, so he "becomes" a detective and hires a sidekick, who basically does all the work for him. Long story short, his 6-year old sister is named Chloe!!

[Tamara the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is similar enough to Wimpy Kid yet totally content appropriate that it might be good enough to interest many of the 3rd and 4th graders at my school. I do not let them check out Wimpy Kid books since the content is meant for middle schoolers and the lead character is an anti-role model. I am fine with 5th and up reading those books but cannot justify them getting them from the school library. Just ordered a copy of this book and the second one from Amazon.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff visited my son's school recently for an author's night, and we picked up one of his books there. I wanted my son to go for this book, but of course he went for the picture book. So I went to the local library and picked this up for him, and he LOVES it. I knew he would. He is a 2nd grader that reads at mid-year 4th grade level. He has no trouble with the wording, and loves to read through and laugh at the pictures. Looking forward to reading the next one!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got a couple "I only read Diary of a Wimpy Kid" readers this year. I'm not a fan of the behavior in those and think they are more fitting for intermediate readers - not 3rd graders so I don't have them in my classroom library. But what's a teacher to do? Find options! I think this is a great one. I've got two more to read this weekend. I am looking forward to having them on the shelf on Tuesday. I wonder who will find them first.

[Winner S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clueless McGee is just your average fifth-grader. He thinks he can be a great detective because he wants to make his dad proud of him. He tries to solve mysteries around his house but he never succeeds. I really this book because I know how he feels about pleasing his dad. I have read other books by the same author but this one is the best one.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a series of letters to his absent father, PJ McGee details his life: from bullies at school, to a little sister, Chloe, at home. From playing Ninja Warz video game to trying to solve the case of the missing Macaroni and Cheese at school. Always by his side is Dante, helping him find clues and taking some of the heat.

There are far better novels in the genre.

[Ambri Refer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not as entertaining as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, though the illustrations in this book were slightly better. There was a lack of a life lesson in the plot which makes me question why anyone would recommend this to a young person. All in all, Captain Underpants is still my favorite to send young people to when they don't like to read.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pre-Wimpy Kid-style book suitable for younger kids (3rd-4th grade), with humor that is kinder and gentler, but still with a good dose of the silly and gross. Very sharp-eyed readers may pick up on the visual clues as the hapless PJ McGee attempts to figure out who stole the lunchroom's macaroni and cheese. As light and substantial as cotton candy.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The publisher says this book is "Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Encyclopedia Brown"! The drawings and silliness will likely appeal to the Wimpy Kid crowd. Its low reading level (2.9) while having over 200 pages may help it appeal to reluctant/below level readers who want to carry/try a longer book.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light, silly tone with a easy-to-follow funny story will appeal to 'Wimpy Kid' fans.
And we're wondering where Dad really is and why he's away.
My biggest issue with such books is students feel quite free to add their own doodles and tear the pages.

[Marge Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best of the easy, younger reader books - that I have read. He gets into typical troubles. I liked the point of view. would engage struggling readers. did wonder about why he never actually talked with the dad or why the dad was always away.