Genius Ideas (Mostly)

Tom Gates #4

by Liz Pichon

Seeing Delia without her sunglasses on is a BIG shock, but that's nothing compared with the surprise Dad has in store for me with his new found fitness regime. He says he's going to compete at my Sport's Day. Shame! Meanwhile Derek, Norman and I keep practicing in DOGZOMBIES so we're really ready for the school Talent Show.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, School, Comics, Comedy

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

L. Pichon says that when she was little, she loved to draw, and her mom said she was very good at making a mess (this is still true today). She kept drawing, went to art school, became a designer and art director at Jive Records, and began to publish children’s books. After its publication in the U.K., The Brilliant World of Tom Gates won several prestigious awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, and the Blue Peter Book Award. L. Pichon lives in Brighton, England, with her family.

Reviews

[Amber Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great funny book! Check out my book review on it!!

[إسراء · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing is, that isn't a well structured story. It's truly some ideas coming from a kid to whatever situation facing him, and that's fine except that the execution of it didn't really went that well.
Despite that the ending was acceptable and funny.
I might read another Tom Gates book inshallah maybe it'll be a better experience.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben made me do it--but I'm glad he did, it was a highly entertaining kids' book that is a rare thing: genuinely appealing to reluctant-reader boys. (He's since bought two more in the series, so thank you, Tom Gates!)

[Titanic Lego Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the Tom Gates book series 👍.I have 6 or 7 books

[Gavin Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. You never get bored!

[Ethan Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has lots of genius ideas and Tom got a buddy who is clumsy and his name is Joey.
Toms best friends is Derick and Norman and both of them those a band called dog zombies rule and Tom also those it.Toms favourite band is dude3 and his favourite video is fruit bunch.Norman is cheeky and silly and Derick is bit silly and sensitive.Toms sister Delia is grumpy, annoying and rude and she blames at Tom always.

[Shaihak · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very funny book and it was brilliant

[Nehal Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious. This book came as a surprise as i hadn't expected much from it but I liked it a lot. All I would like to say is LOL

[Dennis]

Good book.

[Aarav Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I'm reading about Tom Gates and let me tell you that the book is nice...but I think that there are too many pictures in it.

[Jahnavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an awesome book!! Get ready for a good laugh🤠

[Minnie Gossage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book!

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read- August 2019 for The N.E.W.Ts (My A in Ancient Runes)
- There isn't much to say about these books really. I'm mainly reading them because my younger brother is making me (I'm making him read Harry Potter though so all is fair). They're quick, enjoyable reads that really help to break up the heavier books that I read.

[Angel274 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

Libro infantil

[Lara (luellabella) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud to my 5 year old son. He rated it a 4, I rated it a 2, so I went in the middle.

[Veronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really funny. I really like other Tom Gates books, this is one of my favorite ones so far. I definitely recommend it. ♥️

[Filip Zepa]

Cool!💜

[Stacey Kym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so 'Genius Ideas' was a novel I DID enjoy in the 'Tom Gates' series, but probably not as much as the previous novels. For some reason I felt like I was flicking through a boring magazine that holds something interesting for some people but not for me. I also felt like the author had slightly run out of ideas and funny plots to include in her mass of doodles and words. Tom - the main character - thankfully did not irritate me this time. 'Genius Ideas' is very quick read for someone life me who whizzes through novels. Highly recommended for ages 7+ till 12 years of age.
Congratulations to Liz Pichon on publishing yet another well illustrates novel in the 'Tom Gates' series!

[Muhammad Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read and the funniest book I've ever read in the Tom Gates series. This book is super neat and well... There is just something that makes me feel so in love with this book. The funniest bit is the Quote “Great, now the whole school knows I'm late. And Mrs. Mumble has made me sound like I'm some kind of parcel.” This book is so fun to read, But there is just one problem... I got discouraged to finish it since it's kind of long. 5 stars for sure. This book is a must-get.

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seems to be trying to trade off the success of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It's kind of written in diary format but kind of not. It's just haphazard. In fact, there seems to be little structure to it at all. The story just meanders around. That would be ok if it was funny. But unfortunately it's just not - some bits are mildly amusing but generally it's just average.

[Millie Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was good but not as good as the other books

[Minerva McGonagall · Rating 5 out of 5]

😂🏳️

[Mr.Rato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heh

[Mukesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Band, a Competition, and Toast with a Twist!

Genius Ideas (Mostly) is an excellent addition to the hilarious and creative Tom Gates series. In this book, Tom continues his fun-filled adventures, juggling school life, hobbies, and his quirky imagination. One of the highlights is the sports competition, which adds excitement and keeps readers hooked. Tom’s interactions with his friends, teachers, and especially his family, are humorous and relatable.

Tom’s feature in the newspaper is another fun element, showcasing his quirky personality and knack for getting into situations that are both amusing and chaotic. His creation of the band “DogZombies” is a fun subplot that brings out his passion for music and creativity.

A particularly memorable moment in the book is when Tom teaches readers how to toast bread with a smiley face! This small but enjoyable detail captures the playful tone of the book and is a great example of how the series finds joy in the little things.

Overall, Tom Gates 4: Genius Ideas (Mostly) is a must-read for fans of fun, light-hearted, and creative stories. It’s full of laugh-out-loud moments, relatable school experiences, and Tom’s unique take on life. Whether you’re a fan of Tom’s band or just love a good sports competition, this book has something for everyone!

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

I say this as a compliment, “Tom Gates” reminds me of a British version of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. It’s written/illustrated in a very quirky, unique style where even some of the words in the text are illustrations. This story, which is actually #4 in the series, follows Tom Gates as he navigates life as a student in England with quirky parents, a Goth sister, “weird” teachers, and his best mates (friends). The two main events in this story are having to train and compete in his school’s sports day and trying to get his band Dogzombies to perform in the school talent show. There’s plenty of humor along the way including Tom’s telling of the BBQ where his dad burned all the food and when Tom gets a brush stuck in his hair when trying to give himself a rock star style. The great thing is you don’t have to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one. Overall, I highly recommend this book to upper elementary students and fans of “Diary of Wimpy Kid,” “Timmy Failure,” and “Dork Diaries.”

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Tom gates genius ideas by L. Pichon.
This is a story about genius ideas. I read this book because picture is funny, and my teacher recommended it. The main character of the story is Tom Gates. The main character is a boy who sometimes makes fun. In the beginning, in the morning Tom was wake up and see his sister and surprised because his sister was looked scary and his dad had come to the downstairs. In the middle, there was had barbeque and there was smoking everywhere. And smoke got thicker so sausage was finished, and Tom said to the dad a dad sausage looks like a bit… burnt and sausage fall on the flour. In the end, Tom cut his hair then Tom got chopped off hair, so Tom got hairbrush and !!! swap sides.
I like the story because the pictures were very funny.

[Eliz Dilem Dalyanli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I loved that was entirely different was Tom Gates: Genius Ideas (Mostly). This book was enjoyable and a breeze to read; the layout was almost diary-comic style with many illustrations, nonsensical ideas, and ridiculous situations. I feel as if I'm inside Tom Gates' head—albeit a disheveled one (but not in a bad way).

Tom is super relatable; he gets distracted, ineffective attempts at doing homework, and a constant belief that his thoughts are the greatest. I laughed (even out loud) at some of the references, especially his attempts to get his band DogZombies to get better. While it constantly went awry, I admired the attempt at continuing. Totally recommend people
E who love funny books.

[Lex Smi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, this series is my favourite, and i have mentioned it before. I liked the bit where Tom got the brush stuck in his hair and got it cut out. It was also funny how he used so much hair gel that was a joke gift for his dad because he’s bald from uncle Kevin. I would have liked Toms band to have played but it was still just as funny. I liked delias new green hair and how she was a little nicer to Tom at the end when he had some of his hair chopped off. To make it even funnier, Tom switched his hair sides. I found this book really funny and entertaining. I hope Liz Pichon makes loads more of these books!

[Rasta Nasseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب جزو کتاب‌های محبوممه. یعنی مجموعه‌اش. ویراستگاریشم که همیشه ازش تغریف کردم. عالیه.
اگه شما این کتاب را نخونده باشید میگم که حتما این کتاب را بخونید.
قشنگه. خنده‌داره.
میتونم یه جایی را تصور کنم و انگار که دارم خودم می‌بینم اما اون داره برام توضیح می‌ده.
بعضی موقع‌ها هم احساس‌های عجیب و غریب میاد سراغم. مثل هیجان‌زدگی، ترس، نگرانی ...
نقاشی‌هاش را خیلی دوست دارم و نقاشی‌هاش تونسته دنیای نقاشی جدیدی را بهم معرفی کنه یعنی نقاشیاش مدل جدیدن.
خلاصه که از همه چیزش راضی‌ام با اینکه بعضی موقع‌ها می‌گفتم کاش این اتفاق نمی‌افتاد. اما اینم جزو داستانه.

[Chung Ka Kiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is talking about how Tom got a lot of “genius ideas”, like “let his friend’s dog chewed his dad’s cycling shorts so his dad can not wear this shorts to the sports day and make Tom embarrassed”, “made his own late list so he can have an excuse for being late to school”, “swapped the sides of his CHOPPED-HAIR so it won’t look so weird”……etc. Although most of his “genius ideas” are not really good, I still can tell that he is actually trying to solve the problem in his own way, it’s only not “good enough”.