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Big Nate: Comics #8
Big Nate: Great Minds Think Alike
Two heads are better than one, except when they're crashing into each other! But that won't prevent Big Nate and his pals from hatching great ideas for fun. Nate Wright is a wisecracking 11-year-old who knows he's destined for greatness. The star of Big Nate, the daily and Sunday comic strip that made its debut in 1991, Nate's a sixth-grade chess prodigy, a self-described genius, and the all-time record holder for detentions in school history. He's often in hot water with his teachers and classmates, but Nate's winning personality and can-do attitude always make him a big hit with readers.
Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
2223 people are currently reading
1334 people want to read
About the author
Lincoln Peirce
260 books1,121 followersLincoln Peirce is a cartoon artist from Portland, Maine. He lives with his wife and two children, and occasionally gives lectures to students about cartoon creating. Peirce writes the comic strip "Big Nate". Peirce's comic strip, Big Nate, is featured as an island on the famous children's website, Poptropica. Big Nate appears as the first cartoon on The Maine Sunday Telegram in the comics section.
He studied art at Colby College in Maine were he began cartooning. He also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture before teaching art and coaching basketball at a New York highschool for 3 years. He currently plays hockey with "an old men's league" and describes it as his best sport as a child. In an interview with the Washington Post, Peirce stated that his last name is pronounced "purse" and is not a misspelling of "pierce."
Lincoln Peirce was a member of the "Surviving as a Print Cartoonist" Panel at the Maine Comics Art Festival with fellow cartoonists Corey Pandolph (Barkeater Lake, Toby: Robot Satan, The Elderberries), Norm Feuri (Retail, Gill) and with Mike Lynch moderating. On the panel Lincoln revealed he is currently working with some animation and licensing projects including the addition of a Big Nate island to the online game Poptropica.
He studied art at Colby College in Maine were he began cartooning. He also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture before teaching art and coaching basketball at a New York highschool for 3 years. He currently plays hockey with "an old men's league" and describes it as his best sport as a child. In an interview with the Washington Post, Peirce stated that his last name is pronounced "purse" and is not a misspelling of "pierce."
Lincoln Peirce was a member of the "Surviving as a Print Cartoonist" Panel at the Maine Comics Art Festival with fellow cartoonists Corey Pandolph (Barkeater Lake, Toby: Robot Satan, The Elderberries), Norm Feuri (Retail, Gill) and with Mike Lynch moderating. On the panel Lincoln revealed he is currently working with some animation and licensing projects including the addition of a Big Nate island to the online game Poptropica.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
December 3, 2014
GROSS. I've never actually read any of the Big Nate books before this, despite (or perhaps because) of the fact that they go like hotcakes in my library. My coworker read this as part of her SRP prize booktalking stash and reported back that Nate was "kind of a douche." True story. I just read the whole thing and I'm feeling... honestly, kind of queasy.
This book feels like such a bizarre throwback, a basically nonstop* festival of unquestioning misogyny. I read this during the same week of the Elliot Rodger shooting and the subsequent #yesallwomen response, and honestly, that sense of entitlement to women's bodies/attention... it's all right here. Part of me is holding back and wondering if I'm "oversensitive" or "taking it too seriously," which is a bullshit way to keep valid criticism down, and then the rest of me is still horrified, especially because these are marketed SUPER young. Much younger than the Wimpy Kid books, which (while they have their problems) are much less problematic than this.
Anyway, librarians and teachers, it's worth reading these before booktalking or recommending them.
*I went through and made a quick count: out of ~115 strips, 52 centered around a joke about girls or women's bodies (fat jokes, comics = cleavage jokes, hook-up jokes, crush jokes). 63 were another type of joke, including a couple of actually funny ones about font size, lawnmowing, and sudoku.
This book feels like such a bizarre throwback, a basically nonstop* festival of unquestioning misogyny. I read this during the same week of the Elliot Rodger shooting and the subsequent #yesallwomen response, and honestly, that sense of entitlement to women's bodies/attention... it's all right here. Part of me is holding back and wondering if I'm "oversensitive" or "taking it too seriously," which is a bullshit way to keep valid criticism down, and then the rest of me is still horrified, especially because these are marketed SUPER young. Much younger than the Wimpy Kid books, which (while they have their problems) are much less problematic than this.
Anyway, librarians and teachers, it's worth reading these before booktalking or recommending them.
*I went through and made a quick count: out of ~115 strips, 52 centered around a joke about girls or women's bodies (fat jokes, comics = cleavage jokes, hook-up jokes, crush jokes). 63 were another type of joke, including a couple of actually funny ones about font size, lawnmowing, and sudoku.
May 2, 2024
May re-read: very very funny
Funny
Funny
April 14, 2019
It was hilarious.
January 15, 2020
This book is one of the best book, if it get me to read it then you should read it to
March 6, 2024
This is my first time reading Big Nate, and I was a little shook by the provocative talk and jokes about what women are wearing. For elementary, I’m not sure this is appropriate for 3rd-5th graders. Middle school makes more sense to me, since the characters are 6th graders. Also, Nate sure does get himself in trouble, pull pranks, and say a lot of mean things. I’m not sure I like it. Some things are funny, but I think all the negatives over power the funny bits.
January 21, 2026
It was pretty good
December 11, 2025
The book was really funny
July 15, 2016
Read through this with dawning horror as I sat in a waiting room. Scholastic editors, you should be ashamed of yourselves. This comic book for children includes heavy doses of:
1. Fat shaming: the hero pranks a teacher by changing her ringtone to a song entitled "I'm fat". Later he publicly nicknames another teacher "Fat Elvis"
2. Bullying: the hero says it's no fun using a fat shaming nickname if the victim can't overhear him doing it. He himself is repetitively bullied by his gang for enjoying a comic strip about a teenage girl. This bullying is presented as funny and cute.
3. Sexuality: the hero is just barely in 6th grade. So, 11-12 years old. He is portrayed as being raging with heretosexual hormones. He can't stop thinking about breasts and legs. He frequently tries to get girls' attention with cheesy pick up lines.
4. Objectification of women: He buys and fetishizes a comic book starring a tall, scantily clad adult female vampire. It is made explicitly clear that he adores this character for nothing else than her body. Plus, his father and the comic book retailer agree with him.
He also sees the girls in his school as interchangeable. Aside from an older sister and adult women (teachers, neighbors) he has no real contact with girls. He has no female friends. He appears to think girls are interchangeable - at Valentine's Day he sends every unattached girl in his class a card saying they are his "one and only" - because I guess lying is a great way to start things?
5. Small mindedness: he is disgusted when his older sister refers to figure skating as a sport. This is a big joke we are meant to agree with.
On the plus side? Well, several of the teachers are male, including the art teacher (yay, not just science.)
...and that's all the good I've got for you.
Scholastic, poisoning young minds one fat joke at a time.
1. Fat shaming: the hero pranks a teacher by changing her ringtone to a song entitled "I'm fat". Later he publicly nicknames another teacher "Fat Elvis"
2. Bullying: the hero says it's no fun using a fat shaming nickname if the victim can't overhear him doing it. He himself is repetitively bullied by his gang for enjoying a comic strip about a teenage girl. This bullying is presented as funny and cute.
3. Sexuality: the hero is just barely in 6th grade. So, 11-12 years old. He is portrayed as being raging with heretosexual hormones. He can't stop thinking about breasts and legs. He frequently tries to get girls' attention with cheesy pick up lines.
4. Objectification of women: He buys and fetishizes a comic book starring a tall, scantily clad adult female vampire. It is made explicitly clear that he adores this character for nothing else than her body. Plus, his father and the comic book retailer agree with him.
He also sees the girls in his school as interchangeable. Aside from an older sister and adult women (teachers, neighbors) he has no real contact with girls. He has no female friends. He appears to think girls are interchangeable - at Valentine's Day he sends every unattached girl in his class a card saying they are his "one and only" - because I guess lying is a great way to start things?
5. Small mindedness: he is disgusted when his older sister refers to figure skating as a sport. This is a big joke we are meant to agree with.
On the plus side? Well, several of the teachers are male, including the art teacher (yay, not just science.)
...and that's all the good I've got for you.
Scholastic, poisoning young minds one fat joke at a time.
August 10, 2014
The Funniest One Yet! One Big Criticism, though...
The Funniest One Yet! One Big Criticism, though...
Big Nate has never failed to impress me. All of the books are downright hilarious, and this was no exception. Francis and Teddy are the perfect additions to Nate's crazy antics, and other characters like Jenny, Gina, and Chester just add to the humor and cleverness. So, with that said, this would have been a five-star review if not for one thing that continuously occurs in Big Nate books: Lincoln Pierce uses the same ideas over and over again! In some parts of the books, he uses major plot points that he's USED BEFORE, just changes a few small details. And, even worse, there were multiple repeat comics! If Pierce is too lazy to think of new comics, then why bother printing new books? He's basically writing the same one over and over with a different title! I am disappointed with this big aspect of Pierce's books, because it ruined what would have been a rave review.
The Funniest One Yet! One Big Criticism, though...
Big Nate has never failed to impress me. All of the books are downright hilarious, and this was no exception. Francis and Teddy are the perfect additions to Nate's crazy antics, and other characters like Jenny, Gina, and Chester just add to the humor and cleverness. So, with that said, this would have been a five-star review if not for one thing that continuously occurs in Big Nate books: Lincoln Pierce uses the same ideas over and over again! In some parts of the books, he uses major plot points that he's USED BEFORE, just changes a few small details. And, even worse, there were multiple repeat comics! If Pierce is too lazy to think of new comics, then why bother printing new books? He's basically writing the same one over and over with a different title! I am disappointed with this big aspect of Pierce's books, because it ruined what would have been a rave review.
February 16, 2015
This is another collection of comics that are put together to make a loose story arc of Big Nate’s life over the course of about a year. Since it is mostly comics put together in a book, most pages have the basic four-panel comic with the punchline in the fourth panel. Sometimes the comics next to each other can be put together to create more of a continuous story. Other times a comic’s subject changes from one page to another only to come back to a vague overarching theme once again. Sometimes there is a comic that has eight panels all on one page. These bits add the same amount of comedic humor to the book as do the rest of the comics. Each panel is illustrated in full color and is the same style as all other Big Nate comic compilations and Big Nate novellas. With the edition of a “pull-out” Big Nate poster, readers who are a fan of the series will especially enjoy this look at this edition of Big Nate.
November 17, 2014
ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS BEST BOOK AWARD GOES TO THIS BOOK THIS IS THE BEST BOOK IN THE HISTORY OF BOOKS.
I have to say myself I am impressed because I normally hate reading but this book gets me hooked when I just read the first panel. I hope more books like these big nate books come out soon because then reading will be a very fun experience for me.
I have to say myself I am impressed because I normally hate reading but this book gets me hooked when I just read the first panel. I hope more books like these big nate books come out soon because then reading will be a very fun experience for me.
May 28, 2017
Gross. Sexist. Would not recommend at all.
September 26, 2018
So disappointed in this book. I had to make my child stop reading because of the female-degrading jokes. No 9 year old needs to read about “cleavageness” and “buxom”.
August 29, 2018
I think this book was very interesting and I will read more of them very soon!
Read
November 14, 2023This book is a graphic novel. Page 144 was my favorite part of the book because, in the story, a plastic water bottle melted to Nate's head because it was so hot outside.
October 5, 2024
Read it too many times
July 4, 2020
HI
I currently read BIG NATE- GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE BOOK BY LINCOLN PIERCE.
If you are a fan of BIG NATE already, [like me] then you already know that BIG NATE is a 6th grader who is the known as the holder for detentions in school history. He is always seen either in his school or his home with his father and his funny sister.
Now this book is all about how NATE thinks that he has a great mind. And he also knows that GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE but the real problem is that he has the only great mind around. In the book's cover, it's shown that BIG NATE is having some sort of accident with his best friend, FRANCIS. It's a book that can be read by preteens and teenagers... Because WORLDWIDE kids of Nate's age can totally relate to Nate's FANTASTIC school going life !!!!!!!!
I currently read BIG NATE- GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE BOOK BY LINCOLN PIERCE.
If you are a fan of BIG NATE already, [like me] then you already know that BIG NATE is a 6th grader who is the known as the holder for detentions in school history. He is always seen either in his school or his home with his father and his funny sister.
Now this book is all about how NATE thinks that he has a great mind. And he also knows that GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE but the real problem is that he has the only great mind around. In the book's cover, it's shown that BIG NATE is having some sort of accident with his best friend, FRANCIS. It's a book that can be read by preteens and teenagers... Because WORLDWIDE kids of Nate's age can totally relate to Nate's FANTASTIC school going life !!!!!!!!
Want to read
January 20, 2026This book is about a kid named Nate. He enjoys reading comics. He was reading a comic and his dad said he couldn´t read it. He went to school and got in trouble with mrs. goodfrey. He went to the comic store and bought more. He told the store worker that his dad took his comic. The worker told him what happened in the comic. The next day there was a heat wave in the city. It was so hot that they canceled school. The next three days it were hot. Nate called the weather guy and told him he was wrong. When the heat wave was gone, Nate had to go to school again. When he got there He found Mrs. godfrey was gone. There was a long term substitute who was gonna stay for 5 months.
I like this book because it is funny and short. I liked the heat wave because it was funny. This was one of my favorite books.
I like this book because it is funny and short. I liked the heat wave because it was funny. This was one of my favorite books.
August 19, 2020
Star: This book is extremely relate and easy to read. A perfect for all ages. Despite age me and my dad like these books as they're really funny.
Star: This book also has a great plot and how the story goes through Nate's school year. It feels like I was actually in the story going to 6th with Nate. He is an all in all guy with a lot of good and bad balanced within him and it makes the story exciting
Wish: I just wish he had a better way to interact with girls as Nate is always trying to get a girlfriend and his methods don't work as he treats girls like object.
Star: This book also has a great plot and how the story goes through Nate's school year. It feels like I was actually in the story going to 6th with Nate. He is an all in all guy with a lot of good and bad balanced within him and it makes the story exciting
Wish: I just wish he had a better way to interact with girls as Nate is always trying to get a girlfriend and his methods don't work as he treats girls like object.
September 23, 2024
Sixth grader Nate has big ideas. His drive to be famous for something, anything as him unafraid to try whatever he can think to do. Which sometimes leads to trouble. The life of Nate is interesting and humorous. His hate for Gina and Mrs. Godfrey are legendary. As is his love for Jenny. His friends tolerate his behavior while laughing but going along for the ride. Adventures await when you read about Nate.
October 3, 2019
this book is that nate, francies, teddy and chad have problems with mrs godfrey and last day of school aka prank day rolled again and GINA nates worst enemy gets nate hard but nate have to get ellen and gordie back together and nate's college love audrey thinks he is a creep but with nates mindless mind and francis neat freak mind can think alike.
April 7, 2024
Another great Big Nate book! I wanna preface this and say these aren't just for kids. They are basically a compilation of the type of comic anyone would read in the paper and laugh at. Everyone needs comedy and graphic novels/comics count as books to read cause it takes time, you do learn from them, and it took time to write and draw them. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 😃
September 12, 2017
Terribly awesome
So good it is hard to explain some of the things that I liked about this book was When nate p!ayed football with the Thanksgiving dinner Turkey please make some more big Nate books Lincoln Pierce I love the big Nate books by Lincoln Pierce
So good it is hard to explain some of the things that I liked about this book was When nate p!ayed football with the Thanksgiving dinner Turkey please make some more big Nate books Lincoln Pierce I love the big Nate books by Lincoln Pierce
January 17, 2019
Some good chuckles. Consistent with the other books and totally get why young boys love this series. I also don't think that the graphic format is too light so it's a good option for getting a kid to read.
April 17, 2019
I really didn't understand it. for me it was confusing. also, the point of view was from a boy which was kinda hard to take from since I'm not a boy but it would be a great book for boys who are kind of "troublemakers". so personly I did not like the book.
July 10, 2021
Great book for comic fans!
This book is hilarious! Lincoln Peirce is such a talented author. All comic fans will love his style of illustration and humor. I can't wait for his next book.
This book is hilarious! Lincoln Peirce is such a talented author. All comic fans will love his style of illustration and humor. I can't wait for his next book.
July 1, 2017
Reading Big Nate with your feet up, holding a cup of coffee... ahhhh...
September 26, 2017
This book is so great if you want a book to laugh to this is a great book.
November 1, 2017
This comic is fun to read, It's about a boy called Nate Wright. Nate is in a rush to grow up so he starts reading a book but his dad does not think it is appropriate for his age.
November 8, 2017
this book was great. I'm liking the series so far.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews