The Terrible Two's Last Laugh

The Terrible Two #4

by Mac Barnett, Jory John, Kevin Cornell (Illustrator)

The Terrible Two plan their biggest prank yet in the hilarious conclusion to the New York Times bestselling series by Mac Barnett and Jory John!

It’s Miles and Niles’s final year at Yawnee Valley Science and Letters Academy, and the Terrible Two have one an epic prank. Something that will leave a lasting legacy at their school. Which should be easy-peasy for these experts.

But their smooth sailing gets downright bumpy when they find out that the new superintendent is none other than Bertrand Barkin, their principal’s father . . . and their sworn enemy. Now that Former Principal Barkin is Acting Superintendent Barkin, he has a first order of his long-promised revenge on the Terrible Two.

This rollicking finale to the bestselling series by Mac Barnett ( Extra Yarn, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole ) and Jory John ( Penguin Problems, The Bad Seed ) will settle once and for all who—between quick wits and powerful fists—will have the last laugh.

Genres: Humor, Middle Grade, Fiction, Audiobook, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 24, 2018

About the author

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.

Reviews

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

مایلز مُرفی و نایلز اسپارکس اینجا بوده اند.

پ.ن: یه روزی که پیر شدم، هر یکشنبه همه نوه هامو جمع میکنم دور خودم. میشینم روی یه مبل (مثل واسه نایلز). براشون قصه تعریف میکنم، تا اینکه یه شب بهشون درباره دو دوست افسانه ای میگم. افسانه دو تا خفن. و با مرموز ترین حالت ممکن ۴ جلد کتاب رو از توی یه صندوقچه چوبی با نقش و نگار طلایی در میارم و بهشون درباره سوگند مخصوص میگم. بعد که همه شون سوگند خوردن کتابا رو براشون میخونم. و به این ترتیب این میراث ارزشمند رو به نسل بعدی (بعدی بعدی) انتقال میدم. واقعا چه چیز هایی یه نسل رو رد میکنن تا به نسل بعدی به ارث برسن.

🧠 ۱۷ مرداد ۱۴۰۴ جمعه

☝️و اینکه
این ایموجی رو هم دوست دارم.

[Zari.Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

ولی نباید اینجوری تموم میشد😭🤝

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried.

My best friend moved from New Jersey to Michigan when I was twelve. It was rough. It was heartbreaking. And yet we kept in touch, sending written letters and letters recorded on cassette tapes to each other in the mail. I look back on it and am impressed at the resolve and dedication we showed in our near constant stream of correspondence at such an age. But those letters and his friendship helped me get through the horribleness of middle school. The distance, as much as I hate to say it, made the friendship stronger. The best part was that he ended up moving back to NJ several years later and we were again inseparable. (Well, until a girl came between us. But that also made the friendship stronger and we were again inseparable soon after.) And now, even though he lives even further away and I don't talk or write to him nearly as much as I should, he's still my best friend, and we can always pick up exactly where we left off.

So I cried when I read about Miles moving. And I cried when Niles said he was scared about being left behind. And I cried again over the final prank in the trophy case. And I cried one last time at the final scene at the dance. Because Miles and Niles were real friends, and real friendship is something that lasts forever. And that's beautiful.

[Nasim · Rating 5 out of 5]

بهش ۵ ستاره میدم بابت حس خوبی ک بهم داد حس قشنگی ک بعد مدتها درباره این مجموعه تو قلبم زنده شد اینکه چقد چن سال پیش برام بامزه بود و هنوزم برام بامزه است...
داستان پره از شکر نمک بازی دوتا خفن ک آخرین شکر نمک بازیشونم هست باهاشون میخندید و دراخر ناراحت میشید اما همچنان لبخند رو لباتونه
حس نوستالژی قشنگی رو توی وجودم زنده کرد بااینکه فقط ۳ سال پیش خوندمش اما احساس کردم خیلی دور بود زمان خوندن این مجموعه ی حس گرم و آشنایی ب قلبم داد بخاطر همین بهش ی پنج طلایی میدم بابت حسای قشنگی ک ۳ سال پیش دادو حس گرمی ک این سری بهم داد :)

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book series. I'm sad it's the last one, but glad it's ending on such a high note.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun series. My grandson and I both really enjoyed it.

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

End. 1400/12/24

واقعا ناراحت شدم تموم شد من کل این مجموعه رو داخل دو روز خوندم ولی با این حال خیلی بهش وابسته شدم🥲
واقعا همچین کتاب هایی حیف هستن که تمون بشن، انگار این کتابا هیچ وقت نباید تموم بشن، درستش هم همینه! اینجور کتاب ها همیشهههه داخل ذهن ما میمونن، چه بخوایم چه نخوایم😁

[Arghiiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

آخرین خنده هاشون😭💔
دوست نداشتم تموم بشه واقعا
اینکه دیگه دو تا خفن خرابکاری نکنن واقعا ناراحت کنندس:(
دلم براشون تنگ میشه😭❤

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon rates this 4 stars.

What a great series!

[Nicolas Vucinic · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my childhood favorites!

✌️✌️✌️

Rating - 4/5⭐️

✌️✌️✌️

Summary

It’s Miles and Niles’s final year at Yawnee Valley Science and Letters Academy, and the Terrible Two have one goal: an epic prank. Something big, something brilliant, something that will leave a lasting legacy at their school. This series is about two unsuspecting friends getting together and pranking the school.

✌️✌️✌️

Opinions

It is kind of difficult to rate these books because they are middle-grade books. I thought the characters were okay (as good as you can make them in a middle-grade book), and the writing was also okay. I thought that this book was one of the best in the series, and the ending was pretty good. You can easily fly through this book because it does not have many pages, and there are many pictures.

✌️✌️✌️

Conclusion

Overall this book is pretty good, if you like middle-grade funny books this book (and the whole series) is for you. Enjoy!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Terrible Two's Last Laugh by Mac Barnett, Jory John, and Kevin Cornell (illustrator) is the conclusion to the Terrible Two series. It's the last year at Pawnee Academy for Miles and Niles. Principle Barkin wants to have one last prank before the year ends.

Barkin wants to spend this last year learning how to improve his pranking. He's good at the small ones but he tends to give the larger ones away before the prank is complete.

[Molly Grimmius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so sad to finish this series… we may be relistening to all of them again because this has been such a win of a series. It is of course hilarious and clever but it has these beautiful layers of friendship and growth in Miles and Niles and principal Barkin. Peter never wanted me to stop reading and I agreed. I was laughing one minute.. out loud and then tearing up the next. Some of the best pranks are in this book.

[SK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Terrible Two series brought a lot of joy to my kids and me in the car to and from school. We love the way Principal Barry Barkin's character is developed over the course of the four novels. Mac Barnett has such a great sense of humor, and he even manages to incorporate some genuinely touching moments into this story. I admit, my eyes got misty at one point toward the end of this final installment. I hope he'll write more for this age.

[Mahdokht Azadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

بالاخره این مجموعه زیبا تموم شد که کاش نمیشد.پایان متفاوت و غیر قابل باوری داشت ولی خیلی خوب بود.
https://taaghche.com/book/78237

[0r2b80 · Rating 4 out of 5]

این هم از پایان مجموعه
همون طور که توی ریویو کتاب سوم گفتم دو تا خفن دیگه توی دو جلد اخر برای من اون خنده دار بودن سابق رو نداشت که احتمالا برمیگرده به بزرگ شدنم و... اما این جلد به نظرم پایان مناسبی بود پس چهار ستاره دادم

https://taaghche.com/book/78237

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such fun listening to this series with my nine year old son. We had good laughs. Wholesome entertainment. The audiobook reader is really great and I don’t think it would have been the same without the audio. It’s almost like this series was made for audio. My son said to rate this book five stars. :)

[Mansour Rashid · Rating 5 out of 5]

اصلا ببنید چه غمی تو اسم این کتاب اخری هست: اخرین خنده. دوتا خفن یکی از خاطرات بامزه و به یادموندنی دوران کودکیمه. واقعا حس خفن بودن به ادم میداد. هیچ وقت نتونستم باهاش کنار بیام که داستان زندگی مایلز و نایلز، دوتا بچه خفنِ خرابکار به این زودی تموم شه. ولی پایانش واقعا بد بود. من هنوز که هنوزه منتظرم نویسنده بگه این از اون شوخی خرکی ها بود که ادمو پیر میکنه و قراره یه جلد پنجمی هم بیاد که در مورد زمانیه که مایلز و نایلز میرن دانشگاه🥲
https://taaghche.com/book/78237

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yawnee Valley is home to the notorious pranking duo of Miles and Niles. Pranksters who are about to enter their final year of school. Across the series thus far this duo has played some incredible pranks. Of course, they were much easier when they performed them anonymously, but now that they've been found out things have become a bit more complicated. Yet, this is a momentous year for Miles and Niles, not only are they set to graduate, but they also want to perform one of the most legendary pranks ever and really leave their mark at school.

On their first day back at school, Principal Barkin calls Miles and Niles to his office. At first, the duo thinks they're in trouble, but Principal Barkin instead tells them that he wants to make their duo into a trio, he's learned the joy of pulling a well-planned prank and feels that their teaming up can only improve his skills. However, when Harriet Nervig, the Superintendent of schools unexpectedly passes away and former-Principal Barkin, AKA Principal Barkin's father takes over and becomes his boss, all of their plans suddenly come to a halt. Yet, Niles is determined that the boys will leave their legacy behind even if the acting Superintendent wants to get his own revenge on the two.

I've quite enjoyed reading The Terrible Two series. Sure some of their pranks have been over the top, but they're lighthearted and always seem to induce a giggle from me. They have such a wonderful imagination and are so clever and it's been fun watching how their friendship has evolved. I also particularly enjoyed Principal Barkin in this one. His desire to become a part of the team, even wanting to hold the boys back from graduating just so that they could continue to pull some pranks together. I also loved how he was reminiscing with the boys about the very first prank that they pulled on him in the first book of the series.

In a lot of ways, it appeared as if Mac Barnett and Jory John were saying their own goodbyes to one another. In the same way that Miles and Niles needed to after they received some sad news from acting Superintendent Barkin. There were far fewer pranks than in the first three books of the series, but truthfully I was okay with that. The Terrible Two's Last Laugh felt like it was more about their friendship, a heartfelt touching moment to be shared between the two. Their planning for a final prank to commemorate their time together. Which was actually really sweet.

As always, I adored the illustrations by Kevin Cornell. Especially the ones of the boys and the green cow with purple spots, I just love the way Cornell captures Miles and Niles friendship. While I'm sad the series has ended, I hope that we'll see more from these authors in the future.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending was not too good because as the principal said, "It ends with a whisper, not a bang."

[Tarawyn Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series but the ending was pretty disappointing and it had several unresolved loose ends.

[Ali Taleblou · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی غم‌انگیز تموم شد...

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5yo son and I loved this series and we are both sad for it to end. We listened to this last one instead of read it and the narrator did a fantastic job. Lots of great messages in the story including some on friendship. I loved the pranks that happened and I laughed really hard at a certain post office scene. Yawnee Valley is the best!

SPOILERS and book notes:
“They laughed because they understood what all great pranksters do: A practical joke can be a hatpin in the balloon of tyranny, a firecracker in the chapel of mundanity, but it can also be a secret handshake between friends. A prank is sometimes a slap. It is sometimes a pop. But it is sometimes a hug. A prank played on a fellow prankster can be a message in code. It says: “Hello, friend. I know you.” Principal barken thinks his winking during and after his prank was a “master stroke” haha: ““Yes!” said Principal Barkin. “It was the masterstroke!” “That’s not what a masterstroke is,” said Niles. “Yeah,” said Miles. “Oh,” said Principal Barkin. “I see. What’s a masterstroke?” “A masterstroke is a little extra prank on top of your prank. Like a grace note.” “Ah, yes!” Principal Barkin smiled. Then he frowned. “A grace note?” “You know,” said Miles, “notes you just add on yourself to the end of a tune, to make the whole thing prettier.” I love for the April fools joke this year, they put up flyers that it was bring your pet to school day haha. Miles mom works at a post office and this is the best scene: ““So you’re saying I could use this stamp to mail a letter in the year 3030,” said a gray-haired man in overalls. “Yes,” said Judy Murphy. “It’s a forever stamp.” “I probably won’t be alive in the year 3030,” said the man. “You never know, sir,” said Judy Murphy. “But I could leave this stamp to my great-great-grand-children, and they could mail a letter with it,” said the man. “Correct,” said Judy Murphy. She was very patient. “Probably won’t even be letters then. Probably won’t be mail. We’ll just teleport stuff.” “Well, I love the mail,” said Judy Murphy. “And I can’t predict the future, but I think the mail will be around for a long time.” “This stamp would be good in the year 12,000, is what you’re saying.” “Forever.” “That’s 10,000 years from now. What if there’s no United States of America by then? Miles couldn’t believe this. “What if we’re ruled by space aliens?” asked the man. “Are the space aliens going to honor this stamp?” “As long as the United States exists, you’ll be able to mail a letter with this stamp.” “Aha!” said the man. “So it’s not forever! False advertising!” Awwww I am bawling!! For the last prank they both planned separately. And they happened to each make plaques that said “Miles (Niles best friend) and Niles (Miles best friend)” to put over Bertrand Barkins second place trophy. “But his favorite idea, the one he would always be proudest of, was the one he thought of with Niles Sparks, together, separately.” WHY DOES HE HAVE TO MOOOOOVE??? “Miles locked up the cabinet. Then they each held up two fingers and touched their fingertips together. And Miles and Niles gave each other a look that said We will be friends for the rest of our lives. And they would. Of course they would. Because Miles and Niles were real friends, and real friendship is something that lasts forever.” I like that their last prank together wasn’t a huge giant prank but a grave note. One that no one would probably know about except for the terrible two and Bertrand. ““Well that’s very nice,” said Principal Barkin, “but nobody ever looks in here.” “That’s kind of the point,” said Miles. “It is?” said Principal Barkin. “Grace notes,” said Miles. “A masterstroke,” said Niles, “to our whole career.” Holly and Niles danced together. And Bertrand pranked his dad with a panting of his pants down to put under his portrate in his office. But it was bittersweet. I loved that Bertrand said how much they had helped him change for the better.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you're looking forward to a book for a long time you get super excited and pre-order it so that the day it is released it is sitting on your doorstep and you can devour it. That is exactly what I did with "The Terrible Two Go Wild" a book that came out about three months ago. Because of the fact that I had just recently read it I never in a million years envisioned that one day I would be walking through the bookstore a mere few months after reading his previous book, look down on the bottom shelf of the last spot in the children's section (I think I started looking at the Z's and worked my way back to the beginning), peer over the already ginormous stack of books I had in my arms and have my heart stop! What Is This?!? How could another book already be released in this series? How did I have no clue it was even coming? (Well I think I can answer that by having you refer to the previous question I just asked, it kinda explains my thought process here). But most importantly of all, HOW CAN THIS BE THE "LAST" LAUGH? All of these thoughts rushed through my head as I couldn't even wait to get home to read this book, so I spent the next hour of my life sitting in that bookstore, sipping a cup of coffee while I waited for that "Last" laugh to come. Now I know what you're thinking at this point, I must not be a very smart guy if I am going to sit there with a cup of steaming hot coffee in one hand and a book that right there on the cover promises to make you laugh. I mean that has hot coffee shooting out of the nose written all over it! Well here is the good news, I didn't get third-degree coffee burns. Here's the bad news, it's because I never had a last laugh. :(

Before I go any further with the review of this specific book this is a great opportunity for me to throw in a shameless plug for how absolutely amazing I think Mac Barnett is. Being a teacher I had the opportunity to see him present at my school a little more than two years ago. Before that time I was familiar with his work and really enjoyed it, but seeing the way he interacted with the kids and the way his humor is so genuine brought forth a great admiration for the man. If I were to author books I'd want to be like him and the "Terrible Two" series is something unique and wonderful.

Now, back to the "Last Laugh". This book still had the same charisma that has come to be expected from Miles and Niles, and the writing style makes a book go from enjoyable to interactive. You feel as if you are sitting there with all of the characters and they take time out of their situation to turn towards you and include you in on the conversation. I'm not going to be harsh and say that I didn't find this book funny, I did. I just didn't laugh and smile as much as I did with the first three. I guess maybe Mac deserves some kudos for this, maybe he realized there are only so many pranks you can pull before it becomes boring and overplayed and he did the right thing in ending this series.

I would never tell anyone to not read this book (but you can't really read it anyways unless you've at least read the first book, I guess you could read them out of order from then on, but I don't know why you would do that either. Just read the first three, they are amazing and then read this fourth one and you'll still enjoy it), but I'd have a conversation with them to not have very high expectations. I guess the good news with all of this for me was the fact that I didn't really have that high of expectations myself because up until I literally saw the book in the store I had no idea it was even a book!!!!

Still love you Mac Barnett, onto the next thing.

[Rebecca Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Terrible Two Last Laugh, the iconic duo, Miles and Niles, take their final stand.
They can no longer prank, and thus, this amazing series had to come to an end. Miles and Niles have their last heartfelt goodbye to their dedicated readers who have followed them from the first book, to the last book 😭😭😭 goodbye best kids’ prankster series of all time, I’ll always honor the pranksters code in my heart ✌🏻✌🏻🥹🥹 (*holding up my left hand with two fingers while sobbing my eyeballs out*)

I love this series so much. It makes my heart warm every time I read it. This series, is the first series I ever made the dedication to read every year. I make it my goal to read it once every year before April 1st (that is, April Fools, the only right way to do it). This is the perfect book for kids. (As long as you don’t mind them going around the house performing maniacal pranks on everyone 😁👍🏻😁👍🏻😁👍🏻) I love this series and would totally recommend for all ages.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reaction to this series has changed to a meh, to a smile, to interesting, good - hey there is something here to really think about.

I don't like people - real or in books - who take advantage and abuse power. In books, I usually choose to put them down but for some reason I read the first and new it had a place in my classroom so got the 2nd. I missed the 3rd until the 4th had been published and these last two books sold me. Some of the characters grow and change - some to do not, but that's something to talk about. I hope lots in middle grade readers discover Yawnee Valley School - they'll be glad to stop on for a visit.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an elementary librarian and mom of an 8 year old boy, I am on a continuous quest to find relatable, fun characters that appeal to kids. I’m telling you: the Terrible Two series fits the bill! We just finished the final book in the series. While the pranksters still are scheming and plotting to make life in Yawnee Valley more exciting, there is a tenderness in this book that did not exist in the previous books. This tenderness, achieved through a developing friendship with Barkin and a focus on Miles and Niles as best friends rather than co-conspirators, made this final book a subtle “masterstroke” or “grace note” to wrap up a truly exceptional series.

[Laura]

My kids declared this the best series we've listened to in the car together! I thought this book (#4 in the series) and the second book in the series were the standouts--funny, well-plotted, and true to life. (The third was a total dud, IMO). The voice acting was very funny (they particularly like Stewart's voice), the kids playing funny pranks on their pompous, clueless principal never failed to amuse, and the in-class dynamics rang true. I wasn't a fan of the stereotyped, static bully character who is the principal's son, but there's something cathartic about literature giving us a chance to cheer for an appropriate comeuppance against a not-too-bright thug.

[Mikey Golczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, what do you know. The end of this series made me feel like my best friend moved away, too. It'll always be there and I'll always be fond of it, but I will go on to have great experiences with other books, too. A touching conclusion to my favorite upper elementary grade series...well I'll just say it...ever. Not ashamed to admit how emotional I got during the dance during Barkin's conversation with Miles. It's been so special to see the "Terrible Three" complete their character arcs and end up the same, but in completely new places.

[Kevin W · Rating 4 out of 5]

The meta humour was delightful, and Principal Barkin continues to be a highlight. A bit of a slow third entry in the series is justified by the thematic and circular wrap up of these adventures in book four. There are a number of references I don't anticipate most kids catching on to, but who knows? Maybe there's a kid in grade five who can't get enough Philip Glass and will be thrilled to see their enthusiasm reflected in this book. This final book manages to bring the series to a relatively satisfying end.

Count me among those sad to see the series end, but happy to have read it.

[Graham Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may not be the best book in the series (that's the first one), or have the most elaborate pranks (the second one), or have the best pacing (the third one), but it has the most heart. The turn in the second act will leave you emotional - especially if you've experienced the same growing up. Mac Barnett has developed not only a great imagination to humor his readers but he can write characters that grow on you and connect your emotions to theirs to the point you relate to their friendship as well as their hijinks. It is the best-written book in the series. And I'm glad I experienced it.