Big Nate: Blow the Roof Off!

Big Nate Graphic Novels #23

by Lincoln Peirce

Now an animated series with Paramount+ and Nickelodeon! Bestselling author Lincoln Peirce takes readers on a hilarious, romantic, rock-and-roll adventure in this installment of the bestselling series! Nate Wright is born to be wild! And when Enslave the Mollusk is invited to play at the P.S. 38 annual open house, he and his bandmates are on the stairway to heaven. While the kids rock, the school year rolls on. Mrs. Godfrey is back in black, Gina thinks she’s hot stuff, and Coach John is dazed and confused.The good Nate’s finally reunited with Trudy, his summer crush. But when he finds out she’s a—gulp—seventh grader, will Nate lose that lovin’ feeling? Middle school is a long, strange trip, and this collection of riotous Big Nate comics just might BLOW THE ROOF OFF! 

Genres: Graphic Novels, Childrens, Humor, Comics, Middle Grade, Romance, Juvenile

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

Lincoln 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.

Reviews

[laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

am i too old for these? probably
do i still read them? yes :)

[♛ Garima ♛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a scary world out there for people in love and confusing realm of dating. School isn't any different. Especially when you are trying to date an older woman ;)

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of comics from one of my favorite daily comic strip character!

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. OK, I admit it. I am 66 years old and still love comics! Discovered Big Nate about 5 years ago and read it every day. This is a wonderful collection of the Big Nate strip, a 6th grader who had bad hair, hates Social Studies and his arch nemesis is the SS teacher Mrs. Godfrey. But what makes this collection interesting is that a lot focuses on Nates girlfriend, a 7th grade lass named Trudy. Really liked these plots and the entire comic is infused with good characters, although we don't get enough of Chad. Lincoln Peirce has done a good job developing his characters and Big Nate always brings some sort of smile or grimace to my face depending on his situation. Loved it!!

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Big Nate cartoons comic. Good one and even if it,s a bit too light for me as an adult I think this would have been something i would have enjoy a lot as a kids. just a fun, easy and entertaining kids comic.

[Lorelai Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So... ROMANTIC in some scenes.

[Kacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was written by my son who is in 5th grade:

This book collection of comic strips was entertaining and fun, and it has the same appeal as the other books in the series. It appeals to upper elementary age and is stand-alone, but it doesn't hurt to read the other books first. Overall it was a good read, and I highly recommend. Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Calvin and Hobbes might enjoy Big Nate.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the free digital review copy.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of strips featuring the eponymous Big Nate, who manages to snag himself a 7 grader girlfriend. One of the better strips out today.

[Johannes John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Nate and Trudy were really cute.

[jynx aka lj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it

I think that it was cool but it took ten minutes to read and now i have to wait several months for the next one

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes readers just need to laugh, and the always-reliable Lincoln Peirce is here to serve up another humorous collection of comic strips featuring Big Nate Wright. In these particular strips, Nate literally runs into the girl he met at the fair but never saw again. As it turns out, Trudy has just moved to his school, and the sparks they felt when they met are still there. But the course of true love often doesn't run as smoothly as might be desired, and their age difference--she's in seventh grade and Nate is a sixth grader--presents some challenges. Anyone who's ever been in middle grade will be able to relate to their romance and the rest of Nate's usual antics as he still does battle with Mrs. Godfrey, copes with Gina's arrogance, and resurrects his band--Enslave the Mollusk--to play at the school open house. All of Nate's friends are here--Francis, Teddy, Chad, Artur--and his greatly put-upon father. While I don't know that the band had a chance of ever blowing the roof off, especially with its limited song selection, it was fun to watch them rehearse, argue over their name, and anticipate the fame Nate is so sure will come their way.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Where do I start? A classic piece of literature. A quick read, but still a powerful one. Nate remains one of the best written characters of the 21st century. These books achieve what few are capable of: an entertaining story that makes you laugh out loud while still addressing some of life’s biggest challenges (middle school). I recommend everyone pick this up if you want to get into real, admirable, and inspirational literature.

[The Loco Librarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, the constant disrespectful fat jokes in this book, especially AT teachers, is disgusting.

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny!!!!!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Nate meets a girl in this one!

[Alden · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Love…
This latest Big Nate installment by bestselling author Lincoln Peirce will take readers on a hilarious, romantic, rock-and-roll adventure!
Nate Wright is born to be wild! And when Enslave the Mollusk is invited to play at the P.S. 38 annual open house, he and his bandmates are on the stairway to heaven. While the kids rock, the school year rolls on. Mrs. Godfrey is back in black, Gina thinks she’s hot stuff, and Coach John is dazed and confused. The good news: Nate’s finally reunited with Trudy, his summer crush. But when he finds out she’s a—gulp—seventh grader, will Nate lose that lovin’ feeling? Middle school is a long, strange trip, and this new collection of riotous Big Nate comics just might BLOW THE ROOF OFF!

Out March 2020

176 Pages

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

My favorite crazy guy is back and this time… he’s in lurv.

I absolutely laughed out loud many times and found myself flipping through the books pages one after the other anxious to see what was going to happen next. Chuckling to myself I shared the book with my husband who also enjoyed this edition. And dating an older woman… now that’s tough, and hilarious.

All the social problems that comes with being a pre-teen boy, going to school, having an older girlfriend and typical dysfunctional friends… it can’t get any better. Peirce nails each and every setting with laughter. I hope younger generations enjoy Big Nate as much as I have.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story from the previous collection, Hug It Out, suddenly picks up again in Blow the Roof Off, which finds Nate navigating such treacherous waters as suddenly learning your middle school rock band is probably not everything you thought it was, and developing a relationship with a girl in the next grade up. Just the comments about the name of the band are solid enough material, a good example of what Big Nate is all about, at one point Nate’s band mates soliciting feedback from random passersby in the hallway to another who points out, it was always the one name, and it always be. In rock, there’s no room to question the name of a band. You can mock it all you want, but you’ll always remember it. And the same is true of Big Nate, maybe, once you’ve read it once. You’ll probably find yourself reading it again, fondly. That’s a successful comic strip. These things become family in ways that aren’t really possible in other mediums. Sometimes it seems like they’re churned out in soulless fashion. Maybe maybe that’s what life’s like sometimes. At least with comic strips we’re asked to laugh along.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another laugh-out-loud Big Nate is just what the doctor ordered. Nate Wright and his pals Teddy and Francis from P.S. 38 endure the hardships and joys of middle school. Nate finds love with “an older woman” as he starts dating Trudy who is in 7th grade. I laughed hard when he told his friends “Welcome to cougar town.” The friends’ rock band “Enslave the Mollusk” gets to play at the school open house, and Nate wants to “blow the roof off” with some hard rock, although their musical ability hasn’t progressed much past “Hot Cross Buns.” Mrs. Godfrey, Nate’s nemesis, makes her usual appearances. So, Nate may be cool for going out with a 7th grader, but he’s still Nate, who has a personal relationship with the detention teacher, and all the middle school angst and humor that makes this comic the most sought after series in my library. I can see why. As with other titles in the series, a free poster is attached at the end.

[John Yingling · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Big Nate books are a delight to read (and very funny!), plus this one has an interesting plot point: Nate has a girlfriend! And she's older!! Well, she's in 7th grade, and Nate is in 6th. I'm really happy for Nate and I'm definitely rooting for him; I guess this shows how much I like him. Oh, he gets himself into sticky situations and he has an unfortunate tendency to say things out loud that reflect badly on him, but he is still a kid I always wish the best for. And throughout the series I have most definitely related to his issues with trying to find and keep a girlfriend. I feel his pain and his disappointment, so in this title I wanted his relationship with "Trudy" to have smooth sailing. And the book ends with at least a hopeful outlook in this regard. I can't wait for the next Big Nate book!

[Jennyfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I downloaded this book for my 7yo, as he is a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, as well as the Treehouse and Wimpy Kid series'. While it was an entertaining enough read, the content itself was aimed at an older age group than my kiddo - approx. 10 yos or above.

It would possibly have been more enjoyable if we'd read the other books in the series to get the feel of the characters and storyline. This isn't a standalone book. Nevertheless, we'll keep it in mind for when my son is older, and we'll see how he goes with it then.

[Jenna Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this wasn’t the first Big Nate book, I feel like I understood where the last book ended and where the next book will pick up. It doesn’t seem like they need to be read in any particular order. I didn’t really love the few jokes focused on people being “fat” or dumb, and I didn’t like that the story line jumped around so much. It also had almost nothing to do with his rock band like the cover suggests, and is almost entirely focused on Nate’s new relationship with Trudy.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Nate gets himself a girlfriend!

This is one of the better installments of this series. Nate is still funny and snarky and sarcastic, but there's still a healthy amount of heart here. I really enjoy these books and this series. I've heard complaints that the attitude displayed isn't good for the young kids, but I feel like the age range is perfect for this amount of sass.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Amber Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Nate is growing up and this time, we meet a girlfriend...a girlfriends who is older! While I didn't appreciate some of the language used in this book (ie: cougar town, fat, etc), my kids loved this book and wanted to read from start to finish. The band goes through some changes and middle school continues to be a challenge for dear Nate. Overall, a well written next book for Lincoln Pierce.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Nate has a girlfriend! And she's a seventh grader! I wish there had been a little more repercussions for Nate being a little gross about Trudy- or at least some more realization on Nate's part that she might not want to be talked about like she was around just for Nate's pleasure but there is little that pierces Nate's shield of obliviousness.
Overall a fun book.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nate is a six grader that is really full of himself, especially after he manages to start dating a seven grade girl.

Not a book I particularly cared for, but my son found it very amusing. I'll admit there were a few funny part, but overall, Nate really isn't that likable of a character and is a somewhat crappy friend.

[Gunnark · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Nate runs into the girl from the fair. Her name is Trudy. He starts dating Trudy and finds out she is in 7th grade. Enslave the Mollusk plays at open house but the have to play background music. Nate goes Christmas shopping. Finally, Nate goes to a boring party.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy-to-follow graphic novel. Perhaps I'm an old fuddy but I kind of hate seeing sixth and seventh graders being characterized as boyfriends and girlfriends. The story line was just so-so.

[(Katie) Paperbacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Big Nate comic book, I will pove these at any age. 😊