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Prank Day

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Follow Chase as he masterminds a series of epic pranks only to discover that they've all become real on April 2nd. When his tricks become reality in hilarious and disastrous ways, Chase must come clean. How will he set the world right again, catch the eye of his crush Zoe, and keep her from getting flattened by the refrigerator running all over town?

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 6, 2022

6 people are currently reading
1883 people want to read

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Kel Mitchell

3 books22 followers

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5 stars
19 (27%)
4 stars
22 (31%)
3 stars
21 (30%)
2 stars
5 (7%)
1 star
3 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Kate Czyzewski .
356 reviews23 followers
August 31, 2022
First and foremost, thank you to Tommy Nelson books for this gifted copy. Release date: 9/6/22
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The 90's All That kid in me was jumping for joy when this landed in my mailbox!
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Chase, our main character, is obsessed with pranking his friends. When his strengths in science get a little out of hand for April Fool's Day, he wakes up April 2nd to find so much has come to life!
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Before school starts, if you have littles, this is a great, well-illustrated book packed with pranks and fun!
Profile Image for Lisa.
102 reviews2 followers
October 29, 2022
Non stop fun and incredible wackiness carry this one!
Chase and his best friend, Bobby, have a fascinating hobby of refurbishing old technology and appliances and their work with an super outdated Palm Pirate leads to much more than Chase had in mind when he started planning the perfect pranks to impress a girl at school.
I'll let you read it to get the full picture. Just know that he gets much more than he bargained for even with usual pranks like crank calls of "is your refrigerator running?"

The idea that this has a WF (Wish Fulfillment) chip leaves the door open for SO much fun, as alluded to in the end of this book. I could spend days imagining what that would look like if I had that at my fingertips!

It struck me as questionable that at one point Chase ended up driving a car (right into a tree) -- I am not a parent and know this is in fun, but don't know if there's a "don't give kids any ideas" thought that goes with it. (I mean, also don't throw pizzas at people ot handle sparking technology with fingerless gloves.)

The other thing my brain flagged was the bouncer at the theater kid club saying to Chase and Bobby that if they were "just going to waltz in here," the boys would each need a partner. There were two kids. Who's to say they can't partner with each other? While the boys in the book each express crushes on gals in their class, and I understand it was a play on the phrase "you can't just waltz in here," this would have been a place to normalize partnering in all ways. (I understand the publisher releases Christian books and would hope this specific feeling on partnering wasn't from lack of tolerance for all people and how they live)

Overall, a good time and can't see what Kel brings us next!

Thank you Goodreads and Harper Collins / Thomas Nelson for this gifted copy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Christina.
114 reviews
September 6, 2022
I received this book free from Tommy Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

This looked like a fun book for middle graders. And I'd heard of Kel Mitchell and his work with Nickelodeon.

The concept of the story is creative and fun - April Fools pranks becoming reality. I could see middle-school boys in particular enjoying the story-line and humorous moments portrayed in the illustrations and plot. However, as a Mom, I struggled a bit with some of the elements in the story and subject matter that's not necessarily geared to the lower middle-grade readers for example - our 'hero' is trying to get a girl to be his girlfriend...not exactly something an 8 year old kid is thinking about. I also struggled some while reading the story with the plot holes and lack of character development that left the story feeling very fake and unrealistic.... and while yes, the concept of pranks coming to life is complete fantasy because the story is written in a somewhat realistic style I was expecting a better balance of realism with fantasy as I've seen in other middle-school books written in this genre.

Overall, I would recommend this book to reluctant readers who enjoy comics, jokes, and inventions. I would not recommend this book to advanced readers though as I think they would be frustrated as I was with the lack of character development and plot holes.
Profile Image for Hannah.
263 reviews4 followers
September 8, 2022
Yep, that Kel Mitchell from All That, Kenan & Kel, and, my own personal favorite, Good Burger. Man, just thinking about those titles, takes me back to my youth.

This is an adorable, laugh out loud story that follows Chase as he tries to win the affections of his school crush, Zoe. Things go astray when the elaborate plans to profess his love at the Christmas program are spoiled by the school pranksters. Enter the even bigger scheme to win her love by an April’s Fools Day production that is sure to win her over. But he never expected for his April Day Plans to actually come to life.

Oh man, I really enjoyed this, and I think your kiddos will too! I definitely have this one set aside to read aloud again with my daughter. It’s kooky and silly which I know will have her laughing and let’s be honest, reading with your kids should be FUN! But don’t worry, Mitchell sneaks some educational elements in there as well. It also has just the right number of illustrations vs. word ratio if that makes sense, especially if you are working with a reluctant reader who needs a little more to keep them engaged.

It’s relatable. It’s entertaining. And most importantly, it is something kids and adults can enjoy together. Pick this one up and snuggle up with your little ones. I promise you won’t regret it.
Profile Image for Barbara.
197 reviews7 followers
September 6, 2022
Parents who were fans of Kel Mitchell from the TV shows All That and Kenan & Kel will enjoy sharing his humor with their own kids in his new mid-upper elementary aged fiction book, Prank Day. In this illustrated chapter book, Chase tries to win the affections of his school crush, Zoe, during the school Christmas program, against the advice of his best friend, Bobby. When his proclamation of love is hijacked by the school’s popular pranksters, Chase hatches an even bigger scheme to impress her on April Fool’s Day. Chase becomes obsessed with this project, alienating his family and Bobby. When April 1st arrives, Chase realizes he has unleased something that threatens his friends, his neighborhood, and even his parents. Thankfully, Chase has some true friends who help him try to set things right again.
Kids will love this book for all the things they can relate to: first crushes, embarrassing moments, mistakes, and friendships, as well as a boatload of zany pranks. Parents will love it for keeping their kids’ attention while quietly promoting values of friendship, loyalty, and moderation. This is a good, clean book full of fun!
I received a free book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. #sponsored
33 reviews3 followers
October 19, 2022
“Tommy Nelson, the children’s division of Thomas Nelson, publishes a wide variety of high quality, enjoyable products that are consistent with the teachings found in the Bible.

Tommy Nelson products are designed to expand children’s imaginations and nurture their faith while pointing them to a personal relationship with God.”

The statements above are from the Tommy Nelson website. I was disappointed this book never mentioned God or pointed toward a relationship with Him. There was nothing spiritual or faith-based in this book. While Prank Day could be considered a cleaner read compared to some children’s chapter books these days, I didn’t care for the romance side. This is not what I want my preteen thinking about. I was also surprised that an adult was demeaning a handicapped child in the first chapter. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book nor will I be giving it to my children.

I received Prank Day in exchange for an honest review.
13 reviews1 follower
August 20, 2022
I received a free copy of this book from Tommy Nelson (a division of HarperCollinsChristianPublushing) in exchange for my honest review. I’m a homeschooling Mom and my 10-year-old son and I read the book independently so this review is a combination of both opinions. This book is a good, fun read for tweens and teens. We enjoyed the prank day adventures, humor, illustrations and that it was also educational. I recommend this book for any tween, teen or young-at-heart adult who enjoys wholesome, fun, graphic novels and fiction books
Profile Image for LA.
468 reviews21 followers
September 5, 2022
This looked like a fun book for middle graders.

There are definitely cringe-worthy moments in this story and subject matter that's not necessarily geared to the lower middle-grade readers (our 'hero' is trying to get a girl to be his girlfriend...not exactly something my 8 year old kid is thinking about! Nor do I want her to).

It's a creative idea Chase's April Fools pranks become reality! Which sets off a whole lot of awkward and sometimes funny events.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Monika Lambert.
1 review
September 4, 2022
This is such a fun story overall! Reading it as an adult, I laughed at the "kookiness" and very much enjoyed the plot line. I received a free copy for an honest review. I love the characters and how diverse they are. You can totally "hear" their individual voices as you read. The pranks are so fun and definitely believable for a middle-schooler, especially the reason behind the pranks in the first place... I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Annemarie.
18 reviews
May 17, 2025
My 3rd grade students voted on this one as our next class read aloud based on the book jacket. I believe the students enjoyed it; however I didn’t really love it myself. It seemed repetitive and took a long time to get to the point.

The love interest, Zoe, and all that surrounds her got many chuckles bc of course, I have 3rd graders, and boys/girls still have cooties at that point ;) might be better for 4th and up.
Profile Image for Joy Z.
389 reviews5 followers
August 8, 2022
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you love good jokes, April Fool's day, and dreams about setting up elaborate pranks to get your friends at school, you will love this humourous sci- fi book. Also, which kid and adult doesn't want to visit Technology Graveyard, sounds like an awesome place.
29 reviews3 followers
August 30, 2022
I received this book from the publisher to review.

This was a fun read. I think kids will enjoy it and find it hard to put down. While the whole story is about practical jokes going wrong, there is an underlying foundation of friends sticking together and helping each other. It also shows that true friends accept you as who you are, you don't have to try to be different.
Profile Image for Jeff.
454 reviews
October 17, 2022
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This is the first thing I've read by the author.

From an adult stand point there are 1 liners that I found hilarious throughout this book, but the story as a whole was kind of scattered. I suspect people who this book is aimed at will it more entertaining than I did (I hope so as I'm going to give it to my granddaughter).
942 reviews6 followers
October 19, 2022
Thank you Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a great, silly story about pranks and pranking that I know my upper elementary students would absolutely love. Very relatable and entertaining, this story is great for reluctant readers as it would keep them engaged and wanting to know more. Can’t wait to share it with my students!
2 reviews
October 28, 2022
I was given this book as a gift to review. My 11-year-old daughter and I enjoyed reading and laughing at the adventures and obstacles that they faced in the story. The lesson of being true to who you are and not changing to impress another person, especially of the opposite sex, was important topic for us to discuss. We also enjoyed seeing our hometown in the story with the onions.
Profile Image for Dani.
21 reviews
January 22, 2023
Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review🤍 Such a cute, funny story for kids that I’m excited to add to my office bookshelf at the school. Even better that it was written by Kel Mitchell from Keenan & Kel and Good Burger. Impressed with his storytelling skills and it even includes a good lesson about values.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
41 reviews
October 9, 2022
This is an entertaining and creative book for middle grades. I’m sure my grade 5 students will love it. Moments were just too ridiculous for me, but that will likely make it all the more appealing to kids.
Profile Image for Bookish_Pixie.
45 reviews4 followers
October 10, 2022
Light and fun humourous children's book. A little bit of toilet humor but overall enjoyable and age appropriate. I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All of these opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Kim Zoby Fulgham.
55 reviews16 followers
October 8, 2022
Adorable story to read with my grand children. I always pre-read stories before reading to my grandchildren. I can not wait till the next g-ma sleepover to read Prank day and watch the girls giggle.
Profile Image for Ashley.
77 reviews9 followers
Want to read
February 17, 2023
this was a fun and crazy ride. read with my kiddo, he enjoyed the illustrations but was a bit mature for him even as an advanced reader as mc discusses wanting a girlfirend
1 review1 follower
April 24, 2024
Who loves orange soda? I do! And my and I love this book!
144 reviews3 followers
May 21, 2024
I love reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All because of you, Kel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Scott.
Author 23 books43 followers
May 1, 2025
This was good. It was a bit lengthy but a bit of fun for most of the time.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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