Big Nate Blasts Off!

Comics and graphic novels · Comedy

Print length: 218 pagesBalzer + Bray, 2016

Description

A classroom seating change puts Nate directly in front of Ruby Dinsmore, and his new crush quickly becomes the center of his already chaotic school life. He uses homework as an excuse to spend time with her, but a mocking comic about a teacher earns detention, while public gossip about his feelings attracts Randy’s bullying. Nate retaliates through a gossip column and an insulting article, escalating their rivalry from jokes to fights. Discipline then threatens his chance to practice with Ruby and his friends for the Mud Bowl, and a possible family move to California raises the stakes beyond the game. The illustrated school comedy mixes romantic embarrassment, impulsive revenge, and friendship as Nate’s attempts to look impressive repeatedly create larger problems.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Conversational · Dialogue-driven · Witty

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Humorous · Playful · Warm

Structure

Linear

Focus

Character · Plot · Relationships

Emotional intensity

2 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 1 / 5
Ideas: 1 / 5
Structure: 1 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

BelongingComing of ageFriendshipLoveRevenge

About Lincoln Peirce

Lincoln Peirce is an American cartoonist, author, and animator whose work finds abundant comedy in school routines, childhood rivalries, and the gap between confidence and competence. He is best known for creating Big Nate, a comic strip and series of illustrated novels centered on sixth-grader Nate Wright. Peirce builds scenes through brisk dialogue, expressive drawings, and problems that gather consequences faster than Nate can recognize them. His protagonist’s certainty that he is a misunderstood genius survives detentions, failed assignments, and the objections of friends, teachers, and teammates. In Big Nate in the Zone, an overdue history outline, a band performance, and a supposed lucky charm converge into one mounting school-day crisis. Big Nate Blasts Off similarly ties a crush and a mocking comic to gossip, bullying, discipline, and a threatened move. The shorter comic episodes favor rapid setups and reversals, while the novels extend Nate’s impulsive choices through plots involving friendship, competition, teamwork, and embarrassment. Peirce has also written animated shorts for Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

Series

Big Nate · Book 8

Big Nate in the Zone Apple Books

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Language: English
ISBN: 9780062111111, 9780062111128

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