Timmy Failure: The Book You’re Not Supposed to Have

Timmy is a kid with his own detective agency, co-founded with a polar bear. His mother has stopped him from running the business because of his crime fighting shenanigans in a previous book. However, Timmy gets her to relent a bit. If he does well in school and tries hard at his brand new piano lessons, she will let him restart the business once school is out. Timmy can live with that.

At first glance, this is a book following along the lines of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. However, it seems to try too hard to be funny without the heart and fun of the Wimpy Kid books. The chapters in this book are very short, which should appeal to reluctant readers; however, the content is problematic. Timmy’s two cousins, Larry and Merry, are staying with him. He refers to Larry as a “homicidal maniac” and to Merry as an “escapee from an insane asylum.” While clearly meant to be sarcastically funny, it could be damaging to readers who have mentally ill relatives. Larry also gives Timmy a tricycle with a banner on it that reads “Bras on sale.” The back cover states the book is for eight- to twelve-year-olds, but the sardonic tone of the whole book is better suited for more mature audiences. It doesn’t quite hit the mark.