Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis

When Diary of a Wimpy Kid became such a great success, authors and publishers rushed to find other books that were similar.  This is one of those titles.  Timmy is a kid who thinks he is destined to become a famous detective and hires himself out to solve mini mysteries among his peers.  The problem is that he cannot figure out even the most obvious puzzle, and the contrast between his over confident bravado and his total ineptitude is the foundation for most of the book's humor. The rest of the humor comes from his interactions with two girls in his life.  One is his rival, a "girl who must not be named" who actually is intelligent, and a younger neighbor girl who has an all consuming crush on him.  Timmy is at a loss as to what to do with either of them.  I can see how the kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid might enjoy this one, but it was just too over the top for me.  It lacked the realistic subtle undertones of the Wimpy Kid. I never saw any of my own middle school experience in the exploits of this character or his friends.(294 p)