Timmy Failure: We Meet Again by Stephan Pastis

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Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781406356748
(Ages 6 -12) Recommended. His name is Failure, Timmy Failure. He doesn't drive a fancy car or travel by limousine; he gets around on his mother's Roomba. (Robotic vacuum that roams across his mother's carpet in a pattern Timmy is yet to understand)
Timmy is the founder, president and the CEO of Failure Inc. a detective agency which is on the verge of global domination, global riches and global fame. He claims openly that the agency has solved most of the world's crimes. He also has his own polar bear who sleeps 20 hours a day and declares hibernation if you attempt to complain.
From an uneducated eye the incredible accomplishments that Timmy has achieved must look like everything goes his way. This is however not true. Timmy is constantly being met by roadblocks in life like the academic probation that his horrible Principal has put him on. Considering the small crime of throwing a tree stump through the principal's window Timmy believes he is being singled out and unfortunately Timmy's lawyer (also a polar bear) can't save him.
The coveted Miracle Report is the key to everything, including a good grade. It's dirty business. It's best you know nothing. But one thing is for sure: Timmy Failure will be triumphant again!
A naive adult (must be an adult) could be forgiven for thinking that this is just a Captain Underpants book with a new cover and focus. Its absurdity and ridiculousness is very similar. The main characters in both series also bare similarities. It evoke laughter through situations that often leave an adult saying 'what the', but a child in fits of laughter.
Any school library should invest in the Timmy Failure series. It will be continuously borrowed. The series is funny, ridiculous and a great option for children who loved the Captain Underpants style but need a new story in their life.
Steve Whitehead

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