Big Nate is the ultimate gateway drug for kids who claim they hate reading. Lincoln Peirce writes middle-school snark so effectively that reluctant readers don’t even realize they’ve just crushed 200 pages in one sitting. Volume 35, Curse of the Puffy Shorts, doesn't try to innovate or "grow up" with its audience—it stays exactly in its lane of detention slips, sports failures, and the eternal struggle against teachers who just don't get it.
Big Nate: Curse of the Puffy Shorts is a compilation of Lincoln Peirce's iconic comic strips, perfect for the 8-12 crowd. It’s the most reliable way to hit a daily reading goal because it prioritizes humor and visual pacing over dense prose. If your kid has already finished Diary of a Wimpy Kid or is looking for something punchier than The Last Kids on Earth, this volume is a guaranteed win.
There’s a specific kind of magic in the Big Nate series that parents often overlook because the covers look "cartoonish." Here’s the reality: these books are a masterclass in visual literacy.
Volume 35 continues the trend of mixing traditional comic panels with Nate’s own "hand-drawn" notebooks. For a kid who feels overwhelmed by a page of solid text, this layout is a relief. It provides frequent "finish lines"—you’re never more than thirty seconds away from a punchline or a scene change. It’s dopamine-driven reading that actually builds stamina.
But don't let the format fool you. Peirce sneaks in a surprisingly sophisticated vocabulary. Nate might be a disaster in social studies, but he’s articulate when he’s complaining. You’ll find words like "monstrosity," "injustice," and "catastrophic" peppered throughout his rants. It’s the "stealth health" of children’s literature: they think they’re reading a joke book; you know they’re expanding their lexicon.
In Volume 35, we’re back at P.S. 38, and the stakes are exactly as high as they ever are in 6th grade—which is to say, they feel like life and death to Nate and are hilarious to everyone else.
The Humiliation Factor
The title story involving the "puffy shorts" is classic Nate. It taps into that universal middle-school fear: being forced to wear something that makes you look ridiculous in front of your crush or your rival. Whether it’s a gym class uniform mishap or a botched school project, Nate is the patron saint of the "cringe" moment. Kids love this because it makes their own daily embarrassments feel manageable by comparison.
The Rivalry with Gina
If your kid is an "intentional" student, they might actually relate more to Gina Hemphill-Toms than Nate. Gina is the high-achieving, rule-following foil to Nate’s chaotic energy. Their dynamic in Volume 35 remains one of the best "frenemy" portrayals in kid-lit. It’s a great jumping-off point for talking about different types of people in a classroom—and why the "smartest" kid and the "funniest" kid often clash.
The Sports Disasters
Nate is a legend in his own mind, especially on the fleeceball court or the baseball diamond. The reality is usually a bit more... grounded. Volume 35 features the usual rotation of sports-related ego checks. It’s a healthy counter-narrative to the "everyone is a superstar" trope found in a lot of middle-grade fiction. Nate fails constantly, and he survives it. That’s a lesson worth more than a dozen "believe in yourself" posters.
If your kid has already memorized every panel of Curse of the Puffy Shorts, don't just default to the same five bestsellers. Here’s where to go next to keep that reading momentum alive:
If the draw of Big Nate is the "delusional main character" vibe, Timmy Failure is the natural evolution. Timmy is a "detective" with a deadpan style and a polar bear partner. It’s weirder than Nate, slightly more surreal, and just as funny for kids who appreciate a protagonist who is confidently wrong about everything.
For kids who want more "action" but still need the graphic novel format, Hilo is spectacular. It moves away from the school-snark genre into sci-fi, but it keeps the fast pacing and the heavy focus on friendship. It’s a bit more "epic," making it a great bridge to more complex series.
This is for the younger end of the Big Nate spectrum (ages 7-9). It’s absurd, highly illustrated, and features a squad of pigeons solving mysteries. It hits that same "funny and fast" requirement that makes Big Nate work, but with a bit more slapstick chaos.
Let’s be real: Nate Wright can be a bit of a jerk. He’s sarcastic, he’s occasionally disrespectful to his (admittedly exhausted) dad, and he views most authority figures as obstacles to be navigated.
If you’re a parent who values "wholesome" content above all else, Nate might grate on your nerves. But here’s the Screenwise take: Nate’s flaws are the reason the book works.
Kids live in a world where they are constantly told what to do. Reading about a kid who pushes back—even in petty, unsuccessful ways—is a massive catharsis for them. It’s not a manual on how to behave; it’s a mirror of how they sometimes feel.
The Pro-Tip: If your kid starts mimicking Nate’s "snark" a little too much, don't ban the book. Use it. Ask them, "Why is Nate being such a pain to his sister in this chapter?" or "Do you think his teacher is actually being unfair, or is Nate just annoyed he has to work?" Turning the reading into a quick 30-second conversation about social cues is way more effective than a lecture.
If your kid is obsessed with the art style, use Volume 35 as a springboard for creation. Lincoln Peirce actually provides a lot of "how to draw" content on his social channels and in some of the activity-based Big Nate books.
- The "Nate-ify" Challenge: Ask your kid to draw a three-panel comic about something annoying that happened at their school today, using Nate’s art style.
- Visual Literacy: Ask them how Peirce shows Nate is angry without using words (the "scribble cloud" over the head, the jagged speech bubbles). It’s a great way to help them understand how visual storytelling works.
Q: Is Big Nate: Curse of the Puffy Shorts appropriate for a 7-year-old? Yes, though some of the middle-school social dynamics (crushes, mild "mean girl" behavior) might go over their head. The slapstick humor and visual gags land perfectly for 2nd and 3rd graders.
Q: Do you need to read the first 34 volumes before Volume 35? Not at all. These are collections of daily comic strips. While there are recurring characters, there is no "overarching plot" that requires back-reading. Your kid can jump in anywhere.
Q: Is there any "bad" language in Big Nate? No. It’s very clean. You’ll get words like "stupid," "jerk," or "moron," but nothing that would trigger a content warning in a PG movie. It’s all standard playground-level insults.
Q: Is Big Nate better than Diary of a Wimpy Kid? "Better" is subjective, but Big Nate generally has a bit more "heart." Nate has a core group of loyal friends and a dad who clearly cares, whereas Greg Heffley in Diary of a Wimpy Kid is often portrayed as more of a true loner/sociopath. Nate is a disaster, but he's a lovable disaster.
Big Nate: Curse of the Puffy Shorts is a "safe bet" purchase. It’s the book that will actually get read instead of sitting on the nightstand gathering dust. It’s funny, it’s fast, and it respects a kid’s intelligence while acknowledging that middle school is mostly a series of embarrassing hurdles.
- Check out our best books for kids list for more graphic novel recommendations.
- If they've aged out of Nate, see our digital guide for middle school.
- Get help picking a next book series
