Big Nate: On a Roll facts for kids
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Author | Lincoln Peirce |
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Illustrator | Lincoln Peirce |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Big Nate |
Genre | Comedy Fictional Children's novel Comic strip |
Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Publication date
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August 16, 2011 |
Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
Pages | 224 |
ISBN | 9780061944390 |
Preceded by | Big Nate: Strikes Again |
Followed by | Big Nate: Goes for Broke |
Big Nate: On a Roll is a super fun book by American cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. It's based on his popular comic strip, Big Nate! This book is the third one in the Big Nate novel series. It came out on August 16, 2011, and was published by HarperCollins Publishers. It's a great read for kids aged 12-15.
Contents
Story Summary
Nate's Troubles Begin
The story kicks off with Nate Wright in detention. Earlier, his art teacher, Mr. Rosa, asked Nate to help his rival, Artur. Nate had to hold a ladder while Artur painted scenery for the school play. But Artur accidentally dripped paint on Nate! Mr. Rosa got mad at Nate, leading to his detention.
After detention, Nate tries to get to his Timber scout meeting. It's at his best friend Teddy's house. Nate rides his skateboard, but it lands in oily water under a bridge. This happens because he crashes into a woman's poodle's stretched leash! Nate has to walk, making him late and missing the meeting.
Artur Joins the Scouts
Nate's friends, Francis and Teddy, tell him some shocking news. Artur has joined their scout troop! Nate is not happy about this at all. His anger grows when he finds out Artur ate the last of Mrs. Ortiz's chocolate chip cookies. Nate really loves those cookies!
Artur offers Nate and Francis a ride home in his mom's car. But Nate wants to walk, and Francis decides to join him. As they walk, Francis tells Nate about a fundraiser. They need to sell "Warm Fuzzies" to earn money for camping gear. Nate thinks these wall hangings are terrible.
The Skateboard Prize
When Nate learns the grand prize for selling Warm Fuzzies is a new skateboard, he gets excited! He becomes super motivated to sell them. The next day, Francis tells Nate that Artur is his main competition. Artur is always so good at everything!
At school, Nate sees Artur and Gina being extra nice to the teachers. Nate thinks they are perfect for each other. He then comes up with a plan: get Gina and Artur to like each other. This way, Nate can try to win over Jenny.
Nate tries to open his locker, saying he'll "sweep Jenny off her feet." But a bunch of junk flies out, making Nate fall on his back. Everyone laughs at him. Jenny sees it and calls Nate a slob. Artur suggests that if Nate cleans his locker, it won't be messy.
Selling Warm Fuzzies
Later, during science class, Nate's mind wanders to the skateboard prize. He starts drawing in his notebook. Gina peeks over his shoulder and tells Mr. Galvin that Nate is drawing. Mr. Galvin lets Nate off the hook because they are both Timber scouts.
After school, Nate tries to get Artur to like Gina. He mentions that Gina is very smart. Artur says goodbye and mentions he'd spend the afternoon "sailing." Nate thinks this means Artur won't be selling Warm Fuzzies. Nate realizes he can get a head start!
Nate goes to his next-door neighbor, Mr. Eustis's house, to sell some Warm Fuzzies. Mr. Eustis's dog, Spitsy, jumps on Nate. Mr. Eustis apologizes and buys a Warm Fuzzy. After a few hours, Nate has sold five.
Artur's Big Lead
When Nate gets home, he's shocked to find Artur talking to his dad, Marty. Artur is in his scout uniform. Nate confronts Artur, then realizes his mistake. Artur didn't say "sailing," he said "selling"! Nate learns that Artur has already sold twenty Warm Fuzzies.
Artur feels bad for Nate and bakes him brownies. Nate thinks this is annoying. Later, Nate is excited for the opening night of the Peter Pan play. Francis and Teddy are going, and Nate has only seen Peter Pan once before.
An hour later, Nate meets up with Francis and Teddy. Francis tells him the tickets are sold out. Teddy asks about the Warm Fuzzies. Nate says he sold five, which Francis thinks is good. But Nate then says, "Not as good as Artur," who sold twenty. Francis and Teddy are shocked. Nate realizes winning the skateboard will be much harder.
Francis mentions Nate already has a good skateboard. Nate tells them about the "crashing into a poodle leash" incident. Francis and Teddy burst into laughter. When they get to P.S. 38, it's crowded. Nate grabs some programs and sees Jenny standing alone. He thinks his plan worked and goes to say hi. But Artur comes and takes Jenny away. Nate is disappointed. He then realizes Artur is wearing his scout uniform and wonders why.
The play starts, and Nate sits with Francis and Teddy. At intermission, they go for snacks. Nate is shocked to see Artur selling Warm Fuzzies to theater-goers! Annoyed that he didn't think of it, Nate spends the rest of the night trying to catch up.
Characters
These are some of the main characters you'll meet in Big Nate: On a Roll:
- Nate Wright - The main character of the story. He's always getting into funny situations!
- Francis Pope - Nate's super smart best friend.
- Teddy Ortiz - Nate's other best friend, who loves to joke around.
- Artur Pashkov - Nate's rival and Jenny's boyfriend. He's an exchange student from Belarus. Artur is kind and doesn't mean to annoy Nate, but he's just really good at everything! In this book, Nate tries to beat Artur to win a new skateboard.
- Chad Applewhite - One of Nate's friends. He's a chubby boy with red hair and freckles. He has a smaller role in this book.
- Marty Wright - Nate's dad.
- Ellen Wright - Nate's older sister.
- Gordie - Ellen's boyfriend. He works at a comic book store.
- Don Eustis - Nate's neighbor. He owns a dog named Spitsy.
- Spitsy - Mr. Eustis's dog. Nate has some funny (and painful!) experiences walking him.
- Jenny Jenkins - Nate's crush and Artur's girlfriend.
- Gina Hemphill-Toms - Another one of Nate's rivals. She's very smart and likes to show it off. Nate and Gina don't get along, especially when Artur accidentally makes it seem like Nate likes Gina!