Big Nate: Strikes Again facts for kids
First edition
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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 |
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Publication date
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October 19, 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback and Hardcover) |
| Pages | 300 |
| ISBN | 9780062009326 |
| Preceded by | Big Nate: In a Class by Himself |
| Followed by | Big Nate: On a Roll |
Big Nate Strikes Again is a super funny book by American cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. It's based on his popular comic strip and is the second book in the Big Nate series. This book came out on October 19, 2010, and is perfect for kids aged 12 to 15. It was published by HarperCollins Publishers.
Contents
Nate's Big Adventures and Rivalries
The story kicks off with Nate Wright and his best friends, Francis and Teddy. They are looking at baby pictures of their whole sixth-grade class. Nate thinks one picture is Jenny, but it turns out to be his biggest rival, Gina!
In Mrs. Godfrey's social studies class, she gives everyone a research paper. They have to pick a famous American and work with a random partner. Guess who Nate gets? Gina! Both of them are pretty upset about it. Teddy and Francis get to work together, which is lucky. Nate and Gina decide to research Benjamin Franklin.
Later, Nate finds out he's been chosen as a team captain for the school's fleece ball tournament. These school sports are called SPOFFs. Nate's other rival, Randy, is also a captain and starts teasing Nate. Nate gets back at Randy by burying him in a pile of trash in his super messy locker!
After causing some trouble in science class, Nate gets sent to the library. He decides to use the time wisely and reads about Benjamin Franklin. He finds Franklin really interesting! When he gets back to science class, his teacher, Mr. Galvin, gives him a lecture. Nate realizes he missed the fleece ball captain's meeting where he was supposed to pick his team. Luckily, Coach Calhoun already made a team list for him. It includes Francis, Teddy, and some other good players. But it also includes Gina, who isn't very good at sports.
Team Names and Tricky Plans
Nate goes home to think of a team name. His neighbor's dog, Spitsy, gives him an idea: the "Psycho Dogs"! The next day, Randy tries to get revenge on Nate for the locker trick. Nate runs away and ends up in the library to work on his project. Randy gets caught running in the school and gets in trouble.
Nate writes some cool comics about Ben Franklin. In art class, he makes a good luck charm for his team. This reminds him that he forgot to turn in his team name! Nate rushes to Coach Calhoun's office. He finds out that Gina already submitted a team name: the "Kuddle Kittens"! Nate is furious.
At lunch, Nate plans to get back at Gina by dumping egg salad on her. But he accidentally dumps it on Jenny instead! Oops! Later, Nate learns his team will play Artur's team, the "Killer Bees," after school. The Kuddle Kittens play well, but Gina keeps making mistakes. She even messes up Nate's final swing, which costs them the game. Nate tries to tell his coach about Gina's interference, but the coach says you can't call interference on your own teammate. So, their loss is final.
Project Problems and Big Games
Two days later, Nate is still bummed about the loss. Gina comes over to work on their project. She doesn't like Nate's comics, and they argue. They make a deal: Gina will write the report to keep her A+ average. In return, Gina will find excuses to sit out of fleece ball games. This way, Nate's team will have a better chance to win. They shake hands, and Nate's dad sees them, thinking they're becoming friends!
The day before the project is due and the final fleece ball game, Nate starts selling "Poor Nate's Almanack." It's inspired by Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanack." His almanac talks about the big project and the fleece ball standings. It shows that the Kuddle Kittens and Randy's team, the Raptors, are tied. They will play in the final match tomorrow.
However, Principal Nichols tells Nate he can't sell his almanac during school hours. Nate and Teddy start moving the table. Randy runs up with Chad's stolen notebook and accidentally crashes into the table. Randy gets a bloody nose and blames Nate. But Ms. Clarke saw everything and gives Randy detention. Randy mutters that Nate will get payback tomorrow.
The Big Finish
The next day, Gina hands in the Ben Franklin paper to Mrs. Godfrey. Mrs. Godfrey says they will both fail because Gina used pictures that weren't original. This ruins Gina's perfect grades! But then Nate shows Mrs. Godfrey his Ben Franklin comics. She loves them because they are original and connect to Ben Franklin, who was also a cartoonist! She gives them an A+! Gina is super mad because the comics she called "garbage" saved her grades.
At the end of the day, the two fleece ball teams get ready for the final game. Gina keeps her promise and sits out, saying she has food poisoning. The Kuddle Kittens and the Raptors go back and forth, tied in the ninth inning. Randy tricks Nate into thinking he has an easy out. Then, Randy stomps on Nate's foot, making it look like an accident. Nate has to sit out with a swollen foot.
Gina decides to play in the rest of the game. Just as Nate thought, Gina misses the ball on the Raptors' last turn. The Raptors take the lead by two points. It's the Kuddle Kittens' last chance to bat. Francis and Teddy get on base with two outs. Gina is up to bat last. She quickly gets two strikes. Nate tries to take her place, but Gina stays in. She hits the last throw, and it's a home run!
Coach Calhoun declares the Kuddle Kittens the winners and gives the Spoffy (the trophy) to Gina. Later in the library, Nate writes about the Kuddle Kittens' win in his latest "Poor Nate's Almanack." Gina doesn't like it because Nate says her hit was just lucky. They argue, and Gina screams at Nate about how he never studies. Mrs. Hickson, the librarian, gives Gina her first-ever detention! As Gina leaves, she says Nate is nothing like Ben Franklin. But Nate disagrees, thinking that if Ben Franklin were alive today, they would be great friends.
Meet the Characters
- Nate Wright - The main character! He's a middle schooler known for his big ego and funny comments.
- Teddy Ortiz - Nate's close friend. He's a jokester and good at telling "Yo mama" jokes.
- Francis Pope - Nate's other best friend. He's super smart, and Nate often calls him a "geek."
- Marty Wright - Nate's dad. He's a bit clueless, plays golf, and makes terrible food.
- Artur Pashkov - Jenny's boyfriend and one of Nate's rivals. He's an exchange student from Belarus. His fleece ball team, the Killer Bees, beats Nate's team.
- Gina Hemphill-Toms - Nate's biggest rival and Mrs. Godfrey's favorite student. She's Nate's partner for the project and joins his fleece ball team, naming them "Kuddle Kittens." She ends up hitting the winning home run!
- Randy Betancourt - Another one of Nate's rivals and the school bully. He's the captain of the Raptors, Nate's opponent team in fleece ball.
- Mrs. Clara Godfrey - Nate's social studies teacher and his ultimate enemy.
- Ellen Wright - Nate's annoying older sister, who is in eleventh grade.
- Jenny Jenkins - Nate has a crush on her, but she's Artur's girlfriend. Nate accidentally dumps egg salad on her!
- Chad Applewhite - One of Nate's friends. He's on Nate's fleece ball team and cheers for Gina during the final game.
