The Terrible Two Get Worse

Sunshine State book. We are getting a head start for next school year and the third grade boy I am reading with is enjoying the plot and characters so far. The chapters are short do he is feeling accomplished as he moves along to chapter five early in the book. He has remained engaged, but occasionally becomes discouraged by the amount of text on each page.

Niles and Miles are back. This ranking team, known as The Terrible Two, are ready for another year of pranking their school, especially their power-loving principal, Principal Barkin. Unfortunately, one of their pranks leads Principal Barkin to losing his job, and now he's been replaced with a much more stern principal, who is out to shut down all pranking.

I straight-up loved Book 1. It was so fun! I frequently recommend it to my 4th and 5th grade students who are looking for something funny to read, and so far they have all loved it. So my students and I were super excited for Book 2. The first third or so of The Terrible Two Gets Worse totally lived up to my expectations. I Laughed Out Loud on almost every page.

Unfortunately, I have to break the news to them that I didn't end up loving it, and that I'm not sure I'll get a copy for our classroom. Here's why -

The pranks in the first book were elaborate, creative, and harmless. There were awesome diagrams accompanying several, and the authors did a brilliant job of incorporating the cows of Yawnee Valley. The first book was outrageous, and that's why so many of us love it.

This second installment simply doesn't do the same things. The pranks are too typical, easy for kids to duplicate, and far from harmless. They put peppers in people's drinks, pull the fire alarm, and drop someone's pants. I've seen this book referred to by another reviewer as mean-spirited, and I totally agree. To make it worse, there are no cows! And no elaborate diagrams! Where is the creativity? Where is the outrageousness?

Overall, I'm hoping that this is just a Second Book Slump, and that the next installment will revive the potential of Book 1.

**Full Disclosure: I was provided an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Mac Barnett and Jory John have created another wacky tale of two boys who see themselves as professional pranksters. But as they continue to plan and pull of pranks, many of which are aimed at their school principal, they come up against a new challenge. Principal Barkin's father, the former Principal Barkin, gets his son fired because of the pranking and takes over the school, where he immediately does everything in his power to make everyone's lives miserable. And despite several attempts, Niles and Miles are stumped by a man who refuses to be pranked, turning each of their pranks into an 'accident'. It seems the new (old?) principal has won. But Niles and Miles refuse to give up though and decide to recruit their former principal into one last attempt to stop Principal Barkin from destroying the school.

One can always trust Mac Barnett to come up with something wacky and this series definitely qualifies. But considering how popular the first book is in my library, I have no doubt that this one will be as well. I have to admire the pranks that the characters come up with, although I would wince to see some of them actually brought to pass (limberger cheese in the ventilation system at school, ew, gross). But the authors have done a great job of creating a villain that the reader wants to hate, he is truly awful and I seriously wanted to tell him off. I was amused by the twist of Niles and Miles actually recruiting their former obnoxious principal, that was definitely unexpected. I am definitely curious about where John and Barnett intend to take the story since now their primary foe knows who they are now. I have no doubt however that wherever the story goes it will be entertaining and full of eye-rolling moments and wacky illustrations that match the tone of the story.

OMG!! My kiddo had a BLAST at school yesterday when the authors of this book came to visit!!

My daughter couldn’t wait to get home to read the book and tried to get out of taking a shower to extend her reading time. She was thrilled when the word ‘prankster’ showed up on page 6. The short chapters really build confidence that they are making progress when reading. The first day of getting this book and she read out loud to chapter 5! (high five to that)

In addition to the awesome content, the whole design of the book is super cool! My daughter said “hey mom, touch the book, see how it feels”. The raised surface is pretty neat and the page inside that is black with the white marking of tick tac toe and other things was also a hit. All of the illustrations throughout keep her intrigued.

When I went in her room this morning I saw a note book on the floor that was opened and had markings of pranks in it. I must say …damn good job! I know I’m in for it with some pranks soon to happen lol! All I have to say is BRING IT ON!!

Thank you for adding some fun to my house!

Miles was a pranking legend back in his old school. But now that he's moving to a dull orderly town he needs to get his reputation back. But there's already a prankster in school named Niles. In school he's a always-smiling suck-up goody-two shoes. But Niles is really a prankster and no one suspects him. Niles wants to team up with Miles to become: The Terrible Two...

I originally got thbis book because it was free with the the store prime, which I have, and I needed something to read. I didn't think I would like it very much, but I ended up really enjoying it. I would really want to read the other books in the series if I got a chance. It was extremely laughter and prank-filed. That's why I think that this book deserves a 5 star rating!

I rate it five stars. It was excellent!
I recommend this.
P.S. This is an awesome kid! Respect him and listen. Because it's nice! I like it!
P.P.S. I have a sense of humor. Tell me jokes, too!
P.P.P.S. I will respect you if you respect me. It's the Golden Rule!

We loved the first book and were eagerly anticipating this sequel. It's just as funny as book one—maybe even better! Once again, the book is packed with clever pranks, smart writing, and terrific artwork that really complements the text. Once again our heroes "embarrass the dour and amuse the merry!"

This book was amazing! Every page felt like I was in the adventure with the awesome Miles Murphy. And to be honest, he is pretty much the pranking master! Also, I kind of wish I could have a principal like Mr. Barkin. He's pretty cool. But really, this book is a MUST read. Can't wait for the squeal.

The Terrible Two by Jory John and Mac Barnett
illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Amulet Books, 2015
Humorous
217 pages
Recommended for grades 3-6

Oh my word, this book annoyed me so much from the first page to the....well, I don't know when. But somewhere along the way the annoying cow references and the annoying principal and the annoying writing style of staccato sentences and the not endearing characters, clicked for me, and then I loved it. How did they do that, that trio of guys?
I will surely be sharing this one with students, I can see it being a big hit for readers that love Wimpy Kid, Timmy Failure, and the likes.

Amazing book. It's Captain Underpants funny! Especially Niles he's the one on the right. He likes to throw off suspicion when doing pranks. One way he accomplishes this, is by telling on people, to principal Barkin when something goes wrong. The other guy Miles, the guy on the left is a guy that likes getting credit for all the pranks he pulls. He is also the new guy at the school too. So naturally Miles and Niles clash with each other about the way they should carry out pranks in school.

My fourth grader and I really enjoyed this book as a read-aloud. As an adult, I really enjoyed the humorous and clever writing, as well as the characterization of the two pranksters, both in need of a friend. This book made us laugh out loud!