Twerp (Twerp #1), Mark Goldblatt

Twerp is a nickname for Julian Twerski as his last name sounds like 'Twerp'. After being suspended for a week, Julian's English teacher, Mr Selkirk, offers him a choice to avoid writing a report on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, only if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident which caused a suspension for him and his friends.

Instead of writing about the incident, Julian wrote about his life experience with his friends. His stories involve his friend losing his eyebrows, writing a love letter on behalf of his best friend (which turns into a disaster), and worrying whether he is still the fastest kid in school after he meets Eduardo. As time slowly passes by, writing a journal changes Julian. He likes and reads more about Julius Caesar and learned more things about Shakespeare. Of course, what they did to Danley Dimmel, which causes their suspension, will only be revealed at the end of the book.

I've never read about Big Nate before, but based from the synopsis, I felt this book has a similar plot – a story of a sixth grader who shares his adventures and mischievousness with his friends. I'm pretty sure such a story will bring back a lot of childhood memories for some readers, as the story was being written with full of "kiddie stuff" such as a small circle of close friends that does things together all the time, homemade fireworks, love letters, competitions, suspensions, and lots more. There was one point that you probably thought: that you are reading a story written by a sixth grader, or Julian really exists and he is writing his journal.

The character I liked the most is Amelia, because she is very caring and protective to Julian and most importantly, she is always encouraging and giving him advices. The most hateful character for me is Jillian, as she can’t seem to think well and causes a lot of misunderstandings and trouble to everyone. The story which I liked the most is Rabbi's meaningful advice.

Rating: ★★★
More reviews can be found on Goodreads: Twerp.