Journal of a Schoolyard Bully: Notes on Noogies, Wet Willies, and Wedgies

Cartoonist Katz's debut purports to get inside the head of a middle-school bully, but rapidly devolves from a Wimpy Kid knockoff with a mean streak into unfunny absurdity. Seventh-grader Niko sets the wise-guy tone early on, scoffing at his psychiatrist's suggestions that his fears of disappointing his absent father and "insecurities and weight issues" are to blame for his bad behavior (even as Katz hints that the doctor is on-target). Asserting that he bullies because he's "great at it," Niko starts off by dunking a "wimp" head-first in a toilet and locking the debate team in the gym lockers, but as the book progresses, events depart from any resemblance to reality, with Niko targeting adults and ending up bullied himself while at the Lindsey Lohan Academy for Misguided Youth. The twisted humor, delivered through Niko's cartoons as well as his sardonic ramblings, frequently misses its mark (including two potentially offensive gags involving triggering a neighbor's Vietnam War flashback and a bottle of Taiwanese hair tonic), and the lack of a resolution will likely leave kids feeling cheated. Ages 9%E2%80%93up. (Sept.)