The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
“Tom Gates can easily be seen as a British cousin to Jeff Kinney’s Greg Heffley.” —Publishers Weekly Meet Tom Gates. When his teachers don’t have their beady eyes on him, he likes to draw pictures and write about stuff. Tom’s teachers think he is easily distracted and “lacks focus,” but that’s a bit harsh—can he help it if his grumpy big sister, Delia, made him late for school (again), or that last night’s homework had to be sacrificed to stave off a vicious dog attack? Master of excuses, creative storyteller, and middle-school comedian extraordinaire, Tom Gates is guaranteed to get kids turning the pages—and keep them laughing.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The Brilliant World of Tom Gates
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
First in the Tom Gates series. Tom Gates draws his way through a school term in a notebook full of doodles, scribbled cartoons, and big lettering, between his band Dogzombies, his big sister Delia, and his best friend Derek.
Liz Pichon has written more than 20 Tom Gates books. The series continues to release. It is hugely popular in the UK and is widely translated.
Tom Gates is middle grade, recommended for readers 7 to 11. The hand-drawn illustrations, doodle font, and humor make it especially popular with reluctant readers, alongside Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates was written by Liz Pichon, published in 2011 by Turtleback Books.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is 256 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is a standalone novel by Liz Pichon, not part of a series.
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.