Books in Tom Gates series

Dreams of rock stardom take the edge off embarrassing family activities in Tom’s fourth “homework diary” crammed with doodles and stories.After receiving the shock of a lifetime — seeing his big sister, Delia, without her sunglasses on — Tom is trying to gear himself up for sports day at school. It does not help that his dad is training for the parents’ race on that day — and plans to wear bizarre cycling shorts! Meanwhile, Tom’s band, DogZombies, is supposed to play in the school talent show, meaning they’d better start practicing — a lot. It might all be worth it, though, if the absolutely brilliant band DUDE3 appears as special guests!

Middle-school comedian, homework dodger, rock-star wannabe, master doodler—Tom Gates is back with two more episodes full of visual humor and kid appeal.No school for two whole weeks! Now Tom has plenty of time for the good stuff, like finding new ways (so many!) to annoy his big sister, Delia. Or watching TV and eating caramel candy. Or most important, band practice for DOGZOMBIES in his best friend Derek’s garage (while not encouraging Derek’s ’60s-music-crazed dad). All that stands between this band and rock greatness is, well, a song (besides “Delia’s a Weirdo”). And finding a drummer. And landing a gig. Will Tom let a killer toothache and pesky overdue homework get in his way?

The top-selling U.K. series for middle-grade readers now crosses the pond!Meet Tom Gates. When his teachers don’t have their beady eyes on him, he likes to draw pictures and write about stuff, like last summer’s worst camping vacation ever (five merits!), or how much he hates sitting next to nosy Marcus Meldrew, the most annoying boy at school. All Tom really wants is to score tickets to see the best band ever, Dude3, when they come to town, and to impress Amy Porter, who is very nice and smart (but is currently ignoring him). 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.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Middle-school comedian, homework dodger, rock-star wannabe, master doodler-Tom Gates is back with two more episodes full of visual humor and kid appeal. Things are looking up for Tom Gates. The school dance is coming up, and his birthday, too! What could possibly put him in a bad mood? Well, the words math lesson, for one thing. And that annoying twit Marcus Meldrew at school. And Granny Mavis threatening to bake Tom's birthday cake (carrots!). And the fact that nobody seems to be noticing the long list of birthday presents Tom has prominently displayed. Worst of all, can it be true that Tom's dad has volunteered to deejay the school dance wearing the wacky costume from his new job?

The top-selling U.K. series for middle-grade listeners now crosses the pond!Meet Tom Gates. When his teachers don’t have their beady eyes on him, he likes to draw pictures and write about stuff, like last summer’s worst camping vacation ever (five merits!), or how much he hates sitting next to nosy Marcus Meldrew, the most annoying boy at school. All Tom really wants is to score tickets to see the best band ever, Dude3, when they come to town, and to impress Amy Porter, who is very nice and smart (but is currently ignoring him). 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 listening—and keep them laughing.

No school for two whole weeks leaves Tom with heaps of time for the important things in life. Yeah! He can forget all about lessons and the irritating Marcus Meldrew, and save his energy for good stuff! Stuff like: inventing new ways to annoy his sister Delia. (So many). Band practice for the DOGZOMBIES—rock stars in the making! Watching TV and eating caramel wafers; eating caramel wafers and watching TV. Excellent!Unfortunately a couple of small problems called the dentist and his big weirdo sister, Delia, seem to be getting in the way of Tom's BRILLIANT plans....

Back to school, but it's not all bad. Sports Day, the school fair, and Tom's birthday are all coming up. And even better, his awful big sister Delia won't be at any of those events! On the downside, Granny Mavis is threatening to make his birthday cake—uh oh! But on the other hand, Mr. Keen has asked DOGZOMBIES to perform in front of the whole school! YEAH! Maybe they can even play at the school disco too. How can the term turn out any less than seriously amazing?

Back to school, but it's not all bad. Sports Day, the school fair, and Tom's birthday are all coming up. And even better, his awful big sister Delia won't be at any of those events! On the downside, Granny Mavis is threatening to make his birthday cake—uh oh! But on the other hand, Mr. Keen has asked DOGZOMBIES to perform in front of the whole school! YEAH! Maybe they can even play at the school disco too. How can the term turn out any less than seriously amazing?