The Book You're Not Supposed to Have by Stephan Pastis

By Stephan Pastis (author) Part of the Timmy Failure series

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In a nutshell: absurd comedy genius | Timmy Failure is the best worst detective in children’s fiction, and a wonderful comic creation. In this adventure he’s having to ply his trade very surreptitiously indeed – Mum has banned all detective work until the school holidays.

To make things worse, forced to share his room with his cousins, he must set up his office in a garden shed at the local hardware superstore, a place referred to always as Home Despot. Additional trials in Timmy’s life include piano lessons, and trips to orthodontist Mr A Goni. The plot brings even the most surreal strands together and it’s very satisfying.

Timmy narrates with the exasperated air of the misunderstood genius and his version of events is just one of the things that makes these books so enjoyable.

Timmy Failure will appeal to fans of those other thwarted heroes Tom Gates , Barry Loser and Greg Heffley . ~ Andrea Reece

Timmy Failure returns once more in the fifth book in the New York Times bestselling series.

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Fans of Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates will love the hilarious fifth instalment from Timmy Failure, aka the world's greatest detective.

The only thing you need to know about Timmy's latest memoir is that it was never meant for publication. Timmy's detective log was stolen, and if this book gets out, Timmy will be grounded for life. Or maybe even longer. Because while Timmy was meant to be focusing on schoolwork, he was continuing his detective work in a garden shed. You don't need the details. Just know this: there's a Merry, a Larry, a missing tooth and a disappearing friend. But don't tell Timmy's mother!

A brilliantly bad detective Guardian

Stephan Pastis is the author-illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Timmy Failure series. The first book, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made , was a 2014 BookTrust Best Book Awards winner and listed as one of 100 Children's Modern Classics by The Sunday Times. Stephan is also the creator of the devoutly followed comic strip Pearls Before Swine , which appears in more than 700 newspapers worldwide, including the Metro. Stephan lives in northern California, USA.