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Summary
Summary
Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Timmy Failure!
Clueless McGee is just your average fifth-grader- snarky, awkward, and a magnet for trouble. The only difference- he's also an amateur detective. Determined to make his absent father proud, he uses the skills he's learned playing video games to solve mysteries. Only he's no Sherlock Holmes. Or Encyclopedia Brown. Or even Scooby-Doo. When the school bully is framed for filling the orchestra teacher's tuba with macaroni and cheese, Clueless is on the case. But can he catch the culprit before he strikes again? His only obstacle, as Jeff Mack shows us in his hilarious new illustrated series, is his own ineptitude . . . questionable talent . . . and limited intelligence. No problem!
Author Notes
Jeff Mack lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts, where he writes, paints, and is a frequent visitor to schools.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Fifth-grader P.J. McGee's father is a private eye who travels a lot; through a series of hilarious handwritten and illustrated letters to him, P.J. relates his adventures at school and at home. The boy fancies himself a private eye (and a ninja), so when the ever-popular mac and cheese goes missing from the cafeteria, he appoints himself to the case. His outlandish quest to find the bandit entails shrinking the principal's suit in the dryer, getting locked in the janitor's closet, and having more than one run-in with paint and chewed gum. Despite often finding himself the accidental victim, particularly in situations involving his teacher, the principal, and the school nurse, P.J. manages to succeed in catching the thief, much to his classmates' glee. P.J.'s goofy, good-natured personality shines throughout the book. "Wimpy Kid" fans will be thrilled to find this book on the shelf.-Amanda Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Author/illustrator Mack (Frog and Fly) moves into middle-grade territory with an illustrated diary-style offering a la Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Big Nate. The story of hapless would-be detective P.J. McGee unfolds through letters the fifth-grader writes to his father, who P.J. believes is a private eye away on a secret mission. P.J.'s father's absence (which goes unexplained in this series kickoff, though P.J.'s mother doesn't seem too happy about it) adds a poignant note to what's otherwise a slapstick story. When a tray of macaroni and cheese goes missing from the school cafeteria, P.J. takes the case (not that anyone asked). Along the way, P.J. gets gum stuck to his head (multiple times), the principal winds up covered in said mac and cheese (multiple times), and the janitor gets stuck in a bucket (twice), among other recurring gags and pratfalls. The repetition gets old, and readers don't get much of a sense of the supporting cast, though Mack's wonderfully kidlike cartoons really embody P.J.'s rambunctiousness, enthusiasm, and-yes-cluelessness. Ages 8-10. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, East West Literary Agency. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Fifth grader PJ McGee fancies himself a private investigator like he believes his absent father to be. In these books of letters and drawings to his father, apparent crimes arise at school. PJ volunteers to solve the cases, missing every clue in the process, but, predictably, getting it right in the end. A suitable new series for fans of the Wimpy Kid books. [Review covers these titles: Clueless McGee and Clueless McGee and the Inflatable Pants.] (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Listen up frog-smackers, PJ McGee is ready to solve any mystery! Fifth-grader PJ McGee wants to be a private detective like his father, who is away on a SECRET MISSION (or at least that's what PJ thinks). PJ knows he'll make a great detective because he has been studying ninja moves; plus, he's incredibly brave, amazingly fast and has a brain five times as big as normal. When PJ's favorite school lunch (mac and cheesehe's written a love song to lunch lady Mrs. Browny's cheesy mac) turns up missing, PI PJ is on the case with his trusty sidekick, third-grader Dante. PJ follows the clues (even though he is sure school bully Jack B is the culprit). Then Jack hires PJ to clear his name! Only a super detective like PJ could solve such a sticky case. Illustrator Mack's first foray into the cartoon-driven chapter book will be well received by the clueless and the clue-full alike. Each chapter's a letter from PJ to his absent father detailing progress on the mac-and-cheese case. PJ is charmingly out of touch with reality. His supporting cast--needy little sister, long-suffering mother, mysteriously absent father and a quirky collection of teachers--adds to the laughs. The scribbly cartoons and illustrations are part of the tale and parcel of the fun. Happily, returns to Woods Road Elementary are assured, thanks to the big "1" on the spine. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Clueless and wimpy may not be exact synonyms, but it's pretty clear that this effort, by an accomplished picture-book creator, is intended as a Jeff Kinney read-alike for ravenous middle-grade boys and in that it's successful. PJ McGee, the perpetually sans-clue protagonist, imagines himself a ninja-spy and writes chapter-long letters documenting his daily adventures to his absent father, who he believes is off on a secret mission, although world-wise readers may suspect otherwise. Nobody else sees PJ as being as cool as he does not his needy sister, an evil bully, his annoyed mother, or the frog-smacking principal but one day, the mac and cheese goes missing from the cafeteria, and he pitches in to help solve the mystery. There are many fifth-grade hurdles in his way, from extrasticky chewing gum to an extrasweaty band teacher, but all paths eventually lead to the culprit while leaving room for the next title in the new series. Similarities to other titles of this ilk include a handwriting-style font and black-and-white naive-style line drawings on every page.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist
