Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody (Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody)
by Patrick Ness (Author) Tim Miller (Illustrator)
From the best-selling author of A Monster Calls, this funny, wise middle-grade series explodes every stereotype--including what it means to be a hero--in a brilliant reptilian take on surviving school.
When Principal Wombat makes monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia hall monitors, Zeke gives up on popularity at his new school. Brought in as part of a district blending program, the monitor lizards were mostly ignored before. Reptiles aren't bullied any more than other students, but they do stick out among zebras, ostriches, and elk. Why would Principal Wombat make them hall monitors? Alicia explains that it's because mammals are afraid of being yelled (hissed) at by reptiles. The principal's just a good general, deploying her resources. Zeke balks, until he gets on the wrong side of Pelicarnassus. More than a bully, the pelican is a famed international supervillain--at least when his mother isn't looking. Maybe the halls are a war zone, and the school needs a hero. Too bad it isn't . . . Zeke. Smart, relatable, and densely illustrated in black and white for graphic appeal, this middle-grade series debut by a revered author returns to his themes of grief, bullying, and negotiating differences--but with zeal and comic relief to spare.
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ALA/Booklist
Sure to amuse and even move young middle-graders.
Kirkus
Heart and weirdness in equal measure prove you should never underestimate the power of a lizard!
Publishers Weekly
In this sincere, absurd anthropomorphic take on middle school, a young monitor lizard finds things spiraling out of control when he accidentally antagonizes the school bully. After being appointed hall monitor (not because he's a monitor lizard--that's just a coincidence), Zeke runs afoul of the bellicose pelican son of an international supervillain, classmate Pelicarnassus, who vows to make Zeke regret his actions. Now Zeke and his friends--effervescent Daniel and patient Alicia, both lizards, as well as hawk Miel, who is blind--must contend with a foe capable of procuring lasers and invading France (which is located on Zeke's knee due to a curse placed upon his "great-great-great-great (or possibly great-great-great-great-great) grandfather"). Meanwhile, Zeke's mother navigates persistent sadness about the death of his father; her grief is depicted as a black dog that "hung around his mom like a cloud." Using over-the-top prose, Ness (Different for Boys) details characters tackling mundane yet serious issues surrounding economic disparity, school violence, anger management, and self-image in a tale that is both deeply relatable and humorously off-kilter. Expressively goofy ink line illustrations by Miller (Izzy Paints) add whimsy and warmth. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Michelle Kass, Michelle Kass Associates. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
Utterly original, absolutely brilliant, and delightfully surprising. This author-illustrator dream team have done one of the hardest things there is to do: put together a book that is at once profound and preposterously fun.
—Jarrett Lerner, author of A Work in Progress
Oh, man, I love this! A schoolyard romp with a cast of clever, heartfelt, hilarious characters from all across the animal kingdom. This Lizard Nobody is bound to be Somebody.
—Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell
Absolutely bananas and perfectly sweet—this world formed from Patrick Ness's wild imagination and populated by Tim Miller's huggable animals is one you will want to return to, for laughs and for the deeper themes of grief, bullying, and true friendship.
—Isabel Roxas, creator of the graphic novel series The Adventures of Team Pom
Wonderfully absurd.
—Bob Shea, author of Who Wet My Pants?
Readers will be cheering for Zeke, the largest lizard at school and the one with the most heart.
—Mika Song, author of Donut Feed the Squirrels
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
JUV002220 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Reptiles & Amphibians
