The Terrible Two - by Jory John and Mac Barnett

It's a perfect prank.  The principal's car is halfway up the school stairs, parked sideways and totally stuck.  The question is, who did it?  Miles Murphy, the new kid in town on his first day at his new school, wishes it had been him.  In his old school, everyone knew that he was the #1 Prankster, but here he is forced to admit, there just might be some competition.

As the hilariously fierce yet bumbling principal Mr. Barkin locks on to Miles as a "trouble maker," the story begins a wild ride of pranks, secret identities, curious cows, gullible bullies, non-existent cool kids, and ultimately, a true friendship.  Who is the true prankster, and will Miles be able to compete with his or her brilliance and creativity?  And what is with this "School Helper" kid Niles, who follows and annoys Miles from day one?  I'm not telling you - just read the book, silly!

This is an excellent story, well-paced and full of strangely likable but annoying characters.  The pictures lead it toward the graphic novel category, but it stops short of being as heavily illustrated as a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.  The co-authors, both hilarious authors on their own, are a truly dynamic duo in this project, which has already spawned a sequel (The Terrible Two get Worse).

I highly recommend this book, as well as its companion website: www.terribletwo.com.