• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Tom Gates is back … and at the top of his class (nearly)

From Tom:

TIPS FOR BEING TOP OF THE CLASS (Sadly...I did NONE of these things.)

1. Stay awake in lessons (it helps.)

2. Don’t draw HILARIOUS pictures of your teachers.

3. AVOID the class bully to stay out of trouble.

4. Don’t let Mum and Dad write ANYTHING in your school planner.

5. Don’t let your grumpy sister Delia BOSS you around. (Technically not a school issue - but still important.)

I’m TRYING to get voted onto the school council as well - but thanks to the ABOVE list it’s not exactly going to plan.

This ninth story in the award-winning Tom Gates series is packed with cheeky antics and hilarious doodles! Plus: a doodle-filled glossary that will help Canadian kids make sense of British terms (what IS a caramel wafer, anyway?).

When LIZ PICHON was little, she loved to draw, paint, and make things. Her mum used to say she was very good at making a mess (which is still true today!). She kept drawing and went to art school, where she earned a degree in graphic design. She worked as a designer and art director in the music industry, and her freelance work has appeared on a wide variety of products. Liz is the author-illustrator of several picture books. Tom Gates is the first series of books she has written and illustrated for older children. They have won several prestigious awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and the Blue Peter Book Award. The books have been translated into 43 languages worldwide. Visit her at lizpichon.com.

Liz Pichon's profile page

• Commended, Resource Links, Best of the Year