Big Nate, a.k.a. middle schooler Nate Wright, is eleven years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and the wunderkind creation of cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. Nate is also the star of six novelized books to be published by HarperCollins, the first of which debuted on theNew York Timeschildren's best-seller list. ThisBig Nate Collectioncollects Peirce'sBig Natestrips, originally published only in newspapers.For those not familiar withBig Nate, thinkDiary of a Wimpy KidmeetsCalvin and Hobbes. Nate is a self-described genius and a sixth-grade Renaissance man equipped with only a #2 pencil and the unshakable belief that he is destined for greatness (a fortune cookie told him so). He fights a daily battle against overzealous teachers, undercooked cafeteria food, and all-around conventionality. He's the original rebel without a clue, alternately abrasive and endearing to classmates and teachers alike. Throughout Peirce'sBig Nate Collection, Nate blazes an unforgettable trail through the sixth grade at P.S. 38, earning straight As in laughs (and numerous detentions) along the way.