Tom Gates Books in Order: How to read Liz Pichon’s Series?
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What Tom is getting up to?
What is the Tom Gates series about?
Tom Gates is the main protagonist in the series for Children by Liz Pichon which takes the form of an illustrated diary written by the eponymous schoolboy.
Aged around 10 years old, Tom is the younger of the two children of Frank and Rita Gates, and the younger brother of Delia. He attends Oakfield Primary School where he is in Mr Fullerman’s Class 5F. Children in his class include the annoying Marcus Meldrew, and Amy Porter (who also sits next to Tom, but whom Tom hopes to impress). Also in his year at Oakfield is his best friend Derek Fingle, who also lives next door to him.
How to read the Tom Gates Books in Order?
- The Brilliant World of Tom Gates – Tom Gates is the master of excuses for late homework: dog attacks – spilt water – lightning… Tom’s exercise book is full of his doodles and thoughts, as well as comments from his long-suffering teacher, Mr Fullerman.
- Excellent Excuses – No school for two whole weeks! (Yeah!) I can concentrate on good stuff like: band practice for DOGZOMBIES (with my mate Derek). Watching TV and eating caramel wafers. Excellent. Unfortunately a couple of small problems called the dentist and my big weirdo sister, Delia, seem to be getting in the way of my BRILLIANT plans . . .
- Everything’s Amazing – Back to school, but it’s not all bad. We’re entering Rooster in a dog show, the School Disco and my birthday are coming up so this term’s going to be amazing! Mostly because Delia’s not invited to any of these. There’s only one small problem with my birthday, Granny Mavis says she’s going to cook . . . uh oh!
- Genius Ideas (mostly) – Seeing Delia without her sunglasses on is a BIG shock, but that’s nothing compared with the surprise Dad has in store for me with his new found fitness regime. He says he’s going to compete at my Sport’s Day. Shame! Meanwhile Derek, Norman and I keep practicing in DOGZOMBIES so we’re really ready for the school Talent Show.
- Tom Gates Is Absolutely Fantastic (at Some Things) – Exciting News! Mr Fullerman announces that class 5F are going on an ‘Activity Break’! Which should be fun. As long as I don’t get stuck in a group with anyone who snores or worse still with . . . . . . Marcus Meldrew.
- Extra Special Treats (not) – It’s really cold outside and we’re all hoping it’s going to snow. Yeah! Derek and I could make a snow Rooster and have a snowball fight (look out, Delia!). Granny Mavis has started to knit me a new winter jumper, but by the looks of things I’m not sure it’s going to fit. . .
- A Tiny Bit Lucky – Will Tom and his band DOGZOMBIES be LUCKY enough to win the Rock Weekly Band Battle competition? They just might be if they could find time to practice! But with inspectors in the school, an amazing new cartoon on TV, caramel wafers to eat and a stray cat getting in the way, Tom’s a bit too busy having FUN!
- Yes! No (maybe) -Sometimes making up my mind isn’t easy to do. Especially when my grumpy sister Delia is LOOMING over me. Mum’s on a mission to TIDY UP the whole house. She says if I can’t decide what to get rid of, she’ll do it for me. Which would be a DISASTER! Lucky for me, The FOSSILS come to my rescue (more than once!)
- Top of the Class – 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.
- Super Good Skills – Look out! Tom, Delia and the whole Gates family are going on holiday. How will Tom manage to keep himself busy on the most boring campsite ever? By doodling, of course!
- Dog Zombies Rule – Here’s my EXCELLENT PLAN to make DogZombies the BEST band in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! How hard can it be? I’m going to: 1. Write more songs. (Not about teachers.) 2. Make a SPECTACULAR music video. (Easy.) 3. Get some sleep. (Tricky when you’re being kept awake by LOUD NOISES.) 4. Annoy Delia. (Nothing to do with DOGZOMBIES but always FUN.)
- Family, Friends and Furry Creatures – Working hard on my school project, I’ve found out all kinds of interesting facts I wasn’t expecting to. Stuff like: Mum and Dad got together because of cake. (Full story inside). Cats sleep for 70% of their lives. Peppermint ice cream is just wrong. (True.).
- Epic Adventure – Having two sets of grandparents is turning out to be very good for me. The Wrinklies are keen on giving presents AND they’re planning a family outing which is going to be EPIC! Even Delia wants to come. (I can always ignore her.)
- Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans – This book is VERY important because it contains BISCUITS, BANDS and all my (doodled) plans to make DogZombies the BEST band in the world.
- What Monster? – This book contains: – MONSTERS – MYSTERY – A MUSIC FESTIVAL – MISSING stuff – ME and Marcus (Not necessarily in THAT order). AND a very strict supply teacher – but don’t let that put you off!
- Mega Make and Do and Stories Too! – When Mum and Dad forget it’s half term, what’s Tom going to do to keep busy over the break?!
- Spectacular School Trip (Really.) – Tom’s doing everything possible to stay out of trouble but somehow he’s got THREE sad faces on the school achievement chart! And getting another sad face means Mr Fullerman won’t let him go on the SCHOOL TRIP!
- Ten Tremendous Tales – A laugh-out-loud collection of stories starring Tom Gates and his friends, family and foes! Featuring: ‘A Delicious Chicken Pie,’ ‘Getting Stuck in a Lift with Delia,’ ‘A Teacher Swap at School,’ ‘Some Tiny Ants in Tiny Pants,’ ‘The Adventures of Wafer Boy.’ Tom Gates is tremendous and so are his tales!
- Random Acts of Fun – Tom’s stuck at home with a fractured ankle and it’s spoiling his fun. Doodling on his plaster cast helps to pass the time, along with visits from family (with treats), friends and even Rooster managing to sneak in.
- Happy to Help (eventually) – It’s TIDY UP Saturday, but Tom is VERY busy relaxing and not helping out much. Until he spots the art box of his dreams in a shop window and everything changes. He’s suddenly focused on earning extra pocket money and helping with EVERYTHING. But nothing quite goes to plan. Washing and shrinking Delia’s clothes isn’t a good start. And the hours spent carefully cleaning cars with Derek are ruined overnight when a storm hits Oakfield Town, causing even MORE chaos.
- Five Star Stories – Q: Who wants their FIVE STAR funny story included in Oakfield School’s story book? A: EVERYONE! But what will Tom write about? Inspiration strikes when he looks at his excellent collection of ODD OBJECTS and remembers the funny stories behind each one.
Bonus Tom Gates Books!
- Best Book Day Ever (so far) – It’s BOOK WEEK in Oakfield school and EVERYONE is very excited. Including all the teachers, who are making costumes of their own. Mr Keen says there’s an EXCELLENT prize on offer for BEST costumes worn on BOOK DAY. So suddenly making a good costume is VITALLY important, but tricky, and Delia’s not much help (as usual). Then Marcus decides that HE is a super hero and can’t understand why ‘Super Marcus’ isn’t the best name
- Tom Gates: Totally Brilliant Annual – A must-have for all Tom Gates fans. Packed with drawing guides, fun games, brilliant puzzles and perfect pranks to play on older sisters – this is the annual everyone will want!
If you like Tom Gates, you may also want to see our Wings of Fire reading order, or our guide to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.
