Big Nate Goes for Broke

Nate Wright has started a cartooning club at his school, and at the club, a teacher from rival school Jefferson shows her art club's art to Nate, and Nate is enraged at how good the Jefferson students are at drawing. Nate tries to ask his friend Dee Dee to join the club, but accidentally asks her to the dance instead. Nate is relieved when Dee Dee clarifies that they are just friends, but then a leak springs and nearly ruins the school. The school is closed and the kids are sent to Jefferson. Nate breaks his wrist in the process of helping his friend Chad, who is being bullied. Nate finds he can't draw because of his broken wrist. Then later a girl from Jefferson comes and puts a bad message on Nate's cast. A basketball game comes, and the Bobcats (the team from Nate's school) lose. Jefferson had 129 points, while the Bobcats didn't score any. Nate vows to beat Jefferson. They decide to have a snow sculpture contest called a "snowdown". The Bobcats win because they were more creative, as Jefferson used an old cavalier and packed snow around it. Then Nate's school wins against Jefferson again when their story is published in a comic contest. Nate then says that the breaking of his wrist was lucky.

Critical reception for Big Nate Goes for Broke has been positive.[2] The Horn Book Guide rated the book favorably, stating "Nate's enthusiastic nature, his amusing mishaps, and Peirce's inviting comic style will keep fans happy."[3] Commonsensemedia gave the book three out of five stars, writing "Creative underdogs win big in fun comic novel."[4]