Dante N. Ferno is NOT a Loser (Book 1)

Meet Dante, (who is definitely NOT a loser) in this hilarious, highly illustrated book for children aged 7+, by author/illustrator Brian Gordon. Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Ever since his trousers fell down in front of the whole school, Dante has struggled to shake off his seriously uncool reputation. Luckily, he has a foolproof plan to become the most popular kid at his new school:

1. Completely reinvent himself.
2. Make a ton of friends and accept his nomination as their leader.
3. Become good at sports stuff and win all the game things.
4. Rub his newfound popularity in the face of all the haters he grew up with.

Sounds easy, right? Well think again - Purg School is attended by infamous creatures from myths and legends and they're not going to let him shake off his loser status overnight! Dante is going to have his work cut out to beat the bullies and show the world that he is NOT a loser.

Review
Devilishly funny - Dante N. Ferno is a winner! -- Tom Vaughan, author of Hercules: The Diary of a (Sort Of) Hero

It's a fast paced, funny adventure for readers aged 7+. Highly recommended. -- Tom Tolkein ― School Reading List - Best Children's Books for Summer 2025 Published On: 2025-04-15

If you’re looking for madcap adventures to lure your reluctant readers out of comic books and into chapter books, then this anarchic, devilishly funny and highly illustrated new series from cartoonist and debut children’s author Brian Gordon is the picture perfect choice. -- Pam Norfolk ― Lancashire Post Published On: 2025-07-10

With a daft plot and larger-than-life characters, this hilarious chapter book also explores some serious issues, such as dealing with bullies, developing resilience, and making friends. ― Booktrust

An entertaining, afterlife-themed addition to the pantheon of insecure, goofy tweens who could use a good friend ― Kirkus

Brian Gordon decided when he was six that he was going to be a cartoonist when he grew up. He spent the rest of his childhood drawing, writing funny stories and running away from bullies who didn’t like his drawings or his stories.

Despite being told by his teachers that cartooning wasn’t a 'real job', he’s happy to have proved them wrong and has been drawing silly things for a living ever since. He spent the first half of his career making greeting cards, but for over a decade, he’s been writing Fowl Language, a webcomic read by millions around the world, about the ups and downs of parenting four kids. Now, he’s also writing stories for kids - Dante N. Ferno is his debut series for kids.

He has a wife named Cat and a dog named Pickles, who is very soft and loves getting his ears scratched.