Epic Fail (Eric Vale)

Ever had a stupid nickname? A rotten run of bad luck? A best friend who just looks on the bright side, even when the bright side looks black? Well Eric Vale’s got all three.

Once I used to be just plain old boring Eric Vale. And that was totally fine by me. I didn’t want a nickname. But then one day, I got one anyway. And it ended up being way worse than Choo-Choo or Snotty or King Pong or even Booger Brain. Yep, no doubt about it. My nickname was an epic fail!

We all have moments in life we would like to forget. But as much as he’d like to erase it from the history books, Eric Vale isn’t likely to forget the day his name became an Epic Fail. Neither, it seems, is the fifth grade class at Moreton Hill Primary School.

This is the story of one of those awkward and seemingly unforgettable events that define our childhood ― and one boy’s dogged determination to turn an Epic Fail into a Mega-Awesome Epic Win.

Michael Gerard Bauer's first book was THE RUNNING MAN and was named the 2005 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers. Michael lives in Brisbane, Australia. He grew up with two dogs, Penny and Kim (and Kim's nine puppies), and includes many of their stories in JUST A DOG.

JOE BAUER is an independent filmmaker living in Brisbane, Australia. He has been making comedy films and drawing since he was eleven years old. Eric Vale, Epic Fail is his first book.