Archive for Humor

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom

Written and Illustrated by Booki Vivat

Abbie Wu is having trouble with the Middles. She’s the middle child – with an impossibly cute younger sister and an overachieving older brother. She always gets the middle seat. She is, in some ways, the middle friend. She hears the Middle Ages weren’t so great. And she’s headed to middle school. Her mom assures her she will be fine in the new environment. Meanwhile, she can’t even decide what her Thing is so she can choose an elective. The only good part is her two best friends will be around, at least part of the time. When it turns out the good lunches are only available to the older kids, she accidentally finds her Thing in study hall, only to get in trouble for being so creative. Along the way, though, she learns what her real Thing is and learns that some of the monsters in her life might not be quite so monstrous after all.

The heavily cartoonish illustrations are a major part of the fun and of the story itself. Though this is not a graphic novel, per se, this would be a very different book without the illustrations.

Though this is a hilarious look at the situations all of us face, with change being the norm, there is a lot to get serious about too. Fourth and fifth graders would benefit from having this book available in the classroom so they can discuss with other kids, teachers, and parents what to expect in the coming years.

Order on Amazon

  • FrazzledTitle: Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom
  • Author/Illustrator: Booki Vivat
  • Published: Harper/HarperCollins Publishers, September 27, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Paperback, 240 pages
  • Grade Level: 3 to 7
  • Genre: Fiction, Humor, Dealing with change
  • ISBN: 978-0-06-239879-6

Enchanted Files: Diary of a Mad Brownie

Written by Bruce Coville
Illustrated by Paul Kidby

If you’re not already familiar with Bruce Coville’s work, why not? This, one of his more recent books, is hilarious and heartwarming at the same time.

Angus Cairns is a one hundred fifty year old brownie, bound by the terms of a curse laid against his father by an elven queen. When his Scottish mistress dies, he must provide service to an eleven-year-old American girl, Alex Carhart. Angus first makes his way to America and figures out a way to keep his very messy and disorganized charge neat and organized. He also watches in horror as the second part of the curse plays out – the men of the family abandon everything except horrible poetry. A sister who befriends a goblin and her harsh kindergarten teacher complete most of the contributing cast of characters. How can they together save the family of a father who quits his job to write bad poetry?

Kidby’s illustrations are also hilarious and add a lot to the story. From diagrams of the Carharts’ house to labeled illustrations of magical folk to a family portrait of the Carharts, they pull the reader into the brownie world.

Told entirely in diary and journal entries, letters, and notes, this is a fun way for fourth graders to learn about journaling and about a few of the English words that are different in Scotland.

Buy on Amazon

  • Mad BrownieTitle: Enchanted Files: Diary of a Mad Brownie
  • Author: Bruce Coville
  • Illustrator: Paul Kidby
  • Published: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2015
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
  • Grade Level: 3 to 7
  • Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Humor
  • ISBN: 978-0-385-39247-1

Raymie Nightingale

Written by Kate DiCamillo

Raymie Clarke has to learn to twirl a baton because she has to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire 1975 title so her father will see her picture in the paper and return home after he ran off with a dental hygienist named Lee Anne Dickerson. Raymie’s fellow students, Louisiana Elefante and Beverly Tapinski, lead similarly crazy lives and make Raymie’s life even more crazy. Meanwhile, their baton twirling teacher, Ida Nee, has her own problems, including not being a very good teacher. Raymie is trying to do good deeds for the contest application, including reading a Florence Nightingale biography to the uncooperative and unimpressed elderly. Louisiana tells long, complicated stories about her family. And Beverly wants to sabotage everything and is very good at picking locks. Raymie does hear from her dad, but for an accomplishment other than winning the contest. Louisiana helps her family, if not her cat. Eventually, Louisiana learns that Raymie is not a Nightingale. And Beverly gains friends and a more relaxed perspective. Minor characters add a lot to the fun. Louisiana’s grandmother drives an old clunker much too fast and has Louisiana steal cans of tuna fish. The elderly ladies are unpredictable.

Fourth graders and above will get a kick out of their antics and get a chance to practice literacy skills. They will also learn a lot about friendship and about the value of looking at things from the other person’s perspective.

Buy on Amazon

  • Raymie NightingaleTitle: Raymie Nightingale
  • Author: Kate DiCamillo
  • Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
  • Grade Level: 4 to 7
  • Genre: Fiction, Friendship, Humor
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-8117-3

 

The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat

Written by Paul Tobin
Illustrated by Thierry Lafontaine

Red Death Tea Society, giant invisible cats, and talking dogs are some of the less outrageous elements to this raucous story of a sixth grade genius, Nate, and his new friend, Delphine. Delphine is welcomed as a friend partially because Bosper, Nate’s talking dog, decides she smells like a friend. Occasionally, Nate does stupid things just to shake up his world. One of his stupid things was to make his mother’s cat, Proton, invisible and giant. Nate hid the formula for returning to normalcy throughout the city, and he needs Delphine’s help to retrieve him. Meanwhile, his archenemies, the Red Death Tea Society try to clock his efforts. Encounters with toads, hippos, and skydivers are orders of the day.

With a smattering of real science and a whole lot of fantasy, this is a great read for fourth graders, especially with a teacher or parent to help separate the fact from the fantasy. The wild humor is sure to hold attention and propel Proton back where she belongs. Because Nate and Delphine have a unique friendship, readers will learn about the possibilities among friends who don’t necessarily spend every day together.

Order on Amazon

  • Genius FactorTitle: The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat
  • Author: Paul Tobin
  • Illustrator: Thierry Lafontaine
  • Published: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, March 1, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 272 pages
  • Grade Level: 2 to 6
  • Genre: Fiction, fantasy, science, friendship
  • ISBN: 978-1619638402

The Terrible Two Get Worse

Written by Mac Barnett and Jory John
Illustrated by Kevin Cornell

An invincible principal? Just the challenge Miles and Niles need to keep the laugh-out-loud story going. Returning readers will pick up right where they left off with book one, but even those just getting introduced to this pair will recognize good clean fun right off the bat.

These boys take pranking so seriously they do pranking exercises and prank one another for practice. But their pranking ways get too much attention from the school board and result in getting the principal replaced by his father. Former Principal Barkin turns the school into a regular boot camp where no pranks will be tolerated.

However, in the midst of this story about friendship, are stories about the haves and the have nots. Barnett and John introduce theories of Robin Hood, Chekhov, Scoville and others through classroom activities, as well as the reading done by Niles and Miles themselves. These are well-read fellows who come to understand how power works in their own school as well as in the real world. A fun read that also opens the door for grander discussions about the benefits people who have power already possess over everyone else.

Cartoon sketches add delight to the story experience and will invite in readers who would shy away from text heavy books.

Core curriculum standards can be met in many areas of literacy, as well as in the areas of social studies as the activities of propaganda is discussed and can be tied directly into current events and/or history of our world. This would make a fantastic read-aloud or book club addition for the middle grade students.

Buy on Amazon

  • Terrible Two Get WorseTitle: The Terrible Two Get Worse
  • Author: Mac Barnett and Jory John
  • Illustrator: Kevin Cornell
  • Publisher: Amulet Book, NY, 2016
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Paperback, 224 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1419719257
  • Genre: Fiction
  • Grade level: 3 to 7

Last in a Long Line of Rebels

Written by Lisa Lewis Tyre

   Lost Confederate gold?  Enough to save a house from being sold? What else would kids possibly need to get them excited about school being out for the summer?

Poor Lou is the junk man’s daughter. The house and yard are a mess and about to be taken over by the town as eminent domain. Friends in town slow the process down by trying to get the house, a remnant from the Civil War, on the National Registry of Historic Places.

In the meantime, suspicious people and happenings turn up all around the town. A researcher signs out and keeps the one book in the library than might answer some questions. Lou discovers a hidden room behind the bookcase where slaves may have been hidden as they traveled the Underground Railroad.

Adding to her worries about moving to a new house, new town, new school, is the embarrassment of learning her family actually owned slaves in the past. When Lou discovers an old diary written during the Civil War years, some questions begin to get answered.

Voice is the dominate strength of this book. It is so well established that a reader feels like an eavesdropper on Lou, her family and friends. Teachers should use this as a prime example of well-developed voice as they fulfill the core curriculum standards in literacy, English, and the American Civil War. While this is historical fiction, it is an excellent example of how the war was seen through the eyes of some townspeople, and how it changed their lives. It also illustrates how families even today are often still marked by the place their ancestors held in town.

Grade four, grade five, grade six and grade seven readers will giggle at Lou’s prayer for an exciting summer, and then see her hope the excitement calms down. Great friendship is reflected in Benzer’s loyalty to Lou through all the goings on, including sneaking into a hotel room and driving a dump truck into the fiction section of the public library.

This is just a perfect mix of intrigue, humor, and longing to belong. It is recommended for all school and public libraries, as well as for book clubs.

Buy on Amazon

  • Last in a Long LineTitle:  Last in a Long Line of Rebels
  • Author:  Lisa Lewis Tyre
  • Publisher:  Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin, 2015
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format:  Hardcover, 279 pages
  • ISBN:  978-0-399-16838-3
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
  • Grade 4 to 7

Fluffy Bunnies 2: The Schoz of Doom

Written by Andrea Beaty
Illustrated by Dan Santat

Evil bunnies from outer space attack Earth … again!  That pretty well sums it up. Of course, the bunnies can’t just run rampant, so there must be humans who try to stop them. But how?

As usual, Dan Santat captures the action of the Foofs (Fluffy, Obnoxious, Odoriferous Furballs) and of twins Kevin and Joules as they protect the world from the fluffies. This book is part graphic novel and part charts of the characteristics of Birds and Others (birds being anything – at all – that flies). With the help of the Lunch Lady, will the twins prevail?

The main themes of this tale are stink and goo, so fourth graders, especially boys, will love it from page one. It will hold their interest and further their literacy skills. Very silly and highly recommended.

Buy on Amazon

  • Fluffy BunniesTitle: Fluffy Bunnies 2: The Schnoz of Doom
  • Author: Andrea Beaty
  • Illustrator: Dan Santat
  • Publisher: Amulet Books/Abrams, 2015
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 192 pages
  • Grade Level: 3 to 6
  • Genre: Fiction, humor, fluffy bunnies
  • ISBN: 978-1-4197-1051-3

 

The Terrible Two

Written by Mac Barnett and Jory John
Illustrated by Kevin Cornell

When Miles Murphy has to move from his home to an area with a lot of cows, it almost seems like the end of the world. If it weren’t for his pranks, it would be even worse. Then he finds out his new school already has a resident prankster, Niles. Let the prank war begin! Of course, Miles needs to figure out who the other prankster is. And he needs to come to terms with the idea that he might have to work with someone else. Miles invents a whole person, Cody, and has the entire school convinced of his existence. Cody figures prominently in the biggest prank of all. As do cows. The principal and his son are just terrible enough to deserve whatever they get.

This fun and frolicking book will hold the attention of fourth graders, especially boys. The occasional cow facts should help increase comprehension and literacy. The clever pranks will have readers guessing what comes next and challenge them to make up their own endings. The book comes complete with a certificate from the International Order of Disorder and a Terrible Two mug in an oversized milk carton.

Order on Amazon

  • Terrible TwoTitle: The Terrible Two
  • Author: Mac Barnett and Jory John
  • Illustrator: Kevin Cornell
  • Publisher: Amulet Books/Abrams, 2015
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
  • Genre: Humor, friendship, pranks, cows
  • ISBN: 978-1-4197-1491-7
  • Extras: Website at www.abramsbooks.com/theterribletwo
  • Release date: January 13, 2015

The Cheshire Cheese Cat

Written by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright
Illustrated by Barry Moser

Take a famous author working on a masterpiece, an unusual cat and mouse, an injured Tower raven, and the best cheese in the realm and throw them all into one inn. Misadventures abound. In 1858 London, alley cat Skilley is looking for a home when he hears The Cheshire Cheese Inn is looking for a mouser. He’s great at catching mice, but he doesn’t eat them. His real love is cheese. The inn has cheese in abundance, plus mice. So, Skilley and Pip, a very smart mouse, strike up a bargain. Pip and the other mice provide Skilley with cheese. Skilley catches Pip over and over and releases him. Charles Dickens, working on A Tale of Two Cities in a corner of the inn, notices all this activity. Meanwhile, the mice are also helping a raven they rescued from another alley cat, Pinch. Maldwyn, the raven, is missing from the Tower of London. Even the queen shows up in the end. Seems that everyone at the inn has secrets. Pip helps Dickens with the beginning to his novel. The cheese cook uses the mice as taste testers.

The illustrations are realistic and beautiful and have the feel of the Victorian era. With a smattering of quaint language, the book promotes literacy skills. The reader also learns a lot about living in the era. A great website is available at www.cheshirecheesecat.com with many reading activities.

Buy on Amazon

  • Cheshire Cheese CatTitle: The Cheshire Cheese Cat
  • Author: Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright
  • Illustrator: Barry Moser
  • Publisher: Peachtree, 2014
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Paperback, 234 pages
  • Genre: Historical fiction, friendship, culture, humor
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-810-3
  • Extras: Extensive glossary, website at www.cheshirecheesecat.com

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor

Written by Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Brian Biggs

Take a kid genius inventor, add a couple of talking robots, throw in a pint-sized villain with a sidekick chimp, and you’ve got the ingredients for the first book of John Scieszka’s new six-book series.

Frank Einstein loves to use household items to invent all kinds of things in his Grampa Al’s garage. He wants to build a SmartBot that can think and learn, but a power outage thwarts his efforts. Later that night, a bolt of lightning causes an electrical spark to bring not one, but two robots to life: Klink, the wisecracking brainiac, and Klank, the emotional hugger. Along with his trusted friend Watson, Frank enlists Klink and Klank to help him develop his greatest invention yet: an antimatter motor, which he knows is a shoo-in to win the upcoming Midville Science Fair. Winning this competition means a lot to Frank as he plans to use the prize money to help save Grampa Al’s repair shop.

Disaster strikes when Frank’s invention ends up in the hands of his arch-nemesis, T. Edison, who not only uses the antimatter idea to win the science prize, but also kidnaps Klink and Klank. Frank must use scientific knowledge and logic to save his robots, overcome the enemy, and save the world from destruction. All in a day’s work for this super genius hero!

Scieszka continues his mission to bolster the reading habits of children, especially reluctant boy readers, by adding a healthy helping of silliness to the real principles of science: observation, hypothesis, results, and conclusion. Facts and figures are presented at a fourth grade level with help from Biggs, who creates easy diagrams and illustrations in a cartooning style.

Fun to read and good for you, too. A winning combination.

Buy on Amazon

    • Frank EinsteinTitle: Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor
  • Author: John Scieszka
  • Illustrator: Brian Biggs
  • Publisher: Amulet Books / Abrams, 2014
  • Reviewer: Lauren Abbey Greenberg
  • Format: Paperback, 192 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-4197-1218-0
  • Genre: Fiction, Science fiction, Humor

 

« Older Entries