Everybody needs a good laugh, and this past weekend I longed for some mad funny bone ticklage. Luckily, a friend recommended and brought over “Dinner for Schmucks” with Steve Carrel, Paul Rudd and a host of other comedic geniuses, and it was just what I needed, reminding me of the importance of comedy.
However, I’m a bit of a hard nut to crack when it comes to humorous movies and books, and it especially takes a lot for a book to make me laugh-out-loud, so I thought I would compile a list, in alphabetical order, of the funniest middle grade, young adult novels, and picture books that passed the test–thus far–and had me rolling.
Funniest Middle Grade and YA
- 15 Minutes, by Steve Young
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, by Jeff Kinney
- Captain Underpants Series, by Dav Pilkey
- I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil, and I Want to Be Your Class President, by Josh Lieb
- Roll Up the Streets, by John Bladek
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume
- Wayside School Series, by Louis Sachar
- Whales on Stilts, by M.T. Anderson
Funniest Picture Books
- Baby Brains, by Simon James
- Children Make Terrible Pets, by Peter Brown
- Knuffle Bunny, by Mo Willems
- No, David! by David Shannon
Okay, I had to add in a couple of adult titles too. So sue me. 🙂
Funniest Adult Titles
- Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris
- Sh*t My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern
- Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher
I’m constantly on the lookout for humorous books. So, please, I beg you, if you have any suggestions for these categories that are laugh-out-loud-please-pass-me-a-Depends-funny, please comment!
Thanks for including me! I’m honored. Some funny middle grade books I really liked are Daniel Pinkwater’s The Neddiad, Dr. Proctor’s Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo, Uncle Pirate by Douglas Rees, and the Transmogrification of Roscoe Wizzle, by David Elliott.
You’re welcome and thanks for the recs! Your feedback is appreciated. 🙂
I’m with you! It is really hard for me to laugh out loud at books. Sadly, the older I get, the harder it is to laugh at movies also.
When I was in 6th grade, my teacher did a read aloud of Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe Declements. I remember many moments of obnxious, “Why are you looking at me that way” laughter. Then again, it was a long time ago, so who knows…it could have been the way it was read to me.
I also found Judy Blume’s famous Fudge series to be very comical, and I can recall a few cathartic moments from those stories as well.
Carrie Fisher’s stand-up is so freaking awesome. Thanks for following y blog and adding me at fscebook, DL.
Paul: I haven’t heard of Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You. Thanks for telling me. I’ll have to check it out!
Jonathon: Oh, you are so lucky you got to see Carrie Fisher’s stand-up! I want to see it really really bad. Your welcome for all the follow backs. Glad we met. 🙂
You score major points for listing Carrie Fisher. Her books are so wonderful.
Austin: Have you read her novels? I haven’t read any yet. Any you’d recommend?