I absolutely adore books that make me laugh. I am not saying that I don’t read tearjerkers. I read many of those too, but life would not be tolerable without the funny ones. When I have had a bad day, when things are going wrong, when I need a lift, the giggly, goofy, giddy books can turn everything around.
Here are some of the books that have made me laugh, though you should be warned, a few of these same books also had the power to make me cry.
Lane Smith sets up comedic situations and just makes me belly laugh and once in awhile there are tears, but not the sad kind. I’m just laughing so hard. Smith’s humor can be more than a little twisted and I love that about him. With The Happy Hocky Family, Smith pokes a bit of fun at the old early readers, but also creates wonderful cringe worthy situations with this rather accident prone family. I cannot read it without laughter and smiles.
Jack Prelutsky delivers some fantastic poetry in a Pizza the size of the Sun. Two tried and true poems reside in this book. Children of all ages love to hear, “I Was Walking in a Circle” particularly once they realize that they too can annoy the daylights out of someone by reciting this never-ending bit of fun. The other favorite is “I Often Repeat Repeat Myself” which also plays with repetition. His clever word play gets me every single time. What’s great is that there are simply tons of great poems in this collection.
Calvin and Hobbes really just speak for themselves. No explanation required.
Having gone through a “brace face” episode in my past, I totally related to this completely fabulous graphic novel and think that Raina Telgemeier managed to create a classic.
The stupid, stupid rat creatures just crack me up. I love their quiche references and endless petty squabbling. On top of that, the Bone series has the amazing ability to bring children back into the reading fold. I have had students tell me they hate reading then after giving Bone a try, magically, they are back in love. Thank you Jeff Smith!
Young Adult
In the middle of a virtual reality game, Giannine finds out that due to damage to the equipment, she is trapped in the game, which may cause brain damage unless she can exit the game, but the only way to exit is to win. As in most video games, the only way to get to the end is to try over, and over, and over again. This totally reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day. The chapter titles are a hoot too.
The cover of The Wee Free Men did not inspire me, but I heard so many good things about Terry Pratchett that I finally gave it a try. I am so glad I ignored the cover. Those little blue men are flat out hilarious and I love how Tiffany Aching deals with the little scallywags. They steal sheep, they drink waaaay too much and get into fights at every opportunity, but they love pretty strongly too.
Sherman Alexie manages to crack me up over and over in this book, but he also breaks my heart. This is one of those that bring out both the laughter and the tears as Junior leaves his Spokane Indian Reservation to go to an all-white high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. This is one of my all time favorites.
Another laughter and tears book was Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I highly recommend the audio version. The readers were completely awesome and you get to hear the songs from the Broadway style musical at the end too. Here is the first line, When I was little, my dad used to tell me, “Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friends nose.” Of course, we soon learn that his father was fallible.
When I discovered that The Princess Bride was actually a book, I had to read it immediately. I was not disappointed. It was love at first read. Action, adventure, love, fight scenes, and truly everything you could want in a romance come together in this hilarious fairytale spoof.
So, when you need a spoon full of sugar, a little pep in your step, or some sunshine in your day, one of these titles may just do the trick. I wish you laughter!
Crystal Brunelle is a Library Media Specialist who dabbles in photography & technology when she’s not busy with family, running, or reading. She is a proud member of the #nerdybookclub. You can find her on Twitter as @librarygrl2 and on her blog at http://readingtl.blogspot.com.
Also for YAL, I highly recommend Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman and The Midnight Driver by Sonnenblick. I laughed until I cried at some point in each of these books. I also found Pop by Korman amusing, although it is a bittersweet book. If you have a student reading at an advanced level, particularly a student who loves the great Outdoors, A Walk in the Woods by Bryson is great non-fiction as well as a great blend of humor and seriousness. Finally, for those of us middle aged book nerds who need to laugh in order to keep from crying on some days, you MUST read Chris Crutcher’s memoir, King of the Mild Frontier.
Thanks for the recommendations! I too love A Walk in the Woods and some of Bryson’s other books. Korman & Sonnenblick crack me up. I haven’t gotten to Pop though so will give it a try. I have really enjoyed a lot of Crutcher’s books, so will add that one to my list too.
My TBR pile is constantly growing! I love this group.
I think Pop is my very favorite book of Korman’s. I have a much easier time finding great reads for my girls but finding books the boys will love is more challenging. Pop is a football book with a humorous and a dark side. With so much in the news about head injuries in sports, it’s also very timely and easy to find informational text to go with it.
Many thanks for this post. What a great antidote to the heavy, life-or-death books I’ve been reading this month! I had no idea that The Princess Bride was a book, now I’ll have to get my hands on it. For adult readers I can’t speak highly enough about memoirs/essay collections from David Sedaris, Tina Fey and Laura Notaro when you need a laugh. And I always like to keep a copy of Woody Allen’s Without Feathers on hand…
Bossypants was one of my favorites last year! Laura’s Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club was also a fun one, but I hadn’t tried any of her others. I don’t think I have ever read a Woody Allen book. Thanks for the ideas!
I’m always looking for books that will make me laugh, so thank you for this post! I completely agree with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I read the first few pages of Alexie’s novel to my classes because I’ll tell them how funny and great it is, but hearing parts of it always adds to my claim. I love the quote you used from Will Grayson, Will Grayson because that’s one of the lines I always refer to as well. Tiny Cooper is one of my favorite characters.
Tiny Cooper is fabulous! Some of these books almost persuade me to teach older students.
You saved the best for last. I am always surprised that it was so many years before I knew it was a book. I now read The Princess Bride as a read aloud to my 5th graders at the end of the year, but don’t quite finish. We then watch the movie and the suspense is still there wondering what happens.
What a great idea. I might just read at least part of it to my 5th graders at the end of the year. It is just so awesome.
It’s great to have a list of books to laugh with. I know some of these & will note others you’ve written about. Like Kristi above, I’ve read aloud The Princess Bride to my classes. It’s a winner. And I love that you included the Wee Free Men-terrific! For older students I’ve also shared The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy-very fun and funny. And there are more if students wish to read on.
I wasn’t sure if Wee Free Men would work in my elementary library. It was there when I started and had not been checked out. I finally found some readers for it this year and there has bee buzz. Tiffany Aching is just so fun.
Hitchhiker’s Guide is also one that I have read multiple times. There are so many awesome lines like: “It is most gratifying that your enthusiasm for our planet continues unabated. As a token of our appreciation, we hope you will enjoy the two thermonuclear missiles we’ve just sent to converge with your craft. To ensure ongoing quality of service, your death may be monitored for training purposes. Thank you.”
Love this! I know we often spend a lot of time talking about books that hit hard, but it’s important to remember that fun and silly books capture our love as well.
I adore Calvin and Hobbes, and am just reading Bone because my sons and students insist I need to read it. For a great weekly laugh, try the webcomic Gronk at http://www.gronkcomic.com I love this artist – she cracks me up all the time.
I also found myself laughing out loud while reading Horton Halfpott.
For “oldie but goodie” giggle fests, I recommend the Robert Aspiring “Myth, Inc” books. Silly fantasy/sci fi. I read them in high school, but still remember them fondly.
Thanks for the Gronk link. I think I am going to have to visit that site often. Adorable + funny = pretty wonderful.
Horton Halfpott got me giggling too. Angleberger is just a riot.
I haven’t read the Myth, Inc. books and will have to add them to my TBR. Thanks.
Thank you for this post! I’m always looking for laugh out loud books, as are my students. Smile is making the rounds through my students right now, so I’m glad to see that one on your list
Am needing a good laugh, and some good read-alouds. Off to the library with your list. Thanks!
Love this post! I haven’t read Princess Bride but adored the movie. Will remedy that immediately. And Will Grayson, Will Grayson is on the top of my to read stack.
Thanks for a very informative review! I had never heard of the Hocky Family. I’ll have to check that one out. My students absolutely love Smile and Bone. You’re right about the Bone books: they really appeal to the reluctant reader. Thank you!!!
Thank you! This is a great list. AND they had /Wee Free Men/ at the annual local used book sale yesterday, so because I’d read this that morning I knew I should pick it up.
I had forgot about the Princess Bride. It is a good read and a good movie.