Skip to main content

Books to Read...When You Want to Laugh

Everyone loves a good laugh. And what better way to laugh than to read a silly, funny story? Here are five of my very favorite books for ages 8-11 that can always produce a smile and laugh from me.
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Skottie Young
New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2013. Fiction.

This book is nonsensical fun the whole way through! I absolutely loved how it was about everything and yet nothing. Everything in the sense that you get volcano gods, pirates, aliens, and dinosaur inventors all in the same story, and nothing in the sense that it is simply about a father getting the milk for his children's breakfast cereal. This is a funny, fast-paced book that will make a terrific read-aloud for anyone just wanting a nonsensical ride in a Floaty-Ball-Person-Carrier.
Illustrated by Tim Heitz 
New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2020. Fiction.

So I actually love the entire Wayside School series, (and they are ALL sure to make you laugh) but this is the newest installment in the series. With laugh-out-loud moments, bizarre happenings, and a class full of your favorite students on the thirtieth floor, this book is sure to bring on the giggles!

Written by Chris Harris
Illustrated by Lane Smith
New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2017. Informational.

Want to read some hilarious poetry? I absolutely loved this treasury of ridiculous, witty, crazy poems! Reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, these poems are upbeat and funny, leaving you with the same feeling you probably had as a kid jumping on the bed. (Which, let's be honest, is probably the point.)


Written by Norton Juster
Illustrated by Jules Feiffer
New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. Fiction.

Enter a world of imagination where play-on-words and whimsical characters rule the day! Full of hilarious moments and nutty characters who will win your heart, this classic children's book will produce laughter as well as food for thought.
By John Erickson
Austin, Tex. : Texas Monthly Press, 1988. Fiction.

The entire Hank the Cowdog series is absolutely hilarious. Follow Hank on all of his crazy adventures as he takes on the many responsibilities as Head of Ranch Security. He'll encounter singing coyotes, ridiculous buzzards, and a host of other threats to the ranch. You'll laugh the whole way through.

 

Come to the library soon and check out one of these funny books that will leave you laughing out loud! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The New Girl

The New Girl By Cassandra Calin New York: Graphix, 2024. Comic. 261 pages. 12-year-old Lia and her family have just moved from Romania to Montreal, and she's doing her best to keep up with the changes. But, she's homesick. She misses the rest of her family, her friends, and her favorite Romanian treats. She doesn't speak French and her English is shaky, which makes it hard to make friends, even in her international immersion class. And she's dealing with super painful menstrual cramps every month. But before long, Lia starts to hit her stride. She befriends the other bilingual girls in her class, she gets a spot as the artist for her school's magazine, and even has a new crush -- Julien. Though she may be the new girl, Lia is starting to fit in. This slice of life graphic novel is an adorable choice for middle grade readers and young teens. Lia is a likable protagonist and readers will have little difficulty relating to her adjustment to school. The text speaks to a...

Review: Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

  Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker By Heidi Heilig New York: Greenwillow Books, 2025. Fiction. 291 pages. Thanks to Cincinnati Lee's no good, dirty rotten, artifact stealing great great great grandfather, Cincinnati's family is now cursed and Cincinnati feels like it's up to her to break the curse. Which involves trying to steal the artifacts back from museums that her grandfather robbed from graves and archeological sites around the world and return them to their countries of origin. But when Cincinnati's first artifact stealing mission goes awry, she decides it might be more effective to steal an all-powerful artifact herself that she can use to break the curse - The Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately her race for the spear will pit her against art smugglers and thieves intent on finding the ancient artifact themselves. If you are looking for an Indiana Jones read-alike, this is the perfect for you! Heavy on the adventure with similar levels of mysticism to those seen in th...

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...