Make 'Em Laugh

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Singin’ In the Rain” and in one scene, actor Donald O’Connor sings and dances in a slapstick way to a song called “Make ‘Em Laugh” as he states all the reasons why we should not take life too seriously and to take the time to look at things with humor. As the song says:
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Don't you know everyone wants to laugh?

Yes, I think deep down we all do. We want to laugh at ourselves before someone else has the chance to. We want to have the ability to laugh off all the fearful, uncomfortable, and apprehensive moments in our lives. No different are our teen population who struggle with all the new feelings, emotions, and experiences that they are encountering. A little comic relief can go a long way to help them cope with life and they can find this in their reading choices.
This week was devoted to humor in YA books. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to take things too seriously and enjoy a chuckle or two. I enjoyed browsing through many books in the Young Adult section of our local library and found a number of them that I would recommend to my students.
Reading Allison Follos article for SLJ about “funny books” made me realize that I have to agree with her when she says “It’s about connection and appreciation, not judgment, and it’s a rare find when a humorous title entertains us all equally.” So in choosing books for teens, we adults need to go by what they think is funny even if we don’t get it, and quite often, I honestly don’t. When purchasing books for our school library collection, it is difficult to choose books that we don’t think are particularly funny and may even contain language or subjects that make us feel uncomfortable and go against what we believe in. What we need to keep in mind is the ultimate goal of increasing student reading and winning over those reluctant readers. Isn’t it better for us to house a collection of books, not particularly funny to us, but that fly off the shelf than to have a shelf full of titles hand picked according to our perspective of what tickles the funny bone that are collecting dust?
With this in mind, when searching for this week’s picks for books with humor and after browsing the many sites that offer suggestions, I chose books on the recommendation of students as well as for the reasons mentioned with each title.

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett. 2005. Gr.6-10.
The sequel to The Wee Free Men, is the continuing adventure of Tiffany Aching, a girl training to become a witch, who feels ready to discover her full powers but first has to overcome the creature pursuing her with or without the help of the six-inch high, small blue tattooed Wee Little Men, who have vowed to protect her. In the end, Tiffany is the one who makes things right all on her own.
I found this book in the YA section of my local library. I chose this one because I had read The Wee Free Men on the recommendation of one of my son’s friends and enjoyed the writing style of Terry Pratchett. I feel that this is a book that would appeal to teens. Much of the humor in this book is supplied by the Wee Free Men, also called Pictsies. Teens will love their irreverent conversations and slapstick comedy. Pratchett combines something for every reader: fantasy, humor, suspense, and a lesson to be learned about self-determination and purpose in life.


The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarity. 2004. Gr7-12
Written as a series of notes, emails, letters, and diary entries of Cassie, Emily, and Lydia, three girls from upscale Ashbury High whose teacher in an attempt to end the feud between their schools, gives her class an assignment to write to male pen pals, Matthew, Seb, and Charlie, boys attending lower class Brookfield High and though they’re reluctant at first, they find the boys to be more appealing than they had anticipated. While Emily and Lydia find their pen pals fun to write to, Cassie’s sends threats and abusive comments leading the girls to devise a plan to teach him a lesson.
I chose this book because of its numerous awards:
• American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
• Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book
• Booklist Editor’s Choice
• Books for Youth (Awards)
• Amazon Editor’s Choice
• Virginia Young Readers Award Nominee
• IRA 2006 Young Adults' Choice

This comedy of manners would appeal to the teen reader by offering three teen relationships complete with misunderstandings, angst, and the final making-up. They will be able to relate to many of the heartfelt emotions that are being expressed by the teens as they correspond to each other. The story tells the tale of true friendship among the girls and a new found understanding and friendship among the boys.


Once Upon a Marigold by Ferris. 2002. Gr.5-9
This is a humorous coming-of-age fantasy with hints of classic fairy tales, about a boy named Christian, raised in the forest by Edric, a troll, who decides to set off and see the rest of the world, or in this case forest where resides Princess Marigold, whom he has admired from afar and has exchanged letters via p-mail (carrier pigeon). Christian becomes part of the court and learns that Marigold, who loves him, too, is set to marry Sir Magnus. The story is full of fairy tale characters such as Marigold’s evil mother, Queen Olympia who is plotting to murder Marigold and her father, King Swithbert. The plots are predictable but with a combination of romance, comedy, and fantasy, this story will appeal to many younger teens.
I chose this book for two reasons, the first of which it is one of those books that is found in either the Juvenile or Young Adult section of a library at the discretion of the individual library. This may make it more appealing to a wider audience and I am always looking for books that are appropriate for my fifth graders who are making the transition from Juvenile to Young Adult titles. The second reason is because this book was a 2007 nominee for the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award. Rebecca Caudill was an author who wrote about life in Kentucky and many of her stories are based on her own life. She is an ancestor of my husband.


Rules of the Road, Joan Bauer. 2005. Gr.7-12
Jenna Boller, an average student who is too tall for her age, has a talent for selling shoes and loves her after school job at Gladstone’s Shoes, though working for elderly Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the irritable president of the company, presents some challenges. When Mrs. Gladstone chooses Jenna to chauffeur her in her Cadillac on a trip visiting her other stores, Jenna is reluctant to leave her alcoholic father but decides to go and learns many lessons along the way about survival on the road like “Never eat at a place called Mom’s because it’s a safe bet that Mom’s been dead for years.”, about Mrs. Gladstone, whom she learns to care for and admire, and about herself in becoming a vital asset to Mrs. Gladstone with her eye for poor quality and salesmanship. Jenna’s life becomes full of strife when her good friend Harry, the “World’s Best Shoe Salesman” suddenly dies and the realization of how much she would have wanted Harry to be her father gives her the courage she needs to save the day when Mrs. Gladstone’s less than admirable son, Elden, appropriately nicknamed “The Shoe Rodent”, tries to take over the company.
I originally chose this book by Joan Bauer because I was familiar with the author and learned that Rules of the Road was chosen as one of the top young adult books of the last 25 years by the American Library Association. I admire Bauer’s talent for dealing with difficult issues for teens but always encouraging them to never give up hope. Her plots are full of twists and her use of first person narrative makes it a more personal journey for the reader. Teens will enjoy reading a story that is funny, touching, and full of lessons to be learned about oneself and dealing with others.