gr8 txts: humour
Here are our librarians' picks:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie
Budding cartoonist Junior transfers to the local high school, in hope of escaping the poverty and bullying of his home life and the chance of a better future for himself. However, the more accepted he feels by his classmates, the more rejected he feels by his community. Based on the author’s own teenage years, it’s a story filled with realism, black humour and a tiny bit of hope.
9781842708446 Andersen, 2008
Cosmic
Frank Cottrell Boyce
Extraordinarily tall for his age, Liam uses his height to his advantage by scoring tickets to ‘Infinity Park’ and a ride on the first ever tourist space shuttle flight. By the author of Framed and Millions this is another trip from the ordinary to the unusual, with humour, danger and even a little bit of really growing up along the way.
9781405054645 Macmillan Children’s, 2008
The Kissing Club
Julia Clarke
As a member of the Kissing Club, Emily has promised not to tell lies and not to have sex before marriage. Therefore she’s going to have a real problem explaining to her parents how she’s ended up pregnant. A darkly comic tale of living up to your own and other people’s expectations.
9780192754165 OUP, 2008
Introducing Scarlett Lee
Rose Impey
Drama queen and professional show-off Scarlett is forced to turn detective when her dad ‘disappears’ without an explanation. She’ll have to figure out who’s been putting on an act and maybe even let someone else take the spotlight for once. A light hearted comedy with darker undertones.
9781846167065 Orchard, 2008
Kid Swap
Michael Lawrence
Jiggy’s parents have signed him up for the new reality television show, which means he’ll have to live with a different family and be filmed twenty four hours a day. This would be bad enough for any kid but with Jiggy’s talent for causing chaos and generally embarrassing himself, it’s going to be much worse.
9781408302736 Orchard, 2008
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor: A Girl with Something to Hide
Jaclyn Moriarty
More everyday eccentricity from Jaclyn Moriarty, as Listen gets drawn into the complicated world of the Zing family whilst she tries to cope with the unwritten rules of junior high. Meanwhile, the Zing sisters Marbie and Fancy attempt to straighten out their love lives whilst protecting the all important family secret and new teacher Cath falls for completely the wrong person.
9780330446365 Young Picador, 2008
Stop in the name of pants!
Louise Rennison
Georgia is now the official girlfriend of swoony lead singer sex god Masimo, which would be fine, except he’s in pizza-a-gogo land and she’s in the woods with the ever present temptation of Dave the Laugh. Once again she’ll need assistance from the rest of the Fab Gang, an escape plan from Stalag 14 and hopefully less insanity from Mutti, Vati, Libby and Angus.
9780007275830 HarperCollins Children’s, 2008
Love, Stargirl
Jerry Spinelli
Told in letters from Stargirl to Leo, her great lost love back in Arizona, this sequel charts a year of her new life in Pennsylvania, the unusual new friends she makes and her own special outlook on the world. Both humorous and emotional, Love, Stargirl shows the importance of being yourself and accepting others just the way they are.
9781846169250 Orchard, 2008
Weird
Jeremy Strong
Fizz loves Josh. Unfortunately, he prefers to spend his time eyeing up her big sister and stopping his mother’s collection of unwanted animals making yet more unwanted animals. Fizz hopes that a week on work experience at the old people’s home might spark up a romance, once they sort out the escape tunnel, rogue goat and elderly flashers. Josh really doesn’t know what’s hit him.
9780141322025 Puffin, 2008