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Kids

Kids

Book Lists

Book Lists

Attention-Grabbing Funny Fiction

Books for 9-12 year-olds and reluctant readers who just-haven’t-found-the-right-book-yet.

Nayeri, Daniel, author.
J FICTION NAY
"This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called "Seller of Dreams." The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey's life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir--furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life--as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he'll be a free man ... but will they all survive that long?"-- Provided by publisher

Yūsuf, Bāsim, 1974- author.
J FICTION YUS
From Bassem Youssef, a.k.a. The Jon Stewart of the Arab World, comes a hilarious and heartfelt story about prejudice, friendship, empathy, and courage. Nadia loves fun facts. Here are a few about her: - She collects bobbleheads -- she has 77 so far. - She moved from Egypt to America when she was six years old. - The hippo amulet she wears is ancient ... as in it's literally from ancient Egypt. - She's going to win the contest to design a new exhibit at the local museum. Because how cool would that be?! (Okay, so that last one isn't a fact just yet, but Nadia has plans to make it one.) But then a new kid shows up and teases Nadia about her Egyptian heritage. It's totally unexpected, and totally throws her off her game. And something else happens that Nadia can't explain: Her amulet starts glowing! She soon discovers that the hippo is holding a helpful -- and hilarious -- secret. Can she use it to confront the new kid and win the contest? From The Daily Show comedian Bassem Youssef and author Catherine Daly comes a humorous and heartfelt story about prejudice, friendship, empathy, and courage. Includes sections of black-and-white comics as well as lively black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Korman, Gordon.
J FICTION KOR
"Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? Because Michael was the first person to see it, he's the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyone's looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana's the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone's treating her more like an outsider than ever. The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face-not just the crimes of the present, but the crimes of the past. With Linked, Gordon Korman, the author of the acclaimed novel Restart, poses a mystery for all readers where the who did it? isn't nearly as important as the why?"--Dust jacket.

Korman, Gordon, author.
J PLAYAWAY FICTION KORMAN
You can't deny something is wrong when it's right there in front of you. Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? Because Michael was the first person to see it, he's the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyones looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana's the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone's treating her more like an outsider than ever. The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face - not just the crimes of the present, but also the crimes of the past. With Linked, Gordon Korman, the author of the acclaimed novel Restart, poses a mystery for all readers where the who did it? isnt nearly as important as the why?

Clements, Andrew, 1949-
J FICTION CLE
Twelve-year-old Greg, who has always been good at moneymaking projects, is surprised to find himself teaming up with his lifelong rival, Maura, to create a series of comic books to sell at school.

Dahl, Roald.
JAUDIO DISC FICTION DAHL
Charlie Bucket has a golden ticket to tour Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. No ladies in hairnets here! This factory is the ultimate candy land with singing Oompa-Loompas and a chocolate river. But along the way, the other ticket-holders meet bizarre fates. Will Charlie make it to the secret prize waiting at the tour's end?

Griffiths, Andy, 1961- author.
J FICTION GRI
Who wouldn't want to live in a treehouse? Especially a 13-story treehouse that has a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a tank full of sharks, a library full of comics, a secret underground laboratory, a games room, self-making beds, vines you can swing on, a vegetable vaporiser and a marshmallow machine that follows you around and automatically shoots your favourite flavoured marshmallows into your mouth whenever it discerns you're hungry. Life would be perfect for Andy and Terry if it wasn't for the fact that they have to write their next book, which is almost impossible because there are just so many distractions, including thirteen flying cats, giant bananas, mermaids, sea monsters pretending to be mermaids, enormous gorillas, and dangerous burp gas-bubblegum bubbles!

Lindgren, Astrid, 1907-2002.
J FICTION LIN
Escapades of a lucky little girl who lives with a horse and a monkey--but without any parents--at the edge of a Swedish village.

Paulsen, Gary.
JAUDIO DISC FICTION PAULSEN
Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.

Patterson, James, 1947-
J FICTION PAT
"Following clues left by their missing father, twelve-year-old twins Bickford and Rebecca Kidd sail from the Caribbean to New York City with their siblings to finish the dangerous quest of their world-famous treasure-hunting parents"--Provided by publisher.

Pyron, Bobbie, author.
J FICTION PYR
Nathaniel Harlow lives with his grandfather in a trailer park in Franklin County, Florida, and he has always been unlucky--but when he is struck by lightning on his eleventh birthday and survives, it seems like his luck starts to change.

Sachar, Louis, 1954- author.
LARGE TYPE J FICTION SAC
As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

Van Draanen, Wendelin.
J FICTION VAN
Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity--Shredderman!

Cabot, Meg.
J FICTION CAB
Nine-year-old Allie Finkle has rules for everything and is even writing her own rule book, but her world is turned upside-down when she learns that her family is moving across town, which will mean a new house, school, best friend, and plenty of new rules.

Creech, Sharon.
J FICTION CRE
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.

Cowell, Cressida.
JAUDIO DISC FICTION COWELL
Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.

Hiaasen, Carl.
J FICTION HIA
When the difficult star of the reality television show "Expedition Survival" disappears while filming an episode in the Florida Everglades using animals from the wildlife refuge run by Wahoo Crane's family, Wahoo and classmate Tuna Gordon set out to find him while avoiding Tuna's gun-happy father.

Gibbs, Stuart, 1969- author.
J FICTION GIB
Twelve-year-old Teddy investigates when a popular Texas zoo's star attraction--Henry the hippopotamus--is murdered.

Kinney, Jeff.
J SP FICTION KIN
Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Kinney, Jeff.
J FICTION KIN
Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Peirce, Lincoln.
J SP FICTION PEI
Supremely confident middle school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.

Peirce, Lincoln.
J FICTION PEI
Supremely confident middle school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.