Wit and Humor in Literature for Young Adults : A Bibliography

Let a smile be your umbrella...

A bibliography of humorous books for young adults. Visit your school or public library for some great books. To purchase check with your local bookstore of Amazon Book Company.

Media Selection Aids

Exciting, Funny, Scary, Short, Different, and Sad Books Kids Like About Animals, Science, Sports, Families, Songs and Other Things. Edited by F. Carroll and M. Meacham. American Library Association, 1992.

Comic Books

Mad Magazine

This zany periodical is a true form of satire. Attacking just about everybody and everything, Mad requires a literate public since readers must have background in the topics covered. Rec. in A Guide To Literature for Young Adults by Cline and McBride; Scotts, Foresman, 1983.

Shoe [Tribune Company] and Funky Winkerbean

Comics such as these are useful for vocabulary building [est. number of words used in comics is 20,000 compared with 30,000 word vocabulary of college students in 1974]; good for literary allusions; words which have double meanings, etc.

Humorous Books

Adams, Douglas & Terry Jones. Monty Python Meets the Hitchhiker's Guide. Advertised on Amazon books. Will be avilable in book, audio cassette and CD-ROM game

Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Pocket Books, 1981.

Adams turns the end of the world into a hilarious novel which features outlandish events, making the end of the world more fun than you might have thought. This sophisticated comedy itemizes the Creator's "mistakes." Science Fiction. See also: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything Else, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish. Other good books by Adams include: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Alexander, Lloyd. The Arkadians Reprint ed. paper: Puffin, 1997. 288p.
Older Readers. An ALA Notable Book. Grades 6-9

Lucian, the court bean counter, must flee when he tells a secret to the wrong people. Booklist: "Part Greek myth, part Canterbury Tales, part Wizard of Oz

Allen, Woody. Getting Even Random House, 1971.

Pieces published in the New Yorker. Explores topics such as the invention of the sandwich and a day in the life of Count Dracula. Secondary level. Nonfiction. See also: Without Feathers, Ballantine Books, 1975.

Angell, Judie. Suds Bradbury Press, 1983.

A soap opera spoof. Sue Sudley decides to sell the family estate, called Suddenly, when her parents are killed. She becomes a "real" teenager when she moves in with her aunt and uncle. Fiction. Secondary. See also: Dear Lola: How to Build Your Own Family, [Dell, 1986, gr. 5-9]; Leave the Cooking to Me [Bantam, 1990, gr. 7 up]; Don't Rent My Room [Bantam, 1990].

Barry, Dave. Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs Andrews and McMeel, 1997. 112p.

Lyrics of some of the worst songs ever written

Barry, Dave. Dave Barry Slept Here; A Sort of History of the U.S. Fawcett, 1990.
If you read Dave Barry in the Richmond Times Dispatch you know he is humorous.

Bethancourt, E. T. The Dog Days of Arthur Cane Holiday House, 1986.

An often funny story of a young man who is turned into a mutt. "Cane" is short for canine.

Bethancourt, E. T. Tune in Tomorrow Holiday House, 1978.

Two teenage jazz fans travel to the 1940's.

Big Book of New American Humor Perennial Library, 1990.

Collection of humorous essays, short stories, screenplays, parodies, cartoons and limericks.

Bombeck, Irma. The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank

An adult book with Bombeck's humorous reflections on life.

Branscum, Robbie. Old Blue Tilley Macmillan, 1991.
Grades 5-9.

Branscum writes humorous stories with a Southern flair. See stories about Johnny May. Including: Johnny May Grows Up [HarperCollins, 1987, Gr. 4-8]

Breathed, Berke. Bloom County Babylon: Five Years of Basic Naughtiness Little, Brown, 1986.

Some of the funniest satire available in the comics.

Brittain, Bill. The Fantastic Freshman Harper, 1988, Gr. 6-9.

Stanley, a bumbling freshman, receives a gift from his aunt which turns his first day of high school into a silly but fortunate series of events. No matter what he does it turns out right.

Buchwald, Art. While Reagan Slept Putnam, 1983.

A topical and partisan collection of essays on Ronald Reagan's American. Nonfiction. Secondary level. See also: Laid Back in Washington

Cole, Babbette. Prince Cinders Putnam, 1987.

A skinny prince wishes he was a big and hairy like his brothers; a fairy accidentally turns him into an ape. He goes to the ball, unaware of his new appearance, and at midnight is turned back-- losing his trousers. The princess uses these, which no one can wear, to find him. All ages.

Conford, Ellen. Genie with the Light Blue Hair Bantam, 1989, Grades 6-9.

Jeannie doesn't believe in fantasy until she receives a magic lamp from Aunt Jean on her 15th birthday. Her genie's attempts to fulfull her wishes brings a comedy of errors.

Crutcher, Chris. Slot Machine paperback.

A darkly funny book looking at growing up male in America. A chubby, 14 year-old tries to find his appropriate athletic "slot." Mature readers will find the story hilarious and poignant. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 paper: Bantam, 1997. Middle Readers, Grades 4-8. Newberry Honor Book; ALA Notable Book

Fourth-grader Kenny tells the story as the family moves back to Birmingham to have the children's grandmother "straighten" out his older brother. Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement. ALA review, "both comic and moving"

Dahl, Roald. Revolting Rhymes Bantam/Skylark, 1983/86. All ages.

A funny revolting retelling of six fairy tales, all in rhyme.

Danziger, Paula.The Cat Ate My Gymsuit Delacorte, 1974.

Danziger writes about serious topics with wit and hmor for younger readers. Marcy, an overweight ninth grader, has a difficult home life and lacks self esteem. A new teacher tries to help her learn about herself. When the teacher is dismissed, the students band together to support her. For middle/secondary. See also: Make Like a Tree and Leave [Delacort, 1990]; The Pistachio Prescription; There's a Bat in Bunk Five

Edens, Cooper. Santa Cows Studio New York: Greenwillow, 1991

This children's picture books follows the exact rhyme and rhythm of "The Night before Christmas." Cows float down chimneys, sing carols and give game-play gifts.

Ephron, Delia. Teenage Romance or How to Die of Embarassment Viking, 1981.

Feiffer, Jules (edited by Steven Heller).Jules Feiffer's America: From Eisenhower to Reagan Alfred A. Knopf, 1982.

The world of political humor is explored by the famous satirist and cartoonist. Presidents past and present fall prey to Feiffer's razor- sharp pen-and-ink drawings and sarcastic impressions. Nonfiction. Secondary

Garner, James Finn. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1994.

Garner takes the classic tales from the Grimms and Andersen and rewrites each for "political correctness." Hilarious and challenging. Garner is a master of subtle humor which requires careful reading. Could complement a modern issues class or used in creative writing. Reviewed by Jason Craig.

Gilbreth, Frank and Gilbreth, Ernestine. Belles on Their Toes Bantam, 1984.

With twelve children and an efficiency expert father, life was always interesting in the Gilbreth household. See also: Cheaper by the Dozen

Godfrey, Martin. Can You Teach Me to Pick My Nose Avon, 1990.

Chris makes Jordy, a social outcast, popular by telling everyone he's a skateboard champion. When Jordy is challenged by a skateboard champ, Pam comes to his rescue by teaching him not only how to pick his nose on a skateboard but also how to be a friend.

Goldman, William. Princess Bride Rei ed. Mass Market Paperback. Pub. by Ballantine Books, 1990.

Book is witty and sarcastic. A story of high adventure, swashbuckling excitement and good-natured silliness. Also available in cassette. Movie starred Billy Crystal.

Grizzard, Lewis. Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You Warner, 1984.

Grizzard spins tales of the South with an obvious love and a Georgian twang, a hankering to explain down-home traditions and an admiration for the Confederate disposition. A hilarious group of essays. Nonfiction.

Herriot, James. All Creatures Great and Small (1972);

All Things Bright and Beautiful (1975); All Things Wise and Wonderful (1977); The Lord God Made Them All (1981). St. Martins Press or Bantam paperback.

Howe, Deborah and Howe, James. Bunnicula Atheneum, 1979.

The family finds a bunny at a Dracula movie. Harold, the dog, and Chester, the cat, suspect their new bunny-pal is a vampire. White veggies turn up as Chester and Harold hang garlic from the rafters. See also: The Celery Stalks by Night and Howliday Inn. Upper elementary/middle but fun for all ages.

Jennison, Keith. The Humorous Mr. Lincoln 1988, Countryman Press [reprinted from 1965]. Grades 10 up.

Lincoln was an amusing storyteller. Here biography and anecdote meld. Numerous illustrations, primarily political cartoons of the time. Includes detailed chronology of the Lincoln family.

Kaplow, Robert. Alex Icicle; A Romance in Ten Torrid Chapters Houghton, Mifflin, 1984.

A hilarious spoof; very funny

Keilor, Garrison. Prairie Home Companion Audiotapes, etc.
Also: Happy to Be Here Atheneum, 1982.

Sketches and stories. Some somber; others funny. Mostly witty. Followed by Lake Woebegon Days from Viking, 1985.

Keisel, Stanley. The War Between the Pitiful Teachers & the Splendid Kids Avon, 1982. Grades 7 up.

War at Scratchland High! Examines life in the classroom as Skinny Malinky leads a war against the teachers who are led by Mr. Foreclosure. See also: Skinny Malinky Heads the War for Kindness, Avon, 1985 Gr. 7 up

Kerr, M. E. Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack Harper, 1972.

Kerr writes on serious subjects with wit and humor. Dinky's mother is so busy helping everyone else she has no time for Dinky. Dinky's trying to get her attention by writing the title phrase on walls, etc.

Kerr, M. E. Little, Little Harper & Row, 1981.

Kerr's dry wit shines through. Sidney Cinnamon is in love with Little Little but her wealthy parents do not approve and want her to marry Opportunity Knox, an evangelical preacher. Main thrust of the story is "being different" since the lovers in the story are dwarves.

Korman, Gordon. A Semester in the Life of a Garbage BagScholastic, 1989

For grade 7 up. Korman writes for middle schoolers (gr 4-7) with such works as Who is Bugs Potter (Scholastic, 1991) and Zucchini Warriors (Scholastic, 1988, grades 6-8)>,br>

Lewis, C. S. The Screwtape Letters Macmillan, 1943.

Adult. Satire. An older deveil, Screwtape, writes letters to his nephew about Christianity and tempting Christians.

Macaulay, David. Motel of the Mysteries Houghton Mifflin, 1979.

Satire in which an archaeologist of the future (AD 4022) stumbles on an American motel which was buried in 1985 at the time of a cataclysmic occurrence. Humorous satire of archeology.

Marquis, Don. The Lives and Times of Archy & Mehitabel Doubleday, 1950.

Archy, a cockroach, and Mehitabel, an alley cat, are unforgettable characters. Mehitabel is forever the lady no matter how undignified and even immoral her conduct may appear. Secondary level.

McNamara, John. Revenge of the Nerd Delacorte, 1984. Grade 5 up.

Bertram is a perfect nerd. He is the dupe of every student scheme at Manchester High. He succumbs to revenge when he retaliates by broadcasting "alien" television messages into the homes of his classroom enemies. Do not confuse this book with the movie of a similar title.

Merrill, Jean. The Pushcart War. W. R. Scott, 1964.

Good satire for children and ya's. War between the New York City pushcart owners and truck drivers.

Myers, Walter Dean. Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff Viking, 1975.

A Harlem Tom Sawyer. See also such titles as: Mop, Moondance and the Nagasaki Knights (Delacorte, 1992)

National Lampoon. This Side of Parodies New York: Warner, 1974.

Sophisticated parodies, including "The Polaroid Print of Dorian Gray" by Michael O'Donoghue and "The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover" by Sean Kelly. Students obviously will need to be familiar with the works being parodied.

Park, Barbara. Buddies Knopf, 1985. Grades 5-9

Park writes humorous books for middle school such as My Mother Got Married: (And Other Disasters) (Knopf, 1989); or Don't Make Me Smile (Avon, 1983, grades 3-7)

Paulsen, Gary. The Boy Who Owned the School Dell paperback. RL 6

Jacob's goal is to get through school unnoticed. He's perfect at gliding past the jocks' lockers and sneaking into English class UNTIL NOW. He must run the fog machine in the school play to pass English. A touching farce.

Peck, Richard. The Blossom Culp Books. See Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death (Delacorte, 1986); The Ghost Belonged to Me (Viking, 1975); The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp (Delacorte, 1983).

Pinkwater, Daniel. Slaves of Spiegel Four Winds Press, 1982.

Steve and his assistant at the Magic Moscow health food store are surprised when their place of employment disappears. Fat pirates from the planet Spiegle have transported the Magic Moscow to an inter- galactic junk-food cooking contest. Fiction. Secondary.

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death Signet, 1983.

Genghis Khan High School and its surroundings are the setting of a Mad Magazine type version of the adventurous lives of high school students. Includes spoofs of Darth Vader, Remington Steele and a life-saving avocado. Fiction. Secondary.

Rodgers, Mary. Freaky Friday HarperCollins, 1972.

Mother and daughter switch bodies Also, Summer Switch Harper Collins, 1984. A father/son switch. Grades 5 up.

Rooney, Andrew. A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney Warner, 1982.

Sandburg, Carl. Fables, Foibles, and Foobles Edited by George Hendrick. Illus. by Robert Harvey. Paper: University of Illinois Press, 1990. 120p.

Sandburg, Carl. Rootabaga Stories. Shambhala Pubns., 1994. Children's Stories

Fanciful stories modeled on folk ballads and nonsense verse set in the American Midwest. Light-hearted tales. Continued in Rootabaga Pigeons, Rootabaga Country and Potato Face.

Scieszka, Jon. Math Curse Illus. by Lane Smith. Viking, 1995. Picture book for all ages. ALA Notable Book for Young Adults

Math can be a real curse when you think of everything as a math problem.

Scieszka, Jon. Any picture books by Jon Scieszka with illustrations by Lane Smith are delightful for all ages. Some titles are: The Book That Jack Wrote Viking, 1994; The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales Viking, 1992; The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs Viking Kestrel, 1989.

Shakespeare's Book of Insults, Insights and Jests Edited by John Seder. Templegate, 1984.

Thurber, James. 13 Clocks Yearling, 1992

Life in a castle where time stands still. Mixes puns and nonsense

Thurber, James. Fables for Our Times and Famous Poems Paper: HarperCollins, 1990

Tiny stories in which animals show us how human we really are [Saturday Review of Literature]

Thurber, James. The Beast in Me and Other Animals : A Collection of Pieces and Drawings about Human Beings and Less Alarming Creatures Paper: Harcourt Brace, 1973. 340p.

Thurber, James. Humor on Wry Audio cassette: Pub Group West Audio, 1991

Set combines the humor of Thurber, Buchwald and Benchley on a variety of subjects

Thurber, James. The Thurber Carnival. Hard: Modern Library, 1994.

Some of the best of Thurber's work

Thurber, James. My Life and Hard Times.Paper: HarperCollins, 1990. 112p.

An autobiographical memoir

Thurber, James. My Life and Hard Times. Hardcover: Amereon, 1990.

An autobiographical memoir

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Scholastic, 1983.

Twain, Mark. The Innocents Abroad 1869.

Humorous account of a voyage through the Mediterranean and travel in bordering countries. Also: The Complete Humorous Sketches and Tales of Mark Twain; Life on the Mississippi; Roughing It; and "Pudd'nhead Wilson" [a short story]

Vonnegut, Kurt. Deadeye Dick Delacorte, 1982. Dell paperback.

Inhumanity and technology have gone wild in the future. What can be done to stop it? Adult.

Wynne-Jones, Tim. The Book of Changes. Middle School. ALA Notable book

ALA says "Subtly daffy and inventive"

Zindel, Paul. Confessions of a Teenage Baboon Harper, 1977.

Fifteen year old Chris reveals the comical side of being a misfit.

Upper Elementary - Middle School Titles

Dahl, Roald. Danny The Champion of the World Bantam/Skylark. 1975. rl-5, Grades 3-7.

Hilarious story of Danny and the Best dad a boy ever had.

McKay, Hillary. The Amber Cat Simon & Schuster. 1997 Booklist Editors Choice Book. Grades 4-6

Comic time travel and ghost story

Piasecki, Jerry. They're Torturing Teachers in Room 104 Bantam, 1992. RL 4.

A new teacher shows up to take the challenge of Room 104 where no teacher has lasted more than one week.

Sachar, Louis. Sideways Stories from Wayside School Avon/Camelot. 1978. rl-4; Grades 3-7

Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirteenth floor of Wayside School

Sachar, Louis. Sixth Grade Secrets Scholastic, 1987. RL 5.

Sachar writes humorous books for upper elementary/middle school readers. Laura starts a secret club called Pig City. All members have to give her something embarassing as "insurance" that they won't talk about the club. Witty and well paced story. Also, Wayside School Is Falling Down. Avon/Camelot, 1989. RL-4; grades 3-7

Professional Articles

Alberghene, Janice. "Humor in Children's Literature" in Journal of Children in Contemporary Society, 1988, v20 n1/2, p223.

Bauer, Joan. Humor, Seriously, ALAN Review, Winter, 1996, v23, n2. Novelist analyzes the importance of humor in literature and young people's lives.

Huse, Nacy. "Children's Humor: Subversion or Socialization" in Children's Literature Association Quarterly, Fall, 1990, v15, n3, p114.

Klor, Ellin. "Tickle Your Storybone" in Emergency Librarian, 1991, v19, n2, p11. A look at using humor in storytelling.