Humorous Stories

Books for Readers in the Middle Grades

To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!

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Ace Hits the Big Time by Barbara Beasley Murphy and Judie Wolkoff.
RC 19729.
A huge sty on his eye and a ballpoint pen that fails bring mild-mannered Horace Hobart, fresh from the suburbs, to the attention of the toughest gang in his new high school in Manhattan. A slapstick comedy of errors for grades 6-9.

Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars by Daniel Pinkwater.
RC 16628.
Leonard Neeble, a lifelong weirdo, is destined to be an outcast at Bat Masterson Junior High until Alan Mendelsohn, another new misfit, shows up. Alan, who claims to be part Martian, suddenly turns weird into chic. An outlandish tale for grades 6-9 and older lovers of the absurd.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket.
BR 13626 or LP 739 or RC 50907.
After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune. For grades 4-7. If you would like to read other books in this series, call the library.

Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats by Richard Peck.
RC 39020.
When Bambi and Buffie Babcock's TV-producer father goes broke, he and his family say goodbye to Hollywood and head for Hickory Fork, where Mr. Babcock grew up. Smack dab in Middle America, this formerly bucolic hamlet has been taken over by a thuggish gang of high school students--beefy boys and big-haired girls. They've even trashed the mall. Outraged, Bambi and Buffie decide to set things straight. For grades 6-9.

The Boy Who Owned the School by Gary Paulsen.
BR 50223 or RC 38433.
High school student Jacob Freisten thinks of himself as a loser, a wimp, a nobody, who's perfected the art of near invisibility. But his attempts to avoid notice at all costs are foiled when his English teacher, Mrs. Hilsak, gives him the chance to earn extra credit and pass English by working on the school play. He will control the fog machine. Maria Tresser, on whom he has an intense crush, has a starring role. For grades 6-9.

Buffalo Brenda by Jill Pinkwater.
RC 33116.
Brenda Tuna and her best friend, India Ink Teidlebaum, are entering the ninth grade at Florence Senior High School determined to make their mark. They revolutionize the school newspaper, expose the cafeteria's penchant for serving horse meat, found the Buffalo Booster Club, and set out to secure a live bison for a mascot. For grades 6-9 and older readers.

The Cuckoo Tree by Joan Aiken.
RC 53653.
As the result of an accident a young girl is faced with the responsibility of foiling a Hanoverian plot to put St. Paul's Cathedral on rollers and roll it into the River Thames during the coronation of James IV. Sequel to: The Stolen Lake (RC 53652). For grades 5-8.

Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes by Louis Sachar.
RC 35695.
Twelve-year-old Gary, known as Goon because of his constant clowning and joke-telling, tries to change his image and make new friends at school. For grades 5-8.

Enter Three Witches by Kate Gilmore.
RC 38998.
16-year-old Bren finds living with witches hard enough, but how can he prevent his girlfriend from discovering their existence? For grades 6-9 and older readers.

Eye of the Beholder by Daniel Hayes.
RC 42919.
Trouble just seems to follow the twosome of Lymie and Tyler. Who would imagine that the "art treasures" they created with a power drill would be mistaken for the works of a famous artist? For grades 6-9.

Fair Weather by Richard Peck.
RC 53829.
Three youngsters travel from an Illinois farm to Chicago in 1893 to visit their Aunt Euterpe and the world's fair. Their escapades at the fair and the differences between country and city ways provide Lottie, Rosie, Buster, their grandfather, and even their aunt with life-changing experiences. For grades 5-8.

The Fantastic Freshman by Bill Brittain.
RC 31625.
Stanley Muffet, 14, has always, always wanted to be a Very Important Person (V.I.P.). But he's invariably been just average, at everything. And now that he's starting high school, he won't even be average, just a lowly freshman. Then something magical happens. Stanley becomes an A student, president of the student council, and the starting football quarterback, and he's absolutely miserable! For grades 6-9 and older readers.

Fat Men from Space by Daniel Pinkwater.
BR 9110 or RC 12797.
Through a new tooth filling that can receive radio programs and signals from far away, William learns of an invasion by spacemen who are taking away all of the earth's supply of junk food. A preposterious spoof for grades 5-8 and older interested readers.

Flour Babies by Anne Fine.
LP 967 or RC 39568.
When his class of underachievers is assigned to spend three torturous weeks taking care of their own "babies" in the form of bags of flour, Simon makes amazing discoveries about himself while coming to terms with his long-absent father. For grades 5-8.

The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr.
RC 46614.
Missouri, 1860. Simon, 15, has just finished the third grade for the fourth time, and his teacher thinks he should try something new. When Simon ends up at his neighbor's turkey farm and learns that turkeys are more valuable in Colorado, he decides to drive a flock to Denver—800 miles away. If he makes it, he just might be a rich man. For grades 4-7.

Half Magic by Edward Eager.
RC 10135.
Faced with a dull summer in the city, Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha suddenly find themselves involved in a series of extraordinary adventures after Jane discovers an ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes. For grades 4-6.

Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered by Gary Paulsen.
BR 10574 and RC 45249.
The narrator and his cousin share adventures—often with both painful and hilarious results—in this short, action-packed story of one summer spent on a farm. Some strong language. For grades 6-9.

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey.
BR 9232 or RC 24724.
Nothing much happens in Centerburg, the home of the hero of this story, but plenty happens to him as he catches burglars with his pet skunk, makes non-stop doughnuts in his uncle's lunchroom, and comes to the aid of the Super Duper. For grades 4-7.

Jack on the Tracks by Jack Gantos.
RC 49324.
Jack and his family move to Florida. Despite trying to be adult, Jack is accidentally involved in multiple cat deaths, worried that he is too obsessed with grossness, and forced by his angry sister to stand naked by the tracks. For grades 5-8.

Losing Joe’s Place by Gordon Korman.
RC 38453.
The summer before their senior year in high school, Jason and two friends sublet Jason's older brother's apartment—surely a dream come true. But their deli-owning landlord, bills, an uninvited eccentric guest, and much, much more help to turn their dream into a full-of-humor nightmare. For grades 6-9.

The Mark of Conte by Sonia Levitin.
RC 10580.
When a high school computer registers Conte Mark as two people, he devises the perfect vengeful prank with the help of four slightly eccentric friends. For grades 6-9.

The Milly Stories: Corpes, Carnations, the Weirdness Index, and of Course, Aunt Gloria by Janice Lindsay.
BR 11757.
Milly and her uncle live alone in his funeral parlor since the recent death of Aunt Gloria, but Milly still regularly hears her aunt's comments. As Milly begins measuring her life by her new friend Josie's weirdness index, she ponders how to put her aunt to rest. For grades 5-8.

The Mouse Rap by Walter Dean Myers.
RC 35328.
Mouse, a 14-year-old Harlem youth, is in for an eventful summer. He and his best friend, Styx, will be playing in the summer basketball tournaments. Sheri is doing her best to convince the group to join a dance contest. Beverly gives Mouse his first "body kiss," and Mouse and his friends search for cash left by a gangster in an abandoned building in the 1930s. And his dad wants to rejoin the family. For grades 6-9.

The Pinballs by Betsy Byars.
BR 8585 or RC 48741.
Three lonely foster children learn to care about themselves and each other. For grades 4-6.

The Schernoff Discoveries by Gary Paulsen.
BR 11442.
Science whiz Harold Schernoff and his best friend, both 14-years-old, are the most unpopular students in their Minnesota junior high school. Harold devises schemes to boost their popularity, but the plans usually backfire. When members of the football team break his slide rule, Harold takes revenge by making them a unique chocolate cake. For grades 5-8.

Shoebag by Mary James.
RC 35249.
Shoebag, a happy young cockroach who finds himself suddenly changed into a little boy, changes the lives of those around him before returning to his former life as an insect. For grades 4-7.

Squashed by Joan Bauer.
RC 36479.
As a 16-year-old pursues her two goals--growing the biggest pumpkin in Iowa and losing twenty pounds herself--she strengthens her relationship with her father and meets a young man with interests similar to her own. For grades 6-9.

Tales of Trickery from the Land of Spoof retold by Alvin Schwartz.
BR 6795.
Recounts more than 20 elaborate hoaxes and pranks from the annals of history. One of the most outlandish is the story of G. Clifford Prout and his Society for Indecency to Animals, which preached that animal nudity was responsible for low moral standards and juvenile delinquency. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

There’s a Bat in Bunk Five by Paula Danziger.
BR 10572 or RC 42287.
On her own for the first time, 14-year-old Marcy tries to cope with the new people and situations she encounters while working as a counselor at an arts camp. For grades 6-9.

This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger.
LP 365 or RC 26847.
Aurora loves her life on Earth in the 21st century, until she learns that her family is moving to the colony on the moon. For grades 6-9.

The Toilet Paper Tigers by Gordon Korman.
BR 10198 or RC 42948.
By the time Professor Pendergast shows up at a Little League meeting to pick his team, there are only nine players left—all rejects. The team soon learns the professor knows nothing about baseball and has volunteered to coach just so his visiting granddaughter will have children around! But the worst horror is the jive-talking, smart-aleck granddaughter from New York who blackmails the team into letting her coach them. For grades 5-8.

When the Boys Ran the House by Joan Carris.
BR 8586 or RC 23290.
Four brothers try to run the household when their father is away on business and their mother is taken ill. This project is not as easy as they anticipated until they are offered assistance from a six-foot basketball player. For grades 4-7.

Where the Lilies Bloom by Bill and Vera Cleaver.
RC 24749
In the Great Smoky Mountains region, a 14-year-old girl struggles to keep her family together after their father dies. Her observations range from outrageously funny to bittersweet and innocent. For grades 6 and up.

Why Me? by Ellen Conford.
RC 25836.
9th-grader Hobie, who works part-time in his grandfather's bookstore, wishes he could sweep women off their feet like his spy-novel hero, Mac Detroit. Then he runs into a girl who's studied the bestseller, "How to Make Men Crazy". For grades 6-9.

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.
BR 12930 or LP 804 or RC 51259.
During the 1937 recession 15-year-old Mary Alice from Chicago is sent to live with feisty Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois. There she learns about small-town ways and grows to love her grandmother. Sequel to: A Long Way from Chicago (RC 50305, BR 12129). For grades 6-9.