Humorous Stories

For Young Adult Readers

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!

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.

The Adrian Mole Diaries by Sue Townsend.
RC 46651
British teenager records his worries about being short, his parents, his dog, choosing a career, and daily events in England in the 1980s. For junior and senior high readers.

Adrian Mole, the Lost Years by Sue Townsend.
RC 46669
Intermittent diary entries covering ages 18 to 25 record a British youth's attempts to find the right job and a place to live. Adrian fancies himself an author, but his novel, written all in consonants, is rejected by publishers. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.

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 Amazon Papers by Beverly Keller.
BR 11403
15-year-old Iris gets into hilarious trouble when her mother goes on vacation and leaves her alone. For junior and senior high readers.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.
BR 12902 or RC 52089
A 14-year-old English schoolgirl records important events in her journal, describing life at school and at home with her toddler sister and troublemaking cat. Georgia and her boy-crazy girlfriends spend their spare time on beauty treatments and devising strategies for catching the right guy’s attention. For junior and senior high readers. Want to read the sequels? Call the library.

Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge.
RC 30193
Working one summer at a racetrack, living with his gay uncle, and falling madly in love make wimpy, short, tenth-grader Billy Kennedy more self-confident and wiser in the ways of the world. Some descriptions of sex and strong language. Senior high and older readers.

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.

Burger Wuss by Matthew T. Anderson.
RC 50325
Hoping to lose his loser image, Anthony plans revenge on a bully which results in a war between two competing fast food restaurants, Burger Queen and O'Dermott's. For senior high readers.

Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson.
BR 4781
The misfits of earth and elsewhere who belly up to Callahan’s bar have lived some of the wildest and funniest stories in the galaxies. For senior high and older readers.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns.
RC 39112
Grandpa Blakeslee marries a young milliner just three weeks after Granny Blakeslee has gone to her reward. Young Will is boggled by this act but becomes the newlyweds' conspirator and confidant; meanwhile he does some growing upon his own. For high school and older readers.

Corrupting Dr. Nice by John Kessel.
RC 46788
In the year 2063, Dr. Owen Vannice, "Dr. Nice," a wealthy paleontologist, brings a baby dinosaur back from a trip to the Cretaceous period. On his way home, he stops in A.D. 40 Jerusalem where he meets August Faison and his beautiful daughter Genevieve. They attempt to steal the reptile and to swindle Dr. Nice out of his money. For senior high 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
12-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.

Flyers by Daniel Hayes.
RC 46678
Best friends Gabe and Bo are making a science fiction film, Green Guy Gets Therapy, as a summer project. While filming, Gabe and his friends notice strange events especially at a neighbor's supposedly empty house. Some violence and some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.

The Girl Who Invented Romance by Caroline B. Cooney.
BR 8588
While waiting for her first big romance and observing the sometimes rocky love affairs of her parents and brother, 16-year-old Kelly develops a board game called Romance. For junior and senior high readers.

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.

The Heroic Life of Al Capsella by J. Clarke.
RC 34854
With deadpan humor Al Capsella, 14, tells his story. Al craves "normal" parents, for his are anything but normal! His father insists on wearing the same old K-Mart sweater every day, and his mother—who writes stories for "Woman's Journal"—dresses out of the thrift shop and acts even more eccentric. Al is embarrassed by these oddballs, until he visits his grandparents and learns what "normal" is. For junior high and senior high readers. Call the library for more stories about Al Capsella.

Him She Loves? by M.E. Kerr.
RC 22434
When Henry Schiller falls in love with Valerie Kissenwiser, he doesn't suspect that their romance will become national television's funniest comedy routine. For junior and senior high readers.

How I Spent My Last Night on Earth by Todd Strasser.
RC 48068
Senior Allegra ("Legs") arrives to find her high school in commotion: an announcement on the Internet says the earth will be struck by an asteroid tonight! As the excitement mounts, surfer Andros Bliss—the guy Legs fantasizes about—notices her. She decides to spend her last hours with him. For senior high and older readers.

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.

I Love You, I Hate You, Get Lost by Ellen Conford.
RC 45753
A collection of seven humorous stories reflecting the ups and downs of teenage love and life. For junior and senior high readers.

I Love You, Stupid! by Harry Mazer.
RC 19905
At 17, handsome Marcus Rosenbloom knows there must be more important things in life than sex, but he can't think what they are. A lively, perceptive, and funny novel about love and sex and growing up. Contains no explicit descriptions of sex. For junior and senior high readers.

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.

Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia by Mark Salzman.
BR 11279
Growing up in the Connecticut suburbs is not easy for a wanna-be kung fu expert and wandering Zen monk. Strong language. For high school and adult readers.

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.

Much Ado about Prom Night by William D. McCants.
BR 10493
Becca Singleton left her high school paper to start a peer counseling program for her classmates. It is successful but her much-admired former editor keeps writing critical articles about the program. To make matters worse, Becca's boyfriend cheats on her, and her counseling is not helping her brother cope with their parents' divorce. Meanwhile, Becca and her friends agonize over the upcoming prom. For junior and senior high readers.

My First Love and Other Disasters by Francine Pascal.
RC 16068
14-year-old Victoria arranges her summer to attract the attention of the handsomest boy in school, but she is chagrined to find that her first love brings plenty of unexpected problems with him. For junior and senior high readers. Some strong language.

The Obnoxious Jerks by Stephen Manes.
RC 41333
Frank Wess is new at Ullman Griswold Memorial High (UGH to the kids) and he feels somewhat like a misfit. But then he is invited to join the Obnoxious Jerks, a group of boys of supposedly superior intelligence who are known for their wacky ways of protesting school rules. It is Frank who comes up with one of their wildest ideas: wearing skirts to school to protest the "no shorts" mandate. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers.

One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte.
RC 12224
Overweight Bobby Marks confronts the ridicule of friends and sheds his excess pounds in a comical story of his last fat summer. High school and adult readers.

Oy, Joy: A Novel by Lucy Frank.
RC 49449
Although her ailing uncle creates problems for her whole family when he moves in with them, Joy survives his bungling attempts at matchmaking even as she plays the game herself. For junior and senior high readers.

The Pistachio Prescription by Paula Danziger.
RC 14415
The trials and triumphs of a 13-year-old misfit in a family of beauties and achievers. Her cure-all for any kind of trouble is pistachio nuts eaten on the sly. A humorous, realistic story for junior and senior high readers.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.
LP 934 or RC 51524
14-year-old Mia keeps a diary of her problems--she's too tall and flat, she's flunking algebra, and her mom is dating her teacher. But then her dad arrives from Europe to announce that Mia is really a princess and the heir to his throne. For the sequels, call the library. For junior and senior high readers.

A Royal Pain by Ellen Conford.
BR 6653
What does a 16-year-old Kansas teenager do when she learns that she is a real princess? Abby's duties as princess of Saxony Coburn are hard to bear, and she has to find a way to win back control of her future. For junior and senior high readers.

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer.
BR 11821 or LP 713
16-year-old Jenna loves selling shoes for the Chicago Gladstone Shoe Store. But when her drunken father arrives in town, Jenna jumps at the opportunity to drive ornery Mrs. Gladstone to Texas. Jenna and the elderly woman fret over the future of the store chain, now in Gladstone's son's unscrupulous hands. For junior and senior high readers.

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.

Simple Gifts by Joanne Greenberg.
RC 25908
Humorous novel set in the modern West tells about the Fleuris, a family of poor but engaging misfits, who live on a Colorado ranch. They barely make a living until a government agency persuades them to turn their ranch into a home for visitors that recaptures life as it was for the early homesteaders in 1880. For high school and adult readers.

Son of Interflux by Gordon Korman.
RC 28849
Simon Irving, son of the head of Interflux, a manufacturing giant, has no desire to become a corporate whiz like his father. He wants to be an artist and is really enjoying his first year at Nassau Arts High School. When Simon learns that Interflux is planning to build a new factory practically on top of his school, he leads his classmates in thwarting the corporation's plans. For junior and senior high readers.

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.

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.