He’s a reluctant reader of text (loves graphic novels) so the book has to: grab him immediately, not be too hard to read or hard to follow, male main characters, and full of family-guy-style (age-appropriate) laughs.
Thank you in advance!
by polkadotkneehigh
12 Comments
Hard to judge “funny” to an 11 year old, but Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz vs Evil Librarians definitely has that age level of humor while also being something I genuinely enjoyed reading as an adult.
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colder, about a genius 12 year old boy from a wealthy, criminal family, who tries to save his family from financial ruin after his father’s death… by trying to kidnap a literal fairy and hold her for ransom. The protagonist starts off as a bad guy but morphs into an anti-hero by the second book. Fun schemes involving magic, use of Irish fairy folklore reinterpreted under a modern lens, and LOTS of poop jokes that made me laugh until I couldn’t breathe while reading those as a kid.
Carl Hiassen’s children’s books like Hoot and Scat are also good. About kids protecting nature from bad guys.
I loved “The Plant that Ate Dirty Socks” series at that age, they’re very silly.
Maybe “Calvin and Hobbes”?
The Last Kids on Earth series, by Max Brallier
Roald Dahl
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
When I was about his age, funny/age-appropriate writers I really liked were Paul Jennings, Roald Dahl, and Andy Griffiths
If the Horrible Histories book series from Scholastic is as funny as the Horrible Histories TV series, then that.
Archer’s Goon by Diana Wynne Jones.
Wayside stories
Harry Potter…the humour is subtle sometimes, but it’s there!!
This series is for 7-10 but it’s interesting and funny. The Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka.
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli