Humorous Stories

Burch, Christian
The Manny Files  
Seventh-grader, Lulu, the oldest, smartest and perfectionist of the family is not amused and quite embarrassed by the family's male nanny, "Manny", and his exceptionally creative care giving. This compels Lulu to write a secret report, called the "Manny Files" which she tries to use against him. She did not count on having to face opposition from the rest of the family first.

Cowell, Cressida
How to Train Your Dragon  
As a Viking clan initiation, Hiccup is expected to capture and train a dragon. What a humiliation for Hiccup to discover his hunter-warrior dragon is toothless and stubborn. "Toothless" is useless at dragon games and for hunting and battle training. Hiccup's self-esteem and standing in the community hits rock bottom. However, through his ability to speak "Dragonese", Hiccup is able to stop being bullied by Snotface Snotlout and triumph over a colossal threat to his village.

Dahl, Roald
The BFG  
The idea that dreams can be bottled and classified is amusing in itself but when a giant is the outcast of his community because of such interests the humourous adventures begin. At the centre of this is a young orphan girl who's been giant-napped from her bed in a British orphanage by this outcast. The unlikely pair end up manoeuvring past sleeping giants and the guards at Buckingham Palace in their ultimate adventure – to save the queen and humanity.

Kinney, Jeff
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's journal 
Greg's journal entries, coupled with his stick-figure like drawings, illuminate the most humourous situations he encounters as the self-proclaimed wimp of his middle school. Greg isn't so "wimpy" when it comes to stirring up trouble – he can really dish it out. What Greg doesn't realize is that fate finds a way of getting him back.

Lindgren, Astrid
Pippi Longstocking  
Pippi Longstocking is a self-confident, 9 year-old, living by herself in a Swedish village house. Her prized possessions are her pet monkey, Mr. Nilsson, her horse and a big sack of gold coins. Pippi's stories are as exotic as the places she and her sea captain father have visited. Amusingly, Pippi is oblivious to the amazed reaction of friends Annika and Tommy and especially the villagers to her unbelievable, whimsical, lifestyle, stories and adventures.

Tarshis, Lauren
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree  
The intelligent, logical, studious, Emma-Jean loves to discuss poetry, books and to study, sketch and classify trees by their Latin names. She also likes to observe the perplexing behaviour of her peers in seventh grade. While observing the woes of a good-natured classmate, Emma recalls her own loss and decides to fix the problem. Emma’s straightforward naive approach to the illogical behaviour of seventh graders is very amusing. What her scientific mind is finally forced to realize is that in dealing with people, some situations are best left alone.

Urban, Linda
A Crooked Kind of Perfect  
In her minds eye, Zoe Elias is poised in front of a grand piano, dressed in an elegant ball-gown and long white gloves, ready to perform on stage at world-famous Carnegie Hall. Enter reality; her father can only afford a Perfectone D-60 organ. Like her musical expectations, her social life has taken a dive. She is snubbed by her best friend and a cafeteria seating shortage means sitting with guys who rate their burps. Through hard work, dedication, a boost to her self-confidence and an unexpected friend, everything works out.

Byng, Georgia
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism 
How does British orphan, Molly, go from meagre, mean-spirited care at Hardwick House to living the good life in a New York penthouse suite? Clever Molly takes full advantage of a book on hypnotism. However, someone else, looking for the same book, traces it to Molly. He kidnaps her dog and forces her to use her hypnotic powers to commit a major crime. What will Molly do and how will she straighten out the hypnotic mess she’s left behind?