YA Humor
THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER by Ben Philippe
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Norris isn’t thrilled about the move from Montreal to Texas. For one thing, he’s a Black French Canadian–three types of people that American TV has taught him definitely do not fit in. Unless you like to be the butt of jokes. Which Norris does not.
For another thing, Texas is hot. Like hell in July hot. Norris can’t get through a school day without sweating through at least three shirts, and it’s January.
But Norris has one thing to hold on to: the Whistler. If he can earn enough money by Spring Break, he can fly up to British Colombia, meet his best friend, and ski the Whistler like he’s done every spring break for his whole life. Until then, he’ll keep his head down and count down the days until he can escape.
His plans begin to turn awry when he meets an incredibly awkward hockey player-wannabe, a cheerleader named Madison (because of course her name is Madison), and a budding photographer and serial truant named Aarti who for some reason makes his stomach do somersaults. Could it be possible to grow attached to this hellscape after all?
A book to make you laugh out loud. Norris’s voice is honest and hilarious. His observations about American teenagers are on point, and the friends he makes are as quirky and delightful as he is. Great read for fans of humorous YA realistic fiction.
PAPER TOWNS by John Green
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Quentin grew up next door to Margo Roth Spiegleman–the girl of everyone’s dreams. One night, near the end of their senior year of high school, Margo shows up at his bedroom window dressed like a ninja and takes him on an adventure around the town to exact revenge on her cheating boyfriend and various other offenders. The next morning, Margo has disappeared, and Quentin and his best friends, Ben and Radar, begin a quest to find her. Along the way, he discovers the real “Margo” behind the super-human image that he and the rest of the school have attached to her. He discovers her human fears and insecurities and her human flaws. He also discovers a new confidence in himself along the way.
This book is hilarious and poignant, with a wonderful mix of witty, bathroom, and slapstick humor. The intended audience is high school age teens, but it resonates with many adults as well.
Additionally, if you are not familiar with John Green and you are a nerd, you should check out the Vlogbrothers on Youtube (John and his brother, Hank) who post several times weekly on a variety of nerdy topics. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers. To all of you nerdfighters out there, DFTBA.
THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY by Adam Rex
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What is the true meaning of Smekday–the day formerly known as Christmas, the day that the Boovish aliens arrived to colonize Earth, and the day the Boov left one year later? This is the essay question that Gratuity “Tip” Tucci must answer. The winning essay will be put in a time capsule that will be opened in 100 years. In her three attempts at writing the essay, Tip gradually reveals the story of the Boov’s arrival and the events that followed.
While trying to reach the human reservation in Florida by car, Tip and her cat, Pig, met up with a Boov criminal, who has taken as his Earth name J.Lo. (a name that he believes is a popular Earth name due to its frequent appearance in media publications). Together they travel across the country searching for Tip’s mom, who was abducted toward the beginning of the invasion. Then Tip, J.Lo, and Pig join forces with a gang of boys who have been hiding in a secret tunnel system under Disney World, and together, they drive the Gorg (another set of invading aliens–much more evil than the Boov) out of Earth. Throughout her story, Tip includes illustrations and pages of comics drawn by J.Lo who can’t write in English.
This book is both hilarious and poignant, a nice blend of hard- and soft-science fiction, approaching issues of race and prejudice through the blunt, sarcastic, witty voice of 11 yr. old Tip. The book is written for an upper elementary/middle school reading level. It is one of my all-time favorites.
Susan the Librarian 