Laugh It Up At Your Library : funny fiction for teens at the Bettendorf Public Library
compiled 3-25-03

Gawgon and the Boy by Lloyd Alexander
YA F ALEX
In the 1920's, pneumonia wasn't something to mess around with. So, after a close call with death, David's mother says he doesn't have to go back to his hated school, Rittenhouse Academy. David's enthusiasm fades, though, when he hears his stern Aunt Annie say, "Give me the boy." David is a writer, and his stories combine with Aunt Annie's teachings and his everyday life to make for a truly fun, entertaining read.

Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
YA F COHN
Cyd Charisse lives with her mother and stepfamily in San Francisco. She's met her biological father just once, in a Texas airport when she was 5. Now that she's 16, she wants to see him again - if for no other reason than to get away from her mom for a while. She also wants to get away from Shrimp, her soulmate, who apparently has other ideas about that.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
YA SF COLF
Artemis is a 12-year-old genius. He comes from a respected crime family, and is planning on replacing the Fowl fortune that his father lost. Even Artemis may have met his match when he tries to finagle his way into fairy gold. Sequels are Artemis Fowl : the Arctic Incident and Artemis Fowl : Eternity Code.

Beatnik Rutabagas from Beyond the Stars by Quentin Dodd
YA SF DODD
Best friends Walter and Yselle are kidnapped by opposing alien life forms to head up their respective armies. And how did the aliens choose Walter and Yselle? They were the Earth people who had watched the most science fiction movies! Silliness abounds in this terrifically funny novel of aliens, space travel, and Space Mice from Galaxy Four.

Pure Dead Wicked by Debi Gliori
NEW YA F GLIO
The Strega-Borgia clan are back in this sequel to Pure Dead Magic, and things are not going well. Their beloved castle, StregaSchloss, needs a new roof, forcing the Strega-Borgias, their butler, Latch, their nanny, Mrs. McLachlan, and most of their housepets (a dragon, a yeti, a crocodile and and a griffin) to town to stay at a disreputable hotel.

Cannibals starring Tiffany Spratt by Cynthia D. Grant
NEW YA F GRAN
So maybe Tiffany isn't the deepest thinker that Hiram High has ever seen. But being the Head Yell Leader of the award-winning cheerleading squad and leader of the Cannibals gang and probably a big star in an upcoming movie doesn't leave much time for deep thinking. Unfortunately, it doesn't leave much time for classes, either, and Tiffany's bright future might be put on hold if she doesn't get enough credits to graduate.

Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
YA SF JONE
A encyclopedia style travel guide to safely see you through those ambushes of orcs, and help you find the magic sword that will allow you to defeat the Dark Lord's minions.

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
YA F KIND
Alexandria Aurora Fortunato is as lovely as the dawn, ever since an anonymous wanderer cast a magical spell to make the goose girl beautiful. But that's nothing compared to the gold dust that falls from her hair, and the diamond tears she cries. But the wanderer's blessings soon turn to curses when a bumbling prince and a cruel king imprison the goose girl until she decides who she wants to marry.

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
NEW YA F KORM
Vince Luca has a brother who's a pain, a father who wants him to get motivated, and his best friend keeps pushing him to date. In other words, Vince is dealing with pretty standard high school stuff. Except for the fact that his father is a mob boss, and the girl that he wants to date is the daughter of an FBI agent. In fact, she's the daughter of the FBI agent that is investigating his dad!

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty
YA F MORI
Elizabeth's story is told through the letters exchanged between her and her penpal, between her and her mom, between her and the fictional "Best Friends Club" and "The Association of Teenagers". My favorite funny book of 2001, this is all about how to be a friend to others -- and to yourself.

Three Clams and an Oyster by Randy Powell
YA F POWE
Three Clams and an Oyster is Finn McCallister's flag football team. His other friends and he have been playing for years; but now their Oyster, Cade, is skipping practices and doesn’t seem to care about the team. Will Cade shape up, or will Finn and the other Clams will have to replace him? If so, who?

Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
YA SF PRAT
Pratchett's first YA novel set in Discworld. Maurice, an intelligent cat, hooks up with a bunch of intelligent rats, and a not-so-smart but musically talented boy to earn money with a Pied Piper scam.

I Was A Rat by Philip Pullman
YA F PULL
Another Cinderella retelling -with a big twist. What if all of Cinderella's pages didn't get turned back into rats? What if one of those young boys was playing elsewhere in the palace when the magic reversed itself and didn't touch him? How would a rat-turned-boy live?

Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
YA F TASH
Josh wants to make a difference in the world. But who would listen to a 17-year-old guy? So he starts a web site, www.gospelaccordingtolarry.com, and spreads his anti-consumerism message under an alias. He's amazed at how popular Larry becomes, and starts thinking how unpopular Josh will be if he gets discovered.

This Book Really Sucks!: The Science Behind Gravity, Flight, Leeches, Black Holes, Tornadoes, Our Friend the Vacuum Cleaner, and Most Everything Else That Sucks
NEW YA 533.5 TH
This book really does suck! It's got suction cups all over the cover so you can stick it to a window. And on the inside, it has more than anyone would ever think to ask about things that suck: gravity, leeches, vacuum cleaners.

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
NEW YA SF VAND
For her birthday, Giannine's absent dad sends her a gift certificate for 1/2 hour of virtual reality game time. Giannine decides on "Heir Apparent", an adventure game with wizards and dragons and knights in shining armor. It's a dangerous world, and Giannine gets killed. But it's virtual reality, so she only feels a fizzy feeling and then she starts all over again. Then a group of protestors damages the VR machine, and Giannine has to be crowned king in this virtual world or literally die trying.