24. Swim the Fly by Don Calame (Candlewick, 2009)

BOOK: HUMOR (ages 13-16)

Brief Description: Three best friends continue their yearly summer tradition of meeting an agreed upon goal; this summer's goal, though, has upped the ante. They must, but summer's end, see a live girl completely naked. When Matt takes on more than he can manage by volunteering to do the butterfly for the summer swim team, all sorts of mayhem ensues. This hysterically funny book is the first for author Don Calame, but let's hope it's not the last. As we watch Coop, Matt and Sean attempt what even they admit is probably an unreachable goal, the teen dialogue and character development is spot on and unmistakably hilarious.

Awards: Thumbs Up! Award, 2010; White Pine Award, 2011

Personal Opinion: The prude in me initially found the honest language between the boys quite "out there," but I soon overcame this foolishness as I learned more about the characters and their friendship. Matt narrates the story, letting us in on his ridiculously funny situations. I can't think of a more hilarious book that I've ever read, causing this reader to fully put the book down and wait until the laughter began to subside to continue reading. Not kidding. Reading it out loud was even better.

Programming/Curriculum: This would be the perfect book to assign as summer reading, and it would be a great selection for a boy's book club. It would be great as essential reading for a swim team as well, just for fun.

19. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Walden Pond Press, 2010)

BOOK: HUMOR (ages 9-12)

Brief Description: Liam Digby is thirteen years old. Because he is extraordinarily tall for his age, and even has facial hair, he is often mistaken for an adult. Through a series of bizarre events, Liam and his friend Florida pose as father and daughter after winning a trip to Infinity Park, and end up going to space. When the mission goes wrong, will the kids and Florida's "dad," armed with a copy of How to Talk to Teens, be able to get back to earth?

Awards: Guardian Award - 2008 shortlist; Carnegie Medal - 2009 shortlist

Personal Opinion: This hilarious romp through space had me laughing out loud. What Cottrell Boyce does best is pair humor with a serious poignancy that touches the heart. While I really enjoyed the book, I must say that his book Framed still holds its first place spot on my list. Portions of the book reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; kids with parents win a prize, and their strange relationships and focus come through. Characters in the story are particularly well drawn, exhibiting their quirks throughout the story to great effect. I thought Liam did, in fact, make a great dad as he used all his resources, including his love of the video game World of Warcraft, to see him through dealing with the kids and getting a rocket gone astray back to Earth.

Curriculum/Programming: This book would be a great supplement to both a science class on astronomy and a math course. Use it also in a home economics class to discuss family relationships and the roles a dad has in the family; compare Liam's fathering skills those of real dads.

6. Big Nate in a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce (Harper Collins, 2010)

BOOK: HUMOR (ages 8-12)

Brief Description: 6^th grader Nate Wright fully believes himself to be capable of greatness…sometime in the future, but the here and now is a different matter entirely. When he opens a fortune cookie and reads “Today you will surpass all others” he’s sure his time has come to show what he’s worth. The rest of the book recounts the day as Nate finds himself with detention after detention. In the end, Nate does, in fact, surpass all others, but not exactly in the way he expects.

Awards: Best Children's Books of the Year; 2011; Horn Book Fanfare, 2010; Children's Choice Book Award, 2011

Personal Opinion: Nate is a spinoff from the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and while it was entertaining, I didn’t find Nate nearly as funny or creatively drawn as Greg Heffley. The illustrations accompanying the story were great, and I’ll bet the ending will be supremely satisfying to 5^th and 6^th graders, but I just prefer the Diary series much more.

Programming Idea: I’d hold a special book club over the summer and would include this diary or illustrated story format for all the books; then I’d challenge the attendees to write their own similar story about school using images and text. Kids might also write a character comparison of Nate and Greg Heffley after reading both books.