Laughs: Funny Stories

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Claire Mackay has assembled 23 pieces of humor, including seven poems,
that are directed at amusing a middle-school audience. The collection
includes works by such familiar names as Gordon Korman, Martyn Godfrey,
Tim Wynne-Jones, Ken Roberts, Sarah Ellis, Roch Carrier, Jean Little,
Brian Doyle, and, among the poets, Dennis Lee and Lois Simmie. The
editor’s search for funny stories has also led her to authors likely
unknown to most early adolescents (e.g., Max Braithwaite, W.O. Mitchell,
Bill Richardson, and Lorne Brown).

The selections are diverse (ranging from Lee’s tongue-twisting “The
Sitter and the Butter and the Better Batter Fritter” to the raspberry
cordial/currant wine episode from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green
Gables) and accessible to the intended audience, with the possible
exception of Mitchell’s challenging “The Liar Hunter.” Teachers
should not overlook the collection’s read-aloud opportunities.
Recommended.