Funny Books for Older Teens
FICTION
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy / by Douglas Adams
Escaping Earth just before it is demolished to make way for a new galactic highway, reluctant galactic traveler Arthur Dent embarks on a series of off-beat and occasionally extraterrestrial journeys, accompanied by a variety of unusual companions. SEQUELS: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish; Mostly Harmless.
Swim the Fly / by Don Calame
In addition to the pact he makes with his best friends to see a naked girl by the end of summer, Matt Gratton sets himself the goal of impressing the star of the swim team, Kelly West, by swimming the one hundred-yard butterfly.
Carter Finally Gets It / by Brent Crawford
Freshman year for Will Carter is far from normal as he struggles to find his place in the world and a little bit of romance in the process while dealing with ADD, a stuttering problem, and constant battles with a bully who just won’t back off.
The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists / by Gideon Defoe
The Pirates! In an Adventure With Ahab / by Gideon Defoe
The Pirates! In an Adventure With Communists / by Gideon Defoe
In the pirates’ first adventure, the Pirate Captain, world’s most inept scoundrel, mistakenly attacks Charles Darwin’s Beagle, then joins forces with the fledgling young scientist to save his brother from the evil Bishop of Oxford. Further adventures have the pirates crossing paths with Captain Ahab, Friedrich Nietzche, and Karl Marx, whose enormous beard just may be a rival for the Pirate Captain’s own.
I Love You, Beth Cooper / by Larry Doyle
Recklessly announcing his love for the head cheerleader during his valedictorian commencement speech, Denis Cooverman is inducted into the wilder side of youth culture by the object of his affection, who turns out to be more than he bargained for.
The Eyre Affair / by Jasper Fforde
In a world where you can actually get lost (literally) in literature, Thursday Next, a notorious Special Operative in literary detection, races against time to stop the world’s Third Most Wanted criminal from kidnapping characters, including Jane Eyre, from works of literature, forcing her to dive into the pages of a novel to stop literary homicide, in a wildly imaginative, mesmerizing thriller. SEQUELS: Lost in a Good Book; The Well of Lost Plots; Something Rotten; First Among Sequels.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch / by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
The world is going to end next Saturday, just before dinner, but it turns out there are a few problems–the Antichrist has been misplaced, the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse ride motorcycles, and the representatives from heaven and hell decide that they like the human race.
An Abundance of Katherines / by John Green
Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, Colin Singleton, a washed-up child prodigy with a Judge-Judy obsessed best friend, embarks on a quest to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will impact all of his future relationships and change his life.
My Life from Air-Bras to Zits / by Barbara Haworth-Attard
Desperate to be popular, fourteen-year-old Teresa shares her uncertainties with her old Ken and Barbie dolls as she learns that her mother is pregnant, her grandfather has Alzheimers, and having a boyfriend does not automatically solve all her problems.
Bad Kitty / by Michele Jaffe
While vacationing with her family in Las Vegas, seventeen-year-old Jasmine stumbles upon a murder mystery. Fortunately, Jasmine is both a forensics enthusiast and possessed of some very, well, special friends. Polly, Tom, and Roxy crash the vacation, BeDazzle Jasmine’s wardrobe, and find themselves key players in the most outrageous adventure in a town known for outrageous adventures–and all because of a very bad kitty.
You Are So Undead To Me / by Stacey Jay
Megan Berry, a Carol, Arkansas, high school student who can communicate with the Undead, must team up with her childhood friend Ethan to save homecoming from an army of flesh-hungry zombies.
Repossessed / by A.M. Jenkins
Tired of tormenting the damned and being stuck in Hell, demon Kiriel decides to take a vacation in the slightly used body of a seventeen-year-old boy, in this wickedly funny look at the complexities of being a teenager.
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland / by Diana Wynne Jones
A unique guide to fantasy literature helps readers understand such subjects as virginity, why High Priests are always evil, how Dark Lords always have minions, and useful tips on what to do when captured by a Goblin.
My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park / by Steve Kluger
Meet T.C., who is valiantly attempting to get Aléjandra to fall in love with him; Aléjandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s unofficial brother Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him.
The Boyfriend List: (15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs, and me, Ruby Oliver) / by E. Lockhart
Seattle fifteen-year-old Ruby Oliver explains some of the reasons for her recent panic attacks, including breaking up with her boyfriend, losing all her girlfriends, and tensions between her performance-artist mother and her father. SEQUELS: The Boy Book: A study of habits and behaviors, plus techniques for taming them; The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon–and me, Ruby Oliver.
Gil’s All Fright Diner / by A. Lee Martinez
Hired by the owner of an all-night diner to eliminate the zombie problem that is costing her customers, werewolf Duke and vampire Earl tackle an even stickier adversary who is out to take over the diner, in an adventure involving an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and a pig-latin occultist.
Suck It Up / by Brian Meehl
A teenage vampire sets out to prove that not all vampires are the same by demonstrating his non-violent attitude, his sensitive nature, and his desperate need for understanding as the soy-blood substitute drinking guy and Vampire Pride Parade participant that he is.
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal / by Christopher Moore
The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years — except Biff, the Messiah’s best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story.
Destroy All Cars / by Blake Nelson
James Hoff likes to rant against America’s consumerist culture. He also likes to rant against his ex-girlfriend, Sadie, who he feels isn’t doing enough to change the world. But just like he can’t avoid buying things, he also can’t avoid Sadie for long.
Election / by Tom Perrotta
The basis of a 1998 feature film, this dark, melodramatic comedy places a philandering high-school history teacher in the midst of a student-body election gone haywire.
King Dork / by Frank Portman
Tom Henderson (a.k.a. King Dork, Chi-mo, Hender-fag, and Sheepie) is a typical American high school loser until he discovers his deceased father’s copy of the book, The Catcher in the Rye, that will change the world as he knows it. Soon Tom finds himself in the middle of several interlocking conspiracies and at least half a dozen mysteries involving dead people, naked people, fake people, ESP, blood, a secret code, guitars, monks, witchcraft, the Bible, girls, the Crusades, a devil head, and rock and roll.
The Discworld series / by Terry Pratchett
Taking place on Discworld, a planet the shape of a large disc that is supported by four elephants standing on the back of a giant tortoise, and featuring characters such as Captain Carrot, Granny Weatherwax, an orangutan librarian, and Death (and sometimes also the Death of Rats), the Discworld books are classics of both the fantasy and humor genres. Titles include The Fifth Elephant, Going Postal, Making Money, and many others.
Spud / by John van de Ruit
In 1990, thirteen-year-old John “Spud” Milton, a prepubescent choirboy, keeps a diary of his first year at an elite, boys-only boarding school in South Africa, as he deals with bizarre housemates, wild crushes, embarrasingly dysfunctional parents, and much more. SEQUEL: The Madness Continues.
To Say Nothing of the Dog, or, How We Found the Bishop’s Bird Stump At Last / by Connie Willis
Ned Henry goes back in time to 1889 to study the Coventry Cathedral for a wealthy American who wants to build an exact replica before it is destroyed. When one of his associates rescues a feline in distress, causing the timeline to be altered, Ned must race against time to restore history.
Spanking Shakespeare / by Jake Wizner
Entering his senior year of high school, Shakespeare Shapiro, desperate for respect, admiration, and a girlfriend, begins writing what he hopes to be a prize-winning memoir, in which he chronicles every mortifying detail of his life.
NONFICTION
Bat Boy Lives! The Weekly World News Guide to Politics, Culture, Celebrities, Alien Abductions, and the Mutant Freaks That Shape Our World
Collects humorous stories from the Weekly World News, including reports that scientists found garden gnomes on the moon, investigators discovered Lawrence Welk was murdered, and a man grew nose hair over six inches long.
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead / by Max Brooks
An illustrated, comprehensive guide to surviving an attack by hordes of the predatory undead explains zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective weaponry and defense strategies, how to outfit one’s home for a long siege, and how to survive in any territory or terrain.
Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters / by Annie Choi
A collection of short autobiographical works by a Korean-American daughter of immigrant parents describes her fractious relationship with her demanding mother, her struggles with balancing the dynamics of two very different cultures, and her efforts to overcome financial hardships while pursuing an education.
The Hypochondriac’s Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have / by Dennis DiClaudio
A hilarious gift book for the hypochondriac describes forty-five of the world’s most painful, life-threatening, and disgusting diseases, documenting the symptoms, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of each.
Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items From Around the World
Reproduces notes, signs, homework assignments, break-up letters, photographs, drawings, and other abandoned items ranging from heartbreaking to hilarious that offer a look into the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Dishwasher: One Man’s Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States / by Pete Jordan
A hilarious memoir of the author’s cross-country, itinerant dishwashing odyssey describes his twelve-year quest to wash dishes in all fifty states, as he recorded his experiences in a ‘zine featuring the underground cult hero “Dishwasher Pete.”
The Darwin Awards: Evolution In Action / by Wendy Northcutt
A satirical “award” celebrating the worst examples of human intelligence features stories about the man who used a cigarette lighter to check his gas level, the terrorist who opened his own letter bomb, and other stories of human idiocy.
Me Talk Pretty One Day / by David Sedaris
In a new collection of essays, observations, and commentaries, the humorist and best-selling author of Naked describes life as an American in Paris, his struggle to learn French, growing up in North Carolina, his siblings’ many pranks, and more.
Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture / by Leslie Simon & Trevor Kelly
A handbook to the musical & cultural movement is a tribute to its fashions, ideologies, and art forms, from its origins (with such inspirations as Shakespeare and Holden Caulfield) to its representation in such films as Almost Famous and Garden State.
You Can Get Arrested For That: 2 Guys, 25 Dumb Laws, 1 Absurd American Crime Spree / by Rich Smith
A humorous look at some of America’s most bizarre and absurd laws follows the British author and a friend as they travel around the United States with the intent of breaking as many ridiculous laws as possible along the way: hunting whales in landlocked Utah, offering a cigarette to a monkey in New Jersey, and fishing while wearing pajamas in Chicago.
Devil in the Details: Scenes From an Obsessive Girlhood / by Jennifer Traig
A woman who suffered from an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder in her childhood recounts how her drive for perfection and incessant hand-washing rituals compromised her daily life and strained her relationship with her parents.
To Air Is Human: One Man’s Quest to Become the World’s Greatest Air Guitarist / by Björn Türoque
Describes how a journalist and guitarist was transformed into Björn Türoque (pronounced “Byorn To Rock”), the nation’s second greatest air guitarist, detailing the international air guitar subculture and his determined quest to become the world’s ultimate air guitarist.
How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion / by Daniel H. Wilson
Presents a humorous guide to battling mutinous robots, including tips for deactivating rebel servant robots and escaping from a murderous “smart” house.