Humor & Comedy

You know a book's funny if you're reading it alone and laughing hysterically. Of course, the really great comic masterpieces are also deep reflections on humanity and life and death (like Huckleberry Finn or All Creatures Great and Small or Calvin & Hobbes). Frequently, though, you just need to guffaw, and the literary quality of the piece isn't quite as important as the laugh-factor.

Not that you want to read swill. Cheap laughs might be funny on the surface, but the jokes that actually say something are generally funnier than the ones that simply point and snicker. It's easy to think we're superior because we get the joke, but in reality a lot of modern comedy is no more than the absence of reverence. Real comedy is simply an incongruous presentation of a familiar idea that amuses with its absurdity while offering a new view.

Before you dismiss the need for humor on religious grounds (suggesting that Jesus is the Man of Sorrows, and so must we be in order to be like Him), remember that the "laughter is good medicine" image comes from the Bible (Proverbs 17:22), and that as the Creator of everything God invented laughter. He invented jokes. As the perfect man, Jesus probably told the best jokes ever.

We have a few of them—a rich person will enter heaven as easily as a camel getting through the eye of a needle, or the one about the Pharisee and the plebe who go into the temple at the same time to pray. Jesus clearly saw the absurdity of life (in both of the cases mentioned, the absurdity of human pride), and used it to direct people to the Author of Meaning.

Basically, laughter is really good and you should try it sometime. If you're a little rusty and need a boost, read a funny book: maybe the heartwarming but hysterical adventures of the Gilbreth clan in Cheaper by the Dozen, or the pure zaniness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or the heartwarming zaniness of Jeeves and Wooster. Whatever you do, smile more, frown less, and for goodness' sake take laughter seriously.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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122 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Trade Paperback
Adventures of Tintin - Complete Package
by Herge
from Little, Brown & Company
Comic Book for 2nd-6th grade
in Adventures of Tintin (Location: COM-TIN)
$241.39
Applewhites at Wits End
by Stephanie S. Tolan
Fir from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
2003 Newbery Honor book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Applewhites Coast to Coast
by Stephanie S. Tolan
Fir from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
2003 Newbery Honor book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
B Is for Betsy
by Carolyn Haywood
from Harcourt
First School Experiences for 2nd-5th grade
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$7.99
Back to School with Betsy
by Carolyn Haywood
from Odyssey Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.95
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona Collection Book 1
by Beverly Cleary
Reissue from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.39
Belles On Their Toes
by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 4th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.99
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Boy
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Boy
by Roald Dahl
1999 reissue from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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Captain Nobody
by Dean Pitchford
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Charlie Muffin's Miracle Mouse
by Dick King-Smith
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
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Cheaper By the Dozen
by Frank Gilbreth & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 4th-9th grade
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$16.99
Children of Noisy Village
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
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$7.99
Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker & Marla Frazee
from Hyperion/Madison Press
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$5.99
Clockwork Twin
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
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Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear
by Edward Lear, collected and introduced by Holbrook Jackson
from Dover Publications
for 4th-6th grade
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Double Fudge
by Judy Blume
from Puffin Books
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package
Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 4
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
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$6.99
Everything on a Waffle
by Polly Horvath
First Square Fish, May 2008 from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
2002 Newbery Honor Book
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$7.99
Figgs & Phantoms
by Ellen Raskin
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
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$7.99
Flora & Ulysses
by Kate DiCamillo
Reprint from Candlewick Press
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2014 Newbery Medal winner
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Freddy and Mr. Camphor
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
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Freddy and Mr. Camphor
by Walter R. Brooks
from Puffin Books
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Freddy and Simon the Dictator
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
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Freddy and the Dragon
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy and the Men from Mars
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy and the Perilous Adventure
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy and the Popinjay
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Freddy and the Space Ship
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy Goes Camping
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy Goes to Florida
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy Goes to the North Pole
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy Plays Football
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy Rides Again
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy the Cowboy
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy the Detective
by Walter R. Brooks, illustrated by Kurt Wiese
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Freddy the Magician
by Walter R. Brooks
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Freddy the Pilot
by Walter R. Brooks
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Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
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Good Old Archibald
by Ethelyn M. Parkinson
from Bethlehem Books
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$14.95
Great Brain is Back
Great Brain #8
by John Dennis Fitzgerald
from Yearling
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Hank the Cowdog #01
Hank the Cowdog #1
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #02
Hank the Cowdog #2
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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$6.99
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Hank the Cowdog #3
by John R. Erickson
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Hank the Cowdog #04
Hank the Cowdog #4
by John R. Erickson
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Hank the Cowdog #05
Hank the Cowdog #5
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #06
Hank the Cowdog #6
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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Hank the Cowdog #07
by John R. Erickson
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Hank the Cowdog #08
Hank the Cowdog #8
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #08
Hank the Cowdog #8
by John R. Erickson
from Puffin Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hank the Cowdog #09
Hank the Cowdog #9
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #10
Hank the Cowdog #10
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #11
Hank the Cowdog #11
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #12
Hank the Cowdog #12
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #13
Hank the Cowdog #13
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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$5.99
Hank the Cowdog #13
by John R. Erickson
Reissue from Puffin Books
for 2nd-5th grade
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Hank the Cowdog #14
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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Hank the Cowdog #15
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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Hank the Cowdog #16
Hank the Cowdog #16
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #17
by John R. Erickson
Reprint from Maverick Books
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #18
Hank the Cowdog #18
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #19
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #20
by John R. Erickson
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$6.99
Hank the Cowdog #21
by John R. Erickson
from Maverick Books
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Happy Days At Bullerby
by Astrid Lindgren
from Mammoth
for 3rd-6th grade
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Happy Yellow Car
by Polly Horvath
for 3rd-5th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Harriet Spies Again
by Helen Ericson (based on Louise Fitzhugh)
Reprint from Yearling
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$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Henry and Beezus
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Henry and Beezus
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Tracy Dockray
2007 Reillustrated Edition from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Hidden Gallery
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Book II
by Maryrose Wood
Revised from Balzer & Bray
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Holes
Holes Series #1
by Louis Sachar
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
1999 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen
from Ember
for 4th-6th grade
2003 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place - Set
by Maryrose Wood
Reprint from Balzer & Bray
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Interrupted Tale
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Book IV
by Maryrose Wood
Reprint from Balzer & Bray
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Invisible Stanley
by Jeff Brown
Reissue from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Kenny & the Dragon
by Tony DiTerlizzi
from Simon and Schuster
for 1st-4th grade
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$8.99
Long Way from Chicago
by Richard Peck
from Puffin Books
Humorous Family Stories for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Long-Lost Home
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Book VI
by Maryrose Wood
Reprint from Balzer & Bray
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins Series #1
by P. L. Travers
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Mercy Watson Fights Crime
Mercy Watson #3
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
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Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
Mercy Watson #2
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
2007 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig
Mercy Watson #5
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
Mercy Watson #4
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
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$6.99
Mercy Watson: Something Wonky this Way Comes
Mercy Watson #6
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
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$6.99
Motel of the Mysteries
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Humor for 4th-8th grade
in Humor & Comedy (Location: FIC-COM)
$14.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Mother West Wind's Neighbors
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #4
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
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$6.00
Mouse Called Wolf
by Dick King-Smith
Reprint from Yearling
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$6.99
Mr. Ape
by Dick King-Smith
from Scholastic Inc.
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Muggie Maggie
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
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$5.59
Mysterious Howling
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Book I
by Maryrose Wood
Reprint from Balzer & Bray
for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Night of the Crash-Test Dummies
by Gary Larson
from Andrews McMeel
for 4th-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Old Granny Fox
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #28
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Pay Attention, Carter Jones
by Gary D. Schmidt
from Clarion Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$7.99
Pigs Might Fly
by Dick King-Smith
from Puffin Books
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$6.99
Ramona and Her Mother
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
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$6.39
Ramona Forever
Ramona Quimby Books
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
Humorous Stories for 2nd-4th grade
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Ramona the Brave
Ramona Quimby Books
by Beverly Cleary
Reprint from HarperCollins
Humorous Stories for 2nd-4th grade
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