So glad to have found this thread! [....]
Anyone have other suggestions for humorous books?
Hi, Debbie,
I'm slow getting back to this thread, but had a couple of ideas for books your son might enjoy:
-Noel Langley, "The Land of Green Ginger." (strictly farce, very funny, a little dated, but that's the way we like 'em!)
-John Fardell, "The Seven Professors of the Far North," "The Flight of the Silver Turtle," and "Secret of the Black Moon Moth." (gee-whiz adventure stories, gifted kid protagonists with eccentric professor sidekicks battle against a series of crazy maniacs who want to take over the world [sort of James Bond for little kids], some serious issues considered [ecology, cloning, etc.] but not in the deep way evidenced in the books you say he's not interested in yet)
-John D. Fitzgerald, Great Brain series (now, I remember loving these when I was a kid, but have to admit that I was a bit startled by a few things on rereading them as an adult, not least the disciplinary measures used by the father of the family--I still think they're funny, but maybe best to preread?)
-for some reason, none of my boys can get enough of "Tubby and Little Lulu" (I know that sounds weird...but they're all back in print, so somebody besides me must be buying them!)--they tell me that sometimes they just want to read something "dumb and funny," so there we go.
-Norman Hunter, Professor Branestawm series (mad inventor invents really crazy stuff, gets in various scrapes; there are lots of volumes of these, mostly out of print, but we have found picking up several of them not too hard--they're short stories, so maybe good for a somewhat reluctant reader, since there is fairly quick payoff?).
-he might be too old for these, but I wonder if he'd like Christianna Brand's "Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda?" All of my three thought these were hilarious (though I'm thinking they're an acquired taste for adults!).
-kcab put us onto Cressida Cowell's "How to Train a Dragon" books--those are nice, light and fun reads--perfect for summer. In that same vein are Kjartan Poskitt's Urgum the Axeman books (not really calculated to instill a love of great literature, but good for lying in the hammock with a glass of lemonade and a gingersnap).
Hope some of those might appeal!
peace
minnie
