I Funny

xxpish - Jamie Grimm is a middle school student in a wheelchair who lives with the Smileys (his nickname for them since they don’t laugh or smile); his aunt, uncle and their three children who don’t have any sense of humor, and gets bullied by their older son. Jamie is on a mission; to be the greatest standup sitdown comedian in the world. He is a natural at joking; his brain is wired for it. After school and on the weekends, he goes to his Uncle Frankie’s Diner and practices his jokes on customers with a result of endless laughing. Then, his Uncle tells him about The Planet’s Funniest Kid Comic Contest. Without telling anyone, Jamie starts practicing jokes everywhere he can; with his friends Pierce: who has a vast knowledge, Gaynor: who has tattoos and a nose-piercing, Cool Girl: who thinks Jamie is a book-carrier, and are very close friends, and Gilda: the girl with the frizzy hair. He also practices with the Smileys and tries to make the un-laughable laugh. He wins first place for the city competition-but will he win the state? What I thought about the book: I Funny is very funny. Extremely funny. I laughed endlessly. James Patterson is a wonderful author. After I read his other middle school books, Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life and Middle School: Get Me Out Of Here!; I raced to get this from the library. His books are almost like middle school diaries. It’s almost like he was writing his experiences from middle school. He writes so well. The pictures (by the awesome Laura Park) are a great addition to the book. Beautifully inked, they help you understand the story way better. S if you want some great jokes, for example (I almost busted a gut with this one) : “Hey, have you heard about the kidnapping?” ”No.” ”Don’t worry, he’s still sleeping.”; read I Funny. And if that doesn’t make you read it, then I don’t know what will. Xander

October 29, 2012
The broad humor that runs throughout this heavily illustrated story from Patterson and Grabenstein masks personal pain, demonstrating resiliency in the face of tragedy. Wheelchair-bound middle-schooler Jamie has recently moved in with his aunt’s cheerless family, including—a bit too conveniently—school bully Stevie, Jamie’s new “adoptive brother.” Despite Jamie’s desire to be treated like an ordinary kid (one of the more important themes the authors emphasize) and a dark, lingering unknown (only late in the novel does Jamie reveal the reason for his paralysis and his parents’ absence), humor abounds. Much of it derives from Jamie’s comedic aspirations (he calls himself a “sit-down comic”), which are fueled by his friends’ reactions to his one-liners and the encouragement of his warmhearted uncle. Park’s wisecracking cartoons (not all seen by PW) play an integral role in the storytelling, laying bare Jamie’s fears, triumphs, and sense of humor. Not all the jokes land, but plenty do, and the value of having an author with as vast a reach as Patterson put a disabled character in the spotlight shouldn’t be underestimated. Ages 8–12. Agent: Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly.

November 1, 2012
Middle school student Jamie is an aspiring comic. Referring to the fact that he requires a wheelchair, Jamie challenges readers: "So, can you deal with this? Some people can. Some can't." Frequently quoting his favorite comedians, Jamie reflects on life, using his forthright observations to hone his own comedic skills. Jamie relies on his quick wit and sometimes-audacious jokes to deflect inquiries about his circumstances. Recently adopted by his aunt, Jamie's new family includes Stevie, a bully whose callous cruelties often take advantage of Jamie's physical condition. Seeking refuge at his Uncle Frankie's diner, Jamie regales the customers with his humor. Uncle Frankie's suggestion that Jamie enter a local comedy competition tests Jamie's determination to become a comedian. Patterson and Grabenstein balance Jamie's humor with a poignant storyline. Through Jamie's evolving relationship with the intriguing Suzie, aka Cool Girl, readers learn about his devastating loss and recovery from a tragic event. Park's humorous spot illustrations complement the text. The affecting ending, which reveals a more vulnerable Jamie behind the guise of his humor, celebrates Jamie's resilient spirit. (Fiction. 10-13)

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December 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Jamie Grimm is a funny guy, obsessed with creating and collecting joke material. He studies all of the top comedians and tries out his jokes on everyone, be it his classmates or the customers at his Uncle Frankie's diner. He hopes to enter the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest even though just the thought of it makes him a nervous wreck. Readers learn that humor for Jamie is a means of survival-things aren't easy for him. He doesn't like to talk about why it all happened, but he had to move to a new city, to live with "the Smileys," his very unfunny aunt and uncle. At Long Beach Middle School, he is treated horribly by the resident bully. Steve Kosgrov is not only a notorious meany, but is also Jamie's new adoptive brother. Steve gets his kicks by locking him out in the cold and leaving him stuck in a sand dune unable to move. Jamie isn't able to move because he uses a wheelchair-he can't walk at all. The grimness of his situation is relieved by two good buddies, his encouraging Uncle Frankie, and his ever-present ability to see humor in every situation. Patterson's tale includes twists and turns that make for an engrossing read. Readers will be on Jamie's side all the way, cheering him on in the comedy contest, and also to win the girl of his dreams. Line drawings are sprinkled throughout, adding more humorous details.-Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2012
Grades 4-7 Built around the notion of a middle-grade stand-up comedian who delivers jokes sitting down because he is confined to a wheelchair, this tale is written as an extended monologue in which Jamie Grimm (get it?) introduces loyal school friends, his mostly loving adoptive family, and Steviehis new brother, who is also a vicious bully both online and in personthen proceeds to savage them all indiscriminately from a talent-contest stage. Playing readers' heartstrings like a banjo, Patterson and Grabenstein also chuck in two girlfriends and a first kiss, hints of a family tragedy strung out until near the end, an uplifting spontaneous routine delivered to the patients of a children's rehab center, and, both in the narrative and in the line drawings on almost every page, dozens of gags both classic (Do zombies eat doughnuts with their fingers? No. They usually eat their fingers separately) and not so much (When kids in Grossville say, Mommy, can I lick the bowl?' their mothers say, Be quiet, dear, and just flush'). In all, a brimming bucket of ba-da-bing! that hardly needs a celebrity author to crank up the audience numbers. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Patterson's full-court press to capture the attention of every market in the reading public continuesand 25 million books sold for young readers proves it's working.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)