Funny Girl: Funniest. Stories. Ever.

by Betsy Bird

Overview

Funny Girl is a collection of uproarious stories, rollicking comics, rib-tickling wit, and more, from 25 of today’s funniest female writers for kids.

What could be funnier than family? Read stories about Ursula Brown's grandmother driving her on a road trip to disaster, Lisa Brown's little brother getting a Tic-Tac stuck up his nose, and Carmen Agra Deedy's mom setting the bathtub on fire.

What could be funnier than friends? Pretty much nothing, as Rita Williams-Garcia shows two besties hatching a bird-brained scheme to get on to a TV talk show, and Deborah Underwood introduces a dynamic dog-and-cat duo teaming up on a pet advice column.

What could be funnier than YOU? Tell your future with Mad Libs, discover your Chinese Zodiac sign with Lenore Look, and learn the best tricks of the comedy trade from professional humorists like Adrianne Chalepah and Delaney Yeager.

With clever contributions from award-winning and bestselling authors including Cece Bell, Sophie Blackall, Libba Bray, Shannon Hale, Lisa Graff, and Raina Telgemeier, this anthology of funny girls will make you laugh until you cry. Or cry until you laugh. Or maybe you won't cry at all. Either way, you'll definitely laugh.
 
Funny Girl isn’t just an anthology: it’s a cause, a mission, a movement. Girls are funny. Now it’s time for the world to know it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780147517838
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	119,743
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Betsy Bird is the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library, and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. Betsy reviews for Kirkus, served on the 2007 Newbery Award committee, and her children's literature blog, A Fuse #8 Production, is hosted by School Library Journal. Betsy is the author of the picture book Giant Dance Party (Greenwillow, 2013) illustrated by Brandon Dorman, and a co-author on the nonfiction book Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature (Candlewick, 2014) which she wrote with fellow bloggers Julie Danielson and Peter Sieruta.

Table of Contents

1.     How to Tell a Joke, by Delaney Yeager and Mackenzie Yeager
2.     Attack of the Killer Bee, by Raina Telgemeier
3.     Dear Grandpa: Give Me Money, by Alison DeCamp
4.     Grandma in Oil Country: A True Story, by Ursula Vernon
5.     One Hot Mess, by Carmen Agra Deedy
6.     Fleamail, by Deborah Underwood
7.     A Most Serious Recitation of the Poem “Trees,” by Cece Bell
8.     Things Could Be Verse, by Kelly DiPucchio
9.     Swimming Is for Other Kids, by Akilah Hughes
10.   Dear Bella and Rover, by Deborah Underwood
11.   The Thumb Incident, by Meghan McCarthy
12.   Desdemona and Sparks Go All In, by Rita Williams-Garcia
13.   7 Things I Thought Were (Think Are) Funny . .  . But Were Really Kind of Sad, and That All Happened to My Little Brother, by Lisa Brown
14.   Babysitting Nightmare, by Shannon Hale
15.   Dear Bella and Rover (again), by Deborah Underwood
16.   Can We Talk About Whiskers?, by Jennifer Holm
17.   Brown Girl Pop Quiz: All of the Above, by Mitali Perkins
18.   Over and Out, by Lisa Graff
19.   Doodle, by Amy Ignatow
20.   Fleamail Pawed-cast, by Deborah Underwood
21.   How to Play Imaginary Games, by Leila Sales
22.   Great Expectations, by Christine Mari Inzer
23.   A Public Service Announcement About Your Period, From Sarah T. Wrigley, Age 12 ¾, by Libba Bray
24.   The Smart Girl’s Guide to the Chinese Zodiac, by Lenore Look
25.   Bad Luck Dress, by Charise Mericle Harper      
26.   The World’s Most Awkward Mermaid, by Sophie Blackall
27.   Tell Your Future with Mad Libs
28.   My Life Being Funny (And How You Can Do It, Too), by Adrianne Chalepah

Editorial Reviews

* "Stellar. . . . Will surely appeal to a wide audience. "—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Certain to fit the bill for just about any child looking for a good laugh or 20."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "This book supports free choice reading, but has the potential to be the culprit that interrupts silent sustained reading because girls will break out in giggles or outright laughter.” –School Library Connection, starred review

"Timely . . . girl-power humor for the middle-grade set."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“These stories are bound to engage most readers and tickle ribs.”—School Library Journal

"Hilarious and heartfelt, this won’t only appeal to future funny girls and boys, it’ll inspire them."—Booklist



A Junior Library Guild Selection

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Summer Books

From the Publisher

★ 04/03/2017
In this winningly diverse collection edited by librarian and author Bird (Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature), readers can sample highly entertaining entries from more than two dozen contemporary female writers, including Cece Bell, Libba Bray, Lisa Graff, Mitali Perkins, Ursula Vernon, and Rita Williams-Garcia. The short contributions burst with self-deprecating humor regarding friends, families, and the awkwardness of growing up, and they come in all formats, including short stories, exchanged letters, comics, verse, and magazine-style quizzes. Several writers mine real-life embarrassments for material: YouTuber Akilah Hughes recounts a traumatic bikini-related “wardrobe malfunction” (“My best life will be lived warm and dry, away from parties, fun, and freshman boys); Meghan McCarthy recalls stapling her own thumb at school, an injury no one seemed to know how to handle; and Adrianne Chalepah closes the collection with an instructive essay that offers advice applicable to these and other situations: “Have an unshakable sense of confidence. Even when you’re literally bleeding.” It’s certain to fit the bill for just about any child looking for a good laugh or 20. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management. (May)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2017
Gr 4–6—A collection of hilarious short stories, comics, letters, and quizzes, geared toward middle grade girls. A range of well-known authors contribute pieces (Amy Ignatow, Libba Bray, Raina Telgemeier, Ursula Vernon, and Shannon Hale) along with lesser-known writers. The pinkish cover, depicting a girl dangling upside down and reading Funny Girl, is appealing, as are the accessible font styles and comic illustrations throughout. Many of the stories describe bodily functions (farts, poo, pee, and periods all make appearances), proving boys don't have a monopoly on toilet humor. Though the majority of the humor is lighthearted and kid-appropriate, some jokes hit a sour note. In the first story, "How To Tell a Joke" by Delaney Yeager and Mackenzie Yeager, the narrator relates the tale of watching an antidrug assembly featuring a former drug addict with a prosthetic hand. She explains how she later imitated the man by putting her own hand inside her shirt and suggests that this is a good way to get laughs from classmates—a gag she comes back to several times in the chapter. Readers whose families have experienced addiction or who have physical disabilities are likely to find these jokes painful rather than chuckle-worthy. Authors and characters come from a range of backgrounds, including Cuban American, Native American, and Indian American. A short biography of each author can be found in the back matter. The stories work especially well when read consecutively, since several jokes recur, but most pieces stand alone. VERDICT With the exception of the first chapter's insensitivity, these stories are bound to engage most readers and tickle ribs.—Michelle Anderson, Tauranga City Libraries, New Zealand

School Library Journal

★ 2017-02-01
The 28 short stories, autobiographical essays, and comic strips in this entertaining anthology are meant to prove that females can be funny, and they succeed. Librarian and blogger Bird has gathered contributions from a stellar group of female children's and teen writers and illustrators, including Rita Williams-Garcia, Jennifer Holm, and Shannon Hale, plus a few professional comedians who give advice on crafting and delivering jokes. Variety abounds, encompassing Lenore Look's pun-filled Chinese zodiac, Mitali Perkins' "Brown Girl Pop Quiz" of multiple-choice questions, and Raina Telgemeier's comic strip "Attack of the Killer Bee." Among the standouts are Carmen Agra Deedy's first-person account of the time her mother set a bathtub on fire to rid it of germs and Libba Bray's "Public Service Announcement About Your Period" from a witty 12-year-old girl who objects to the secrecy surrounding the subject. A handful of other entries also deal with girl-specific topics such as bra shopping, and nearly all the stories and reminiscences focus on girls. Boys will also enjoy the humor, which ranges from slapstick to subtle. Brief biographical notes about the contributors conclude the volume. Whether these live up to the subtitle's claim of "funniest stories ever" is subjective, but the lighthearted array will surely appeal to a wide audience. (Anthology. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews