From the Publisher
Praise for Laugh Out Loud:
A New York Times bestseller!
An IndieBound national bestseller!
A Parents' Choice Award (R) Winner!
"Crowd-pleasing... Patterson and Grabenstein are on their way to cornering the middle grade market, and this meta peek behind the curtain should be a hit."—Booklist
"Patterson and Grabenstein emphasize that dreams can come true if you take action and never give up. Fans and educators alike will appreciate the many kid lit authors and titles mentioned throughout. A humorous adventure with a positive message."—School Library Journal
School Library Journal
07/01/2017
Gr 5–8—Motivated middle school dreamer Jimmy loves books, reading, and writing. He longs to open the first children's publishing company run by kids, for kids. Jimmy and his friends are constantly met with derision from adults, but they persevere. Patterson and Grabenstein emphasize that dreams can come true if you take action and never give up. Fans and educators alike will appreciate the many kid lit authors and titles mentioned throughout. VERDICT A humorous adventure with a positive message. Readers who enjoy Patterson's "Middle School" and Tommy Greenwald's "Charlie Joe Jackson" series will gravitate toward this novel.—Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East High School, IL
Kirkus Reviews
2017-05-15
Industry juggernaut Patterson invents this fanciful origin story for his kid-lit imprint.Jimmy, the adult author-cum-child narrator, believes that kids should write books for other kids. Mixing fantasy with Rand-ian can-do, Jimmy explains "how an ordinary kid like me got his own publishing company." Yard sales, an encouraging librarian who seems calibrated to pander to other encouraging librarians, and eccentric "bazillionaires" help Jimmy turn his dream into an outlandish reality. Despite continually proclaiming the superiority of books "by kids/for kids," Patterson name-drops some 38 other adult-authored titles, with literary references peppered throughout. Multiple Patterson-created characters appear as well, compiled at the end in an easy-to-shop list. For example, Jamie Grimm of I Funny (2013) motivates Jimmy using a clichéd disability-inspiration trope, causing Jimmy to muse that Jamie "laughed and cracked jokes when he could've been sad and glum." Black-and-white spot drawings illustrate the mostly white characters and situations. The message to "never, ever, ever give up!" on a dream is perfect for adults parroting that refrain to children without examining how Jimmy's privileges are more instrumental in this imagining than his persistence. This zany romp through venture capitalism and self-promotion self-identifies as a story "that kids will love"—but readers will be better served by any of the titles named throughout. (Fiction 7-10)
