Have you ever been on a road trip that seemed like it would never end?  Imagine if instead of a car you were in a boat lost in the middle of the ocean with supplies running low and only a bear who is probably lost and possibly completely crazy for company.  'I spy' gets boring pretty quickly when the only things to see are the sea and the sky. Through monster attacks and ghost ships, things look pretty bad for the boy and the bear.  But despite it all they keep sailing.

The title describes the book well.  The novel starts with the boy boarding a boat with a bear for a captain and that's the way things stay.  The loveable but incompetent bear is charming and the illustrations are delightful.  The completely absurd situation they are in makes it hard not to laugh even when things are looking grim.

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton

Erica's Picks
3rd - 5th grade
Tags: Adventure, Animals, Humor

It's senior year and Danielle can't wait for it to be over. With her frizzy red hair, quirky tastes, and OCD she sticks out like a sore thumb.  Despite all the trauma she endures at school, she finds it comforting to catalog her days there.  She accomplishes this through a color-coded binder in which she keeps all her English essays, notes, important e-mails, and day-to-day journals.  Experience school through her eyes and find out if Senior year will be the disaster she's expecting.

I loved the epistolary format with Danielle’s essays, journals, etc.  There were many great characters like her aunt who was always ready with words of wisdom, her friend Daniel who introduced her to The Dude, and her pen pal Justine.  What really made the book was Danielle's frank and often humorous descriptions of her life, her dreams, and her worries.  I'd give this to teens looking for a high school misfit story.  

OCD, the Dude, and Me by Lauren Roedy Vaughn

Erica's Pick
7th & 8th grade
Tags: Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, Diaries, Friendship, Humor, Issues Fiction, School Stories

Even though New Whitby is known as a haven for vampires, Mel hardly ever sees any.  The vampires stay in their part of town, and mostly only tourists go there.   Which is why everyone is shocked when Frances shows up to school in his UV protection suit. Cathy immediately falls for his sculpted good looks, but Mel recognizes him for what he is: a crazy astronaut suit full of trouble.  And she's determined to keep her best friend out of harm's way. Unfortunately Cathy is just as determined to get to know the walking history book.

Mel's sarcastic jabs at the vampires are amusing and I like the way she’s  she's forced to face her prejudice and re-examine it.  When she meets a human boy raised by vampires with some interesting prejudices of his own, things really start to get interesting.  I'd give this to fans of paranormal novels looking for a humorous twist.

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan

Erica's Picks
8th grade
Tags: Fantasy, Friendship, Humor, People of Color, Romance, School Stories

Gunnerkrigg Court is unlike anything Antimony has seen before.  Strange things are always happening: like the time she discovered she had a second shadow and helped it to escape, or when she went to research Greek myths in the library and ended up finding the actual Minotaur.  Gunnerkrigg Court can be a dangerous place, but it was her mother's dying wish that she go there.  When she discovers that her parents met at this strange institution, Antimony becomes determined to get to the bottom of its many secrets.  Assuming she can survive the school year.

I loved hearing the Minotaur's side of the story: "See, when I was young, it was hard to meet people my own age, being stuck in the middle of a giant death maze and all."  The book is infused with this dry humor and often satirizes the magical boarding school genre.   My favorite character is the demon that ends up trapped in Antimony's stuffed animal and bound to her will.  Siddell plays on the inherent comedy of his situation like a virtuoso.  The ever-optimistic robot comes in a close second.  Then there's the shadow creature...so many great characters!  I'd give this to fans of fantasy and humor.  

Gunnerkrigg Court by Thomas Siddell

Erica's Picks
4th - 6th grade
Tags: Comics, Fantasy, Humor, School Stories

Skilley is a cat with a big secret and Pip is a mouse with a hidden talent. When they meet under the roof of the Cheshire Cheese Inn, they form an unlikely friendship. But they're not the only strange characters with close-guarded secrets there. The intrigue at this inn is hilarious, entertaining, and inspiring. Don't let this one squeak by--let the cat out of the book and dive in to the cheesy goodness!

This is a funny story  about the unlikely friendship between a word-loving mouse and a cheese-loving cat. The  puns and word-play make it fun to read and the illustrations throughout are excellent. I'd give this fans of A Tale of Despereaux or Charlotte's Web.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy

Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th Grade
Tags: Animals, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Humor

Mirka dreams of becoming a dragon-slayer while her stepmother tries to get her to focus on knitting. Everything changes when she steals a grape. Suddenly a pig starts chasing her around, eating her homework, and making her life miserable. Everyone thinks she's making up the mischievous pig, so she develops a plan to catch the troublesome swine as proof. Soon she's consulting with a witch, battling trolls, and risking her life to get her own sword. When her dreams start to come true will she rise to meet the challenge--or will she discover she's stuck in a nightmare?

As the tagline reads, Mirka is  "Yet another troll-fighting 11 year old orthodox Jewish girl."  The book is full of humour both written and visual.  The troll has a lovely old-world feel but also brags about its treasure of a "shirt once worn by J.K. Rowling. No rips." Really this comic is worth it for the knitting battle scene alone. Hereville is a great fantasy adventure comic that is sure to entertain.

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th Grade
tags: Adventure, Comics, Family Life, Fantasy, Humor

If you're stuck in your room or stuck in a rut,
If your life needs adventure no if, and, or but,
If you love magical creatures and mysteries too,
I've  just the right thing: read Zorgamazoo!

Zorgamazoo is a delightful rhyming romp that reminded me of Dr. Seuss, except in long form. In addition to rhyming, the novel does a lot of fun things with typography and has illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.  Full of weird creatures, clever humor, and adventure this is a great choice for a read-aloud or independent reading.

Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston


Erica's Picks
2nd - 4th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Novels in Verse

When you are only one and a half millimeters tall, a tree can seem like the whole world, and ants, birds, and even rain drops can pose a big threat. The world is even more dangerous for Toby. A whole army of crooks is out looking for him, and with his parents held hostage and his friends turning on him, he quickly ends up alone.  Toby discovers that criminals are taking over the tree and exploiting all its resources. How can Toby save the tree and its people without getting caught?

The world Fombelle creates is delightfully creative and entertaining. Toby is constantly getting himself into scrapes that seem almost absurd from our height, but require bravery and ingenuity for tiny Toby to survive. 

Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle

Erica's Picks
4th - 6th Grade
Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Humor

The Lady Lamorna wants a beautifully hideous new dress. A dress with skulls all along the hem and a motif of poison ivy with blood-red petticoats. There is only one problem: her supply of gold is running a bit low. So she conceives of a wonderfully awful plan to turn the princes of the neighboring kingdoms into frogs and then charge their parents for her potions to  return them to their royal selves. But people keep messing up her perfect plan: trueheart Gracie Gillypot, Gracie's evil stepsister, a fast-talking bat, and even one of the princes. Lamorna will make them regret interfering.  

I love the dark humour of this book and its fairy tale feel.  Fans of Lemony Snicket  will love this funny, fantastic series

The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French

Erica's Picks
3rd - 5th Grade
Tags: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Horror, Humor

Watching a stranger take his dying breath would scar most eleven year old girls for life. But Flavia de Luce is not your average eleven year old. Flavia isn't frightened by the corpse in her backyard, after all the summer had been pretty boring. A mystery is exactly what she needed. Without wasting any time she uses her chemical knowledge to see if she can determine the cause of death and takes off on her bike to uncover clues in town.

This aspiring chemist with a love of poisons and hatred of being called 'dearie' will worm her way into your heart as surely as a large dose of arsenic will stop it. The tongue-in-cheek humor had me laughing throughout and the details about stamp collecting were surprisingly interesting. Overall it was a superb quick mystery.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Erica's Picks
6th - 8th Grade
Tags: Humor, Mystery