Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy

This fictionalized memoir  begins  with a confrontation between Huda and her mother who is holding up a mediocre report card and demanding to know where Huda keeps her drugs.

After grabbing the reader’s attention in media res, the story rewinds back to Huda’s move with her mother and four sisters to Dearborn, Michigan.  There the sisters attend  public school for the first time with other hijab-wearing Muslim girls.  

With a heaping dose of self-deprecating humor, this story of an American Muslim teen is highly accessible to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Raina Telgemeier graphic format memoirs and offers a humorous perspective on one girl’s effort  to fit in and find herself. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

You can find a seven-page educator's guide, including discussion questions and extension activities from the publisher here.

Guest Post: I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano

I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats offers us a sweet, humorous, and rather  bold look at how cats view their interactions with us humans and with the world around them.  I personally enjoyed the obnoxious "Man's Best Friend" and the adorable "Cute Bed Jump.”   But it’s the title poem that for me seals the deal and blows my mind as I imagine cats actually having those thoughts. 

Readers of all ages will find enjoyment between the covers of this book,  and educators will find the poems,  with their use of humor and irony,  an excellent way 

to engage students -   even those struggling  with literacy - in writing poems of their own. --E. Latham

Guest Blogger E. Latham currently teaches at Passages Academy.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray, Photographs by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann

Plutonium is illegal to buy anywhere in the United States, but some Americans carry it inside their pacemaker batteries.  Bananas are radioactive, but only slightly more so that many other things we consume.  Gray mixes fascinating tidbits like these with narrative descriptions of each element’s properties and finds a way to inject the end of each page with a bit of suspense sprinkled with humor.   The two-page spreads dedicated to each element are preceded by Gray’s introduction to the periodic table.  Gray’s writing is remarkable science writing on its own, but the accompanying photographs illustrating both the element being described and some of its uses with captions is a winning formula for readers who may not think they like to read about chemistry.   Backmatter includes a narrative walk through the names of elements 101 to 118 on the table and is followed by an author’s note on the joys of element collecting, an image of the author,  a bibliography, acknowledgements, and an index.  All patrons may enjoy browsing and reading the images within; students reading at upper elementary/middle school levels and beyond may enjoy the text, and science teachers may reach for this in designing lessons to familiarize students with the variety of elements on Earth.  Highly recommended for every school library collection serving middle school and high school readers.—Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Gray, Theodore and Nick Mann.  The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe.  New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009.  Print.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Apartheid in South Africa is not a topic students or teachers usually approach with humor, which makes Noah’s book unique in a school library collection.  Using both his lived experience as well as his famous trademark humor, Noah recounts his childhood in South Africa as a multiracial young person through anecdotes.  The book is structured to provide enough context between anecdotes to offer readers the necessary schema to both laugh at Noah’s jokes and begin to comprehend the horrors of the South African system of apartheid.  In doing so, this book is sure to broaden readers’ comparative perspectives on state-sponsored racism and is likely to lead a curious mind to wonder about the history of a nation they may previously only have connected to the name Nelson Mandela.  Teens may enjoy discussing Noah’s perspective on serious matters like, crime, poverty, and domestic violence, all of which are woven throughout the book.  Recommended for older teen readers as well as book clubs. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Noah, Trevor.  Born A Crime: Stories of a South African Childhood.  New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2016.  Print.

Click here for a short discussion guide published on the blog Book Chatter.

Princess Jellyfish Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura

Tsukimi is a young woman whose passion in life is jellyfish and whose mother has passed away, leading Tsukimi to move into a women-only building in Tokyo. While she finds community with her new neighbors, her newfound independence amongst the like-minded amars is threatened when she is befriended by an attractive cross-dressing boy who happens to be the son of a powerful Japanese politician.   Will the amars be able to accept Tsukimi’s new friend?  Will their community survive a developer’s attempt to take it over?  These volumes collect the Princess Jellyfish series which was originally published in 2008 in serial format and was released as anime in 2010.  Fans of anime will enjoy reading the print, and female manga readers who are not yet familiar with the characters will enjoy the discovery that awaits them, blending otaku culture, humor, suspense, and romance, along with a plotline that involves the politics of gentrification.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Higashimura, Akiko.  Princess Jellyfish (Book 1).  New York: Kodashna Comics, 2016.  Print.

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

Shawn McDaniel is fourteen years old and has a great sense of humor about his life in Seattle, Washington. He appreciates his older brother and sister and his special ability to remember everything he has ever heard since he was three or four years old.  Especially since he can’t talk, or walk, or move much at all.  Reluctant readers may not immediately be able to relate to the narrator, but will be hooked when they learn of his plight and that his father might actually be trying to kill him.  Literally.  A post-novel FAQ and followed by an author Q & A reveals Trueman’s personal connection to the protagonist of this suspenseful short novel which, among other things, can go a long way in helping readers develop empathy.  A great selection for a mixed-age book club.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Trueman, Terry.  Stuck in Neutral.  New York: HarperCollins, 2000.  Print.

Click here for some discussion questions for Stuck in Neutral put together by the Arrowhead Library System in Wisconsin.

Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliot

Q: Why wouldn’t the lion eat the clown?  

A: He tasted funny.  

Nothing lightens the heavy mood common in detention centers more easily than jokes, even the groan-inducing variety.  Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids keeps it clean and punny with this light volume divided into five sections, the largest of which are riddles, animal jokes, and knock-knock jokes.  The other two, tongue twisters and “Some Things to Think About” are pleasant add-ons for the reader whose mouth is beginning to hurt from laughing but not yet ready to put the book away.  Perfect for younger students who are just now ready for language play and looking for an easy laugh, or a developing reader who enjoys the performative and/ or social aspects of literacy. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Elliot, Rob.  Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids.  Grand Rapids: Spire, 2010.

Adventure Time Vol. 1 by Ryan North

A hapless snail has freed the evil Lich from his bag of holding and he is on a mission to destroy everyone and everything in the Land of Ooo.  It is up to Finn and his best friend Jake the magical dog, with the help of their friends, to defeat the Lich and save Ooo.  If you’ve never seen an episode of Adventure Time, the previous sentences may have sounded like gibberish, but fans of the popular television cartoon series will enjoy seeing it brought so faithfully to comic book form.  The art and dialogue are full of lively action, nonsense humor, and wordplay.  Adventure Time is a vibrant option for readers looking for humorous comics and offers a welcome entry point to the format for those turned off by mainstream superhero comics. --Regan Schwartz

Click here for an ELA lesson plan from Diamond Bookshelf.

North, Ryan. Adventure Time Vol. 1. Los Angeles: KaBoom!, 2013. Print.

Flight Volume Six edited by Kazu Kibuishi

What do a Ninja that can't get a job, a gunslinging female detective and an astronaut have in common? Flight! This eight volume set of graphic novel short stories features a multitude of great artwork. Each story has its own unique art style which seems to match the story perfectly and make it come alive.  Like every short story compilation, it has it's hits and misses.  But, in volume six, the hits far outnumber the misses.  The stories cover a wide range of genres but the one thing that brings them all together is the concept of flight.  Although in some stories it is difficult to understand how the theme of flight is represented, this offers a great opportunity for students to figure out the connection, and for teachers to explain the concept of theme.  One favorite in this volume was "The Excitingly Mundane Life of Kenneth Shuri," a story about a ninja freshly graduated from ninja school that can't find a job.  The employment office is no help, his wife complains about him not finding a job and his son wants to be figure skater. In a twist of fate it all works out in the end and the story is filled with hilarious moments.  Among other good ones are "Dead at Noon," a story about a cowboy with amnesia, and "Magnus the Misfit,” a Viking that, unlike the rest of his clan, is not very ferocious.  A definite must read for any comic book fan or short story lover.  Each story is only a few pages, and they range from having no text to plenty of it. --Claudio Leon

Kibuishi, Kazu, ed. Flight Vol 6. New York: Random House Inc, 2009. Print

Bad Dog: 278 outspoken, indecent, and overdressed dogs by R. D. Rosen, Harry Prichett & Rob Battles

Looking for a laugh? Bad Dogs is popular with students who just want to browse and enjoy a few giggles while at it. This is a collection of photographs of dogs, all of them in compromising situations, ridiculous costumes, or both. The authors have included silly captions for each photo, written in the first person from the dog’s perspective. Also included are the pets’ names, ages and hobbies. A call for submissions in the back of the book implies that this is a collection of regular dogs, albeit with maybe not so regular owners. And while the title may suggest the featured dogs are bad, it seems obvious to this reader that these animals have the patience of saints. Also check out the book’s companion, an equally popular Bad Cats: 244 not-so-pretty kitties and cats gone bad.  --Anja Kennedy

Rosen, R. D., Harry Prichett, and Rob Battles. Bad Dog: 278 outspoken, indecent, and overdressed dogs. New York: Workman Publishing, 2005.

Guys Write for Guys Read Edited by Jon Scieszka

Motivating young male readers can be a daunting task, but Jon Scieszka’s Guys Write for Guys Read offers a sparkling and robust antidote. Scieszka, the founder of the “Guys Read” initiative, brings us an anthology of male authors speaking to every aspect of their personal coming-of-age experience. Be it superheroes, sexuality, crime, family, relationships, acne, or school, Guy Write for Guys Read candidly exposes the experiences of male adolescence. Combining fiction, memoir, comic strips, poems, illustrations and jokes, this title will entice a wide variety of readers. But get this, Scieszka’s devised an even more intricate plot; each of the 92 pieces of work in Guys Write for Guys Read is exceptionally brief in length. The authors and illustrators offer just enough to lure the resistant reader in and end each piece with a brief biography and a selected bibliography. --Lisa Buckton

Scieszka, John, ed.. Guys Write for Guys Read. New York: Viking, 2005.

Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka

Absolutely hilarious and totally relatable. Jon Scieszka invites the reader into his childhood antics growing up as the second oldest in a family of six boys. Family photos often deliver the punch line as Scieszka tells stories about Halloween costumes, school photos, and hand-me-downs. While each of the stories are brief and written in language that is accessible for students with a low reading level, the work maintains a reverence for childhood as a special time from the perspective of someone who has already left it. In this way, it invites even the most disenfranchised students to reflect upon the innocence, silliness, and adventure of childhood without talking down to them. Teachers can easily select one tale to share as a class and invite students to tell their own story.

Scieszka, Jon. Knucklehead: Tall tales & mostly true stories about growing up Scieszka. New York: Viking, 2008.