No More Dead Dogs: Humor in Young Adult Literature RUTH GHEYSEN, REBECCA CAUDILL SELECTION COMMITTEE DEBORAH ALTHOFF WILL, ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL BOOK AWARD NOMINATION COMMITTEE

Young adult book themes have trends.

We used to be able to count on this guy for humor!

But then this book happened, and now tears are trending.

We Want to Bring You Books That are Humorous That Also ➢ Include quality writing ➢ Have characters that are believable or at least plausible ➢ Have original voices ➢ Do NOT rely on only sexual humor to convey humor ➢ Do NOT rely on only stories about body odor or other bodily functions as humor ➢ Provide a good story as well as clever characters

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John Eighteen-year-old Piper becomes the manager for her classmates' popular rock band, called Dumb, giving her the chance to prove her capabilities to her parents and others, if only she can get the band members to get along.

Schooled by Gordon Korman Homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never watched television, tasted a pizza, or even heard of a wedgie, but when his grandmother lands in the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a guidance counselor and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about tie-dyeing and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of public school.

Popular: A Memoir: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van wagenen Documents a high school student's year- long attempt to change her social status from that of a misfit to a member of the "in" crowd by following advice in a 1950s popularity guide, an experiment that triggered embarrassment, humor and unexpected surprises.

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen When the difficult star of the reality television show "Expedition Survival" disappears while filming an episode in the Florida Everglades using animals from the wildlife refuge run by Wahoo Crane's family, Wahoo and classmate Tuna Gordon set out to find him while avoiding Tuna's gun-happy father.

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall A romance between two college students, Gabe and Lea, is told through the perspectives of fourteen onlookers, from Lea's roommate to Gabe's best friend, their creative writing teacher, and the barista at the local Starbucks.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier An autobiography in graphic novel format describes how the author lost two of her front teeth in an accident when she was twelve, and her subsequent struggles with various corrective dental techniques throughout adolescence.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly. In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe-- many of them treasured family dishes, and a few of them Lucy's original inventions

How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart When thirteen-year-old David Greenberg's best friend makes the start of middle school even worse than he feared it could be, David becomes friends with Penny, who shares his love of television shows and posts one of their skits on YouTube, making them wildly popular--online, at least.

Two Parties, One Tux* a by Steven Goldman Junior year is turning out to be eventful for Mitchell Wells: his best friend has just come out to him (and only him); he's turned in a somewhat obscene claymation short film instead of his paper on The Grapes of Wrath (didn't go over so well); andone of the most popular girls at school suddenly likes him (huh?!). Prom is coming up, and at this rate, there's no predicting what will happen. -- Description by Ellen Foreman. *and a very short film about the Grapes of Wrath

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols Eleven-year-old Sam McQueen, who has leukemia, writes a book during the last three months of his life, in which he tells about what he would like to accomplish, how he feels, and things that have happened to him.

A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand When his best friend gives him a voodoo doll to get revenge on a teacher, Tyler does not take him seriously until the teacher dies.

Rump by Liesel Shurtliff Relates the tale of Rumpelstiltskin's childhood and youth, explaining why his name is so important, how he is able to spin straw into gold, and why a first-born child is his reward for helping the miller's daughter-turned- queen.

The Devil’s Intern by Donna Hosie Seventeen-year-old Mitchell discovers a time-travel device that will allow him to escape his internship in Hell's accounting office and return to Earth, but his plans to alter the circumstances of his own death take an unexpected turn when his three closest friends in Hell insist on accompanying him back to the land of the living

A Tale Dark and Grim by Adam Gidwitz If you think of fairy tales as nice, pretty little stories to bore children to sleep with, A Tale Dark & Grimm will make you think again. Weaving the disturbing bits of several Brothers Grimm tales and plenty of his own mischief into a single story, author Adam Gidwitz tells his own version of the (often gruesome) adventures of Hansel and Gretel.

Send by Patty Blount On his first day of school in yet another new town, Dan stops a jock, Jeff, from beating up an outcast kid named Brandon; he makes an enemy and a friend in the process, while developing a crush on a classmate, Julie.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he's managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he's in middle school, avoiding reading isn't as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he's tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.

Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden Irreverent, foul-mouthed, seventeen-year-old Cricket Cherpin, living under the watchful eye of Mother Mary at a Catholic boys' home in Maine, has such bleak prospects he is considering suicide when Wynona Bidaban steps into his world.

Rash by Pete Hautman In a future society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free," sixteen-year-old Bo's anger control problems land him in a tundra jail where he survives with the help of his running skills and an artificial intelligence program named Bork.

The One and Only Ivan by Katerine Applegate When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

Girl Parts by John M. Cusik The lives of David, wealthy and popular but still lonely, and Charlie, a soulful outsider, intersect when Rose, the female Companion bot David's parents buy to treat his dissociative disorder, forms a bond with Charlie.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous A look at the deaths of several famous people throughout history and the circumstances surrounding those deaths.

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward and Zack Stentz A boy with autism teams up with the high school bully to get to the bottom of a cafeteria crime

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Who wouldn't jump at the chance to spend her senior year at a boarding school in Paris? Anna Oliphant, that's who. Besides barely speaking French, Anna is perfectly happy at home in Atlanta, Georgia. But Anna's father insists, so Paris it is. And Anna does warm up to the city...especially after she meets gorgeous Etienne St. Clair, who seems to return her interest but already has a girlfriend

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach Just before his sixteenth birthday, Felton Reinstein has a sudden growth spurt that turns him from a small, jumpy, picked-on boy with the nickname of "Squirrel Nut" to a powerful athlete, leading to new friends, his first love, and the courage to confront his family's past and current problems.