OK, we were stuck in the car for quite a while so when we started listening to these short stories, something happened. The kids stopped bickering. They stopped asking "are we there yet?" Peaceful driving through some scary mountain roads.

Guys Read: Funny Business is a collection of short stories read by different narrators. All the stories have their merits, but a few stories stood out for us. I need to apologize for not taking notes on the titles of the stories (it was dark in the car) so here are our top picks:

1. I think our favorite had to be the one about Papa Red - the really mean grandfather who enjoyed playing nasty tricks on his family. There's some pretty gross hot dog humor there and we were laughing our heads off.

2. The Travis the Turkey story - Told from the point of view of a boy who felt Travis was taking his place in the family. Quite funny, especially when the boy thought that the turkey was out to get him.

3. Will - This story kind of reminded me of The Incredibles. A special school for kids with "talent" and a bit of crazy superheroes. Lots of fun and special costumes and of course, really smart kids.

4. Remember those reading assignments you got as a kid? Or if you ever had one of those creative teachers that made you actually write an author and ask questions? This story had a really lazy kid ask an author to answer the standard boring questions. The back and forth letter writing was quite entertaining.

This series is great for the reluctant reader. The stories are interesting and have just the right amount of gross out factor combined with humor. Well done.

This audio book was downloaded free of charge as part of http://audiobooksync.com Summer 2012 promotion.

See what other audio books made our Road Trip playlist and what we thought of them on Badass Book Reviews.audio-book free-downloads middle-grades ...more10 s AmandaAuthor 39 books97

There is a pretty wide range of stories here so it was hard to give it a rating as a whole. I came up with three stars as an average. Getting more young boys into reading is a very noble goal so I had higher hopes. A few of these had messages that I'd rather my own boys were not exposed to, particularly humor at the expense of others. I hope some of the other guys read collections are better.

Best of Friends (2 stars) - This is a story about a kid pretending to be friends with someone he doesn't so that he can get something he wants from him. Besides the fact that this is a terrible message for kids, the story was just kind of dull.

Will (4 stars) - Will is about a class of kids who all sprout oddities (wings, super powers, etc) and then one of the few kids who doesn't gets to be the real hero. I d this story, but didn't think it was particularly funny. Seemed it would fit better in a sci-fi collection.

Artemis Begins (5 stars) - The only 5 star effort was this gem about growing up in a house with five boys and their various personalities. I knew how it was going to end right away, but still enjoyed the lead up. This was the only one that made me laugh out loud.

???? - The story by Jeff Kinney was not available for the proof.

Dear Lady Author (3 stars) - This is a series of letters between a kid and an author for a school assignment. The first letter and response were great, but then it really doesn't go anywhere after that.

A Fistful of Feathers (3 stars) - This is a story about a boy whose father decides to "make a man out of him" by getting a live turkey shortly before Thanksgiving. The boy then believes the turkey is out to get him. The story probably would have been 5 stars if it had been edited down to about half. It dragged on and on.

Kid Appeal (2 stars) - Two boys need an idea to enter a contest. Pretty dull and unbelievable and most of the "gags" were about how one boy or the other was stupid. Fifth-graders not knowing the answer to 20 plus 20 is not funny.

What? You Think You Got It Rough? (1 star) - Terrible story about a kid with an abusive grandfather. Most of it is dialog and all the characters have grammar that makes your brain hurt. It was torture to finish it.

My Parents Gave My Bedroom to a Biker (4 stars) - A mildly amusing, but mostly just weird, story about exactly what the title says. Not a bad read.

The Bloody Souvenir (4 stars) - I had a hard time rating this one because I had a hard time reading it. It's not for the squeamish and I am very squeamish. But I still saw the merit and got a couple of grins out of it. I think many boys would enjoy it.
5 s Sarah Booth395 40

I got this book for the story by Daniel Pinkwater but the story by Kate DiCamillo was the best. It was about a yount student reluctantly writing to an author for a class assignment and their back-and-forth letters. Each got a lot from the experience though it started out roughly for them both. 4 s Hannah25

This is a collection of short stories. And only 1 short story was actually good. The rest were too weird. That one good story was about a child writing to an author. If you want to read this book, just read that one story.
The last short story was especially horrible. Violent and just plain disgusting. Before I say anything, let me say these boys are only 12 years old. So there is one kid who is basically addicted to danger and dangerous people. His two friends are the “most dangerous kids in the neighbourhood”. At the start of this story, one of the boy’s friend (both age 12) asks him if he wants to smoke a pack of CIGARETTES to see who can go through them the fastest. He says no, then his friend THREATENS him with a KNIFE.
I do not recommend to ANYONE (apart from the writing to an author story).
I will save you the trouble (and nightmares) of reading this book by telling you that this was one of the worst books I ever read. I would rather buy 50 good books than read this one from the library for free ever again.3 s Terry88 23

I started off loving this book, with the first half filled with humorous standout stories: "Best of Friends" by Mac Barnett involving a kid trying to win a sweepstakes prize by befriending a nerd; "Will" by Adam Rex, a surprising comedy/scifi story with a group of kids outwitting a would-be supervillain; and, the best in the book, "Kid Appeal" by David Lubar in which two friends participate in a history contest with a painful mummy costume and a video camera. All three are laugh-out-loud funny, but it's Lubar's punny dialogue, developed characterization, and just-stretching credulity realism that make it rise to the top. After those 3 highs, Kate DiCamillo & Jon Scieszka team up for a surprisingly touching and humorous epistolary short story that is just a little close to a writing exercise. Despite the unrealistic ending, it's well-written and amusing.

In the middle of the pack are "Artemis Begins" by Eoin Colfer (a fine tale of an evil genius sibling, but very short--kind of a throwaway, especially considering his standout story in the collection 'Click'); "What? You Think You Got It Rough?" by Christopher Paul Curtis (about a cantankerous grandfather, this story has the opposite problem--it's too long by half and doesn't quite go anywhere. It's a story-within-a-story with an amusing climax, but there's way too much present-day backstory.); "The Bloody Souvenir" by Jack Gantos (a story about self-wart removal, this one's engaging, but more gross than funny); and "A Fistful of Feathers" by David Yoo (original in that the narrator is an effeminate boy (yay!), but unoriginal in the killer pet idea. In the end, the story just isn't believable in the way that "Kid Appeal" is, and much of the humor falls with a leaden thud.)

And, then, at the bottom of the heap: "Unaccompanied Minors" by Jeff Kinney--a rambling tale that feels as if it's what was edited out of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid.' The writing style that is so good in the DoaWK books feels stale, too, without the drawings. A disappointment, to be sure, but not as jaw-droppingly bad as "My Parents Give My Bedroom to a Biker" by Paul Feig. What a great premise (see title), by a great comedian (Bridesmaids! Freaks and Geeks!) with solid talent and an engaging writing style that ends in the stupidest deus ex machina ever! It will leave you scratching your head and saying 'Really?' over and over. It's disappointing, too, because it brings the collection down to a much lower level--perhaps 4th graders would appreciate the zany (generous adjective) ending.

Overall, though, this book is an enjoyable read, with more humor than your average YA book and a few excellent stories.2011-books cdcs-young-adult3 s Childrens Librarian64 4

A collection of stories that is often more annoying that funny. I asked two middle schoolers to read them also to make sure that it was not my jaded adult view that did not find the stories funny. They did not go for them either. I think Scieszka is trying too hard to appeal to boys and maybe the book will booktalk itself. I surely won't hand it to many kids. It is okay, but does not deserve the hand sell. -Maevej-fic3 s Rad680 24

I got this from Goodreads First Reads, whatever it's called. So far, this is the best book I've won!

It's a book of short stories for boys, pretty much, but even though I'm a girl I still found them funny. (Most of them, anyway.) Here's the rundown on stories, humor levels, and likability:

1. Best of Friends by Mac Barnett: When Dean finds out class nerd Ernest has won the Nestle Sweepstakes, which gives him and a friend a tour of the factory, Dean makes it his personal mission to become Ernest's best friend, no matter how much it hurts him. Very funny, and even though Dean is kind of a jerk, you're still on his side, because SO IS ERNEST! Ernest is the kid you love to hate. Or hate to hate, you know.

2. Will by Adam Rex: Possibly my favorite. Will goes to a school where everyone - and I mean everyone - has some kind of special power or magical adventure. As one character puts it, it's the school "with the kids everyone writes books about." Will's brother and his friends had a magic tree house, one of his classmates is a demigod, and another is a superhero, which is why a supervillain shows up in Will's classroom one day, wreaking havoc. Somehow, it's up to Will to save the day. Rex puts in a lot of quirky characters - something he seems to be very good at - and plenty of action and humor - two other things he seems to be very good at.

3. Artemis Begins by Eoin Colfer: I wasn't a huge fan of the autobiographical stories, but at least I finally found out how to pronounce Eoin Colfer's first name! (It's OWEN. Who knew?) Anyway, in this story, Colfer's brother gets in the biggest trouble ever after breaking his mother's very special acting award, and the only person who can save his skin is Colfer's other, maniacal, genius brother. In the end, though, the young Colfer wonders if he really wanted help in the first place.

4. Kid Appeal by David Lubar: One of my other favorite stories. When I read on the jacket flap that one of the stories involves a kid dressing up as a mummy, I thought, "That's gonna suck." But it didn't! Basically, two boys get it into their heads that despite their procrastinatory nature and lack of interest in their town, they are going to win a contest by celebrating the history of their small town. Hijinks ensue. One of them dresses up as a mummy. Glorious.

5. Your Question for Author Here by Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka: An epistolary short story, told in letters from an author to a kid. I've never read Dear Mr. Henshaw, but I have a feeling that it has nothing to do with this story. At. All. There were bits of humor scattered throughout. It may have been my third favorite story, just for the epistolary, although I thought it was kind of a cop-out to have that last letter just detailing the whole climax. I mean, come on! What am I reading for, if not the climax?

6. A Fistful of Feathers by David Yoo: It's hard to put my finger on why I d this one. So, 1) The main character was a boy who did girly things, which is very refreshing; 2) Every single character is hilarious, and that includes the turkey; 3) Come on, if you read this story and don't hate the turkey by the end ... well, become a vegetarian or something. Don't talk to me, because I'll just scream at you.

7. Unaccompanied Minors by Jeff Kinney: The other autobiographical one, which was more , "A series of funny hijinks starring me and my brother." At least you always knew what Jeff and his brother wanted: to one-up each other. Which they do, to your heart's content.

8. "What? You Think You Got It Rough?" by Christopher Paul Curtis: This story within a story is mostly one big build-up, but the payoff is worth it, I think. I find myself wondering whether or not CPC has an older, smart-mouthed brother, because those are sure popping up in his stories a lot.

9. My Parents Give My Room to a Biker by Paul Feig: Probably (actually, definitely) my least favorite, simply because of the sudden turn in pacing at the end. Everything was going so nicely up to that point, but the ending felt so rushed that I was just glad when it ended.

10. The Bloody Souvenir by Jack Gantos: OH MY GOD. You know how people have passed out at Chuck Palahniuk reading from that one book of his? I was riding Public Transportation when I read this, and GOOD GRAVY. Just be warned, this story is not for the faint of heart. I'm not even faint of heart, and I was cringing my way through it, which is I think the first time a story has ever made me do that. On the plus side, it's absolutely disgusting. I'm sure the target audience will find it to be so, and will cheer.


Overall, I loved this book. And ask me again how much I enjoy story collections. GO AHEAD, ASK. I will say, "NOT DANG MUCH" even though the only one I really hated was 21 Proms. However, I love this one. I'm even thinking of reading a couple of the stories out loud to my kids. (The kids I teach, not the ones I have. Which I don't. SO.)first-reads middle-grade own2 s daniel ramkissoon20 1 follower

this book was not really all as great as i had wanted it to be in my opinion i do not think that it was really that good and i think that it really lacked some important things. mainly this book is a whole bunch of stories from different famous authors who tell a story and it is supposed to be funny. that was what i was hoping for in the blurb of the book it says that this took was supposed to make you spit chocolate milk in your friends face well in my opinion i do not think it made me spit chocolate milk into my friends face. i think that the stories just made no sense at all and they were just not funny in my opinion i think that this book really does not make the reader laugh at all the stories just did not make any sense at all they really did not have a funny element to them and i think that for all of the gifted and talented writers that wrote a story ere i am very disappointed because this book is horrible i thought that when you put a lot of talented authors together into one book you would get a goo book but this book proved me wrong it was poorly written, it was boring and i think that it was not funny at all i wish that this book could have offered more but i really do the idea of different authors coming together and writing something funny in all other aspects i do not think that this book was all that good i wish that it could have been a little bit more funny and creative i also wish that they could have added more to it because it kind of gets boring hearing stupid stories about kids playing jokes on each other that really is not all that funny so in tither words i did not really this book i think it needs more things in it i wish it could have been better it just was not funny and the stories didn't make sense2 s Emily Brent35 3

I really enjoyed the humor that this book displayed. We read 2 of these stories in class, but I wanted to read more so I decided to buy it and see if the other short stories were just as funny. I was blown away, the irony and humor displayed would cause anyone to fall over laughing. I really enjoyed the wide variety of authors and the stories they wrote for this book, it was such a good mixture of the authors and stories that I think anyone would be able to read this book. I think this story is a master piece, and it was really well done. I recommend this book to all and anyone who wants a good book. Trust me, you will be laughing so hard you will almost be crying, I guarentee it.favorites2 s Lincoln Shaw17 3

#6 The book Funny Business by various authors is a very silly and yes, funny book. The man who made these series possible who put all these stories together is Jon Scieszka.
It is a collection of many stories from famous authors, to some I have never heard of. Some have good endings some do not. I feel this book was overall pretty good. I will tell you, it wasn’t the most interesting book in the library. It would have been better if the stories had been longer than a few pages. I also think that they had some good and famous author choices. A few authors they had are, Christopher Paul Curtis, James Dashner, Rick Riordan, and Stephen King. It would have been better also if the books were longer. So in my opinion basically what Jon here needs to do is to is make everything longer and bigger. That’s pretty much all. A good life lesson from this book is that life is too short not to laugh. You need to make the best of life even in the worst possible situation, which happens often in this book. It is just so terrible that it is almost gut wrenching shout out hilarious. The theme for this book is live life to the fullest. And I fully support that saying, to the fullest I can.1 Holly1,306 6

3.5 to 4 stars. As with all collections — some are good and some are not so good. 1 Isaac Torres14

I really enjoyed guys read: funny business by Jon Scieszka is very good book i loooovvvee how this book has multiple stories wrapped up into one book it is defenitly a five star for me. this book is perfect for me and i am 100% sure other guys would love this too. With short stories that dont take that long to get to the point, I absolutely recommend this to all guys trying to find a good book!This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1 Sps592 8

Abridged from booktalk* at a nearby elementary school:
I was reading this book on the bus this week and laughing so hard I thought the grandma in the seat in front of me was going to turn around and go “Shhhh!” You know it’s bad when someone else is shushing the librarian.
This book has stories by 11 different authors. Normally in a collection this there’s one or two really good stories, one or two stories that are just so terrible that you can’t believe they were included, and the rest are fine but nothing to write home about. Maybe I’m biased, because I prefer funny books to pretty much all other kinds of books, but I d every single story in here. In fact it was kind of hard to decide which one to read from, partly because I didn’t want to ruin it for you.

Because really, you have to come to the library and read this book. You have to read the story about the homicidal turkey that goes after a kid in the night, except his parents don’t believe him and treat the turkey it’s the son they never had. The parents the turkey better than the kid. And whenever the parents’ backs are turned, the turkey turns to the kid and says “DIE.”**

You also have to read the story about this kid whose next-door neighbors are really bad influences. They skateboard down a slide and through a flaming hula hoop while their cousin films it. There’s a lot of blood in that story. They are really, really bad influences. Please note that if you get a hula hoop as your Summer Reading prize, you are absolutely not allowed to set it on fire. This is definitely one of those DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME sorts of things.

OK but so the story I am going to read is by Jeff Kinney. Does that name ring a bell? Jeff Kinney wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and this story is about him and his brother when they were kids. (Just as a side note, there’s also a story in here by Eoin Colfer who wrote Artemis Fowl, about his brother, who apparently was really truly kind of an evil genius as a kid, and inspired Artemis Fowl.) Here’s the Jeff Kinney story.***

*A booktalk is basically a little ad for a book that you deliver. Hence the all-positive and semi-fabricated content. There was a bus, and grandmas, and me, but I wasn't laughing quite that hard, because I was trying not to get motion sickness. And I didn't love all the stories or everything about all the stories. But this is an ad! It is to get the kidlets to read! And it effing worked.


**I got way close to a kid in the front row and got a crazy-turkey look in my eyes when I said this part.

***Then I read an excerpt, the first four pages or so, from the story "Unaccompanied Minors." middle story1 Evelyn Mendoza25 3

Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka is a short story book. It includes 10 stories with some of my favorite authors , Jeff Kinney and Jack Gantos. My favorite story out of the ten is "Best of Friends" by Mac Barnett. The story is about Dean and his "friend" Ernest. Ernest tells Dean that he has won two tickets to the Nesquick factory and that only his best friend will get the second ticket. Dean wants to go to the factory because in the commercial they show kids jumping into a chocolate pool and he wants to be one of those kids! Dean tries everything. Until one night he sleeps over at Ernest's house thinking that the next day when Ernest chooses who he's taking to the factory it will be him but it all goes wrong. In the morning when they get to school Ernest confesses that there was never tickets to the factory! Dean realizes that how would a company let a bunch of kids into a chocolate pool and into there company?
My least favorite story was "A Fist Full of Feathers by David Yoo. The story talks about a boy and how his dad thinks he's too girly. He d playing with dolls and had to name one of his dolls Mr.Elizabeth because he somehow thought that would make his dad less angry. However, it was getting near Thanksgiving and so his dad thought it would be a good Idea to get his son a turkey to get him into the holiday. They bought the turkey and it seemed that the turkey was better at playing sports and watching sports then the dads only son. His son would sometimes try to get near the turkey but he thought the turkey kept telling him to DIE. One day when his parents went out he went into there room and ripped up his mom's dresses,his dad's shoes,and even peed on there bed. Lastly he lift feathers around the bed. The day of Thanksgiving the turkey was nowhere to be seen until they ate dinner. There he was sitting on table already cooked. Only the dad's son was eating everyone was watching.
I didn't think the story belonged inside a funny book because I didn t find anthing funny. But overall I did the story! 1 Caitlin386 15

NOTE: I won this book on a GoodReads First Reads giveaway. This volume of ten short stories is a fun mix of silly and humorous writing from some of today's most popular children's and young adult authors and illustrators. As with any eclectic short story collection, I d some pieces more than others. Several of the stories are obviously geared more toward preteen boys (but, hey I can't really fault the authors or editor for this...the book is called "Guys Read" after all!), and are therefore full of what my mother calls 'bathroom humor' and jokes about bodily functions. But then there were two stand-out stories in this collection that basically forced me to add another star to my rating of the book overall. Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka teamed up and wrote "Your Question for the Author Here," which is an epistolary story that centers on a back-and-forth exchange between a preteen boy and a female author, when the boy is assigned an author study project for his English class. I loved this story...it is funny and sweet and just about perfectly written. The second story I d was David Yoo's "Fistful of Feathers," about a father's quest to make his son more manly by bringing home a pet turkey...that turns out to have a very sinister side! This one made me laugh aloud several times because it was just so comically absurd! I would recommend this collection of short stories to boys 10 and up...and girls might even a few of the stories too! childrens first-reads short-stories ...more1 Gladys104

I got this book after going to see Jon Scieszka talk, I was interested to see if it was as funny as he told us it would be. Some of the stories were, some I guess you have to be a boy to understand them. My favorite stories were "Best of Friends" by Mac Barnett, "Will" by Adam Rex, "Kid Appeal" by David Lubar, "You Question For" by Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka and " My Parents gave my bedroom away to a biker" by Paul Feig. This stories were trully funny and I have no problem telling people about them. On the other hand I found "A fistful of feathers" by David Yoo, " What do you think you got it rough" by Christopher Paul Curtis, and "The bloody souvenir" by Jack Gantos" quiet disturbing. Jack Gantos story might appeal to boys because of its grusome details, it had me cringing more than one time.Christopher Paul Curtis story, although a well develop story, I found it a little disturbing because of the physical abuse that was done to Papa Red. The Turkey story was disturbing to me because I had a chicken that I raised since he was a little baby chick and it end it up on our dinner table, no one it just with the Turkey. I'm pretty sure boys would the stories, I know that I became fan of at least three writers whom I had not had time to meet through their writings, now for sure I will be checking out their books. 1 Kate CopeseeleyAuthor 13 books67

First of all, several of the stories in this book weren't even funny. I realize that humor is a subjective element in a book, but when I say they weren't funny, I mean, they were downright DEPRESSING. the first story alone almost made me want to close the books.
Most of the time, the characters weren't able, and I found myself confused by the audience these books are trying to reach. The book says it's aimed at middle school boys, but I couldn't see much in here that they would find hilarious.
There were a few shining moments, as with Colfer's story of his childhood inspiration for Artemis Fowl (he is one of my favorite authors for boys, so it was a hardly a surprise that the story was well-written, and funny). Scieszka's own story was laugh out loud, as well.

However, one story, featuring a creepy turkey with death on the brain, is more something that belongs in the Twilight Zone than in the pages of a book meant to make boys laugh.

The introduction to the book says it all for me. Jon Scieszka sums it up perfectly. Some people can tell a joke and some can't. Several of the authors in this collection should have stayed out of the game.1 Payten L15

Grade Interest level- 7th
Reading Level- Lexile 840
Genre- Multiple Short Stories, Humor
Main Characters- Many Characters, I said, this book consists of multiple short stories
Setting- Many Settings, read main characters row for more information
POV- Depends of which story you're reading

This book consists of many short stories, so I guess I won't be able to explain what the characters are doing, but what characteristics the book contains. This book is very funny, but gets down to business. The stories are about many kids and how sometimes their life is difficult and how sometimes they get in trouble. The stories are funny and they will always make you want to read more.

I would recommend this book to someone who s funny stories. The stories are all very good and I would definitely read this again.1 Lauren Adams25 2

"Guys Read:Funny Business" by Jon Scieszka is a hilarious book containing multiple different stories from authors such as Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Kate DiCamillo, and more. Contrary to the title, this book can be read by anyone (boys, girls, ect.) who loves to have a great laugh. One of my favorite short stories in this book is called,"Unaccompinied Minors," this short story is by Jeff Kinney is about Jeff and his brother Patrick and how close these two become through the years. I recommend this book to anyone nine and older.1 Liana Graciano4

The book "Guys Read Funny Business" edited by Jon Scieszka is a book for people who to laugh and to be a bit weird out. This book is has multiple funny short stories written by different authors. One story is called "The Bloody Souvenir" written by Jack Gantos, this story is an example that I would be able to say is a short story that would weird you out. Another short story "Artemis Begins" is written by Eoin Colfer. This short story is also a very funny and the characters are foolish/creative. I hope that after reading my book review you will look into reading it. 1 Stacey Mulholland454 1 follower

I am enjoying the stories but I didn't think the first two were funny. So far my favorite is the mummy story by John Lubar, "Kid Appeal".

I enjoyed many of these stories but my original thought of them continued; many of the stories weren't funny. My least favorite story was "My Parents Give My Bedroom to a Biker" by Paul Feig. The story is about the kids parents and others get possessed by an alien and the day is saved with broccoli. It was really weird. 1 Amy2,269 5

I am a mom, not a twelve year old boy, so maybe that is why this book did not appeal to me. I was expecting Captain Underpants type potty humor, instead it was pre-Stephen King type stuff. Just crude and in poor taste. It was not really that funny--just kind of gross. (Which I guess boys .)

Anyway, if you buy this for a boy....this book is better for an older boy ( age twelve) than a younger boy (age eight).older-kids1 Laura216 3

Some of the chapters (short stories) were hits, other misses for me. I really d:
Will by Adam Rex--- What does it take to be a Hero?
Artemis Begins by Eoin Colfer--- AutoBio- tells where he got his inspiration for the character.
Your Question Here: Kate DiCamillor and Jon Scieszka: Letter writing to author assignment.1 Murray20

Do you mini-stories that are very interesting?
Do not read this then. When I read the series each one was not very interesting or funny. They were filled with bad and confusing action that was not very funny what-so-ever.
If you enjoy wasting time this book is for you.1 Nicole2,157 11

HILARIOUS!!! My fifth graders loved it! nephew1 Amber Johnson98 26

I to recommend this collection to older boys looking for a new favorite author. older-readers1 KK21 6

"Your question for the author here" by Kate DiCamillo and "A fistful of feathers" by David Yoo were hilarious, however I did not enjoy the other stories. 1 Julian Lopez6

***Spoiler Alert*** Have you ever wanted something, so bad that you would do anything to get it? The genre of this book is comedic and childish, but also fiction. Since there were ten stories in the book I decided to pick my favorite one, which is called,"Best of Friends." I feel that this book was amazing because it had twists and turns, but also because it made me laugh. For example, Ernest lies that he has tickets to the nesquik factory, which stunned the whole school.

During school, Dean struggles to convince Ernest to take him to the nesquick factory because he's not the only person that wants to go. He tried many times, but he couldn't succeed. One day, he noticed that Ernest was getting bullied in the hallway, so he decided to protect Ernest, but at that point Ernest told Dean the truth. The conflict of this story is person versus person because Dean and the whole school compete for the ticket to the nesquick factory. For example, during recess everyone wanted to play with Ernest, but Ernest chose to play with dean. Also, a kid from school invited Ernest to eat, but not dean, which gave the a chance to get the ticket. The theme of this story is,"Watch what you say," because Ernest caused everyone to go crazy for a ticket that he said he had, but realistically he didn't.

The first person point of view affects the story by showing the main characters feelings and experiences. For example, when Ernest decides to tell dean that he made it the tickets up, dean becomes very sad and stunned. According to the story,"Ernest whispered in my ear,'There is no sweepstakes. I made that up.' The locker room was quiet, an empty church. My hands, which had been balled up in fists in front of me, relaxed and dropped to my sides. Oh no. No. My brain pivoted hard. Of course."

I was surprised when Ernest made the tickets up just to be popular because Ernest seemed an innocent child. For example, Ernest did not dress a liar. According to the story,"Ernest looked more ninety than nine. He had thick lensed glasses that were attached snugly to his face by a cloth band that wrapped around his head. Our school had uniforms, and he was the only kid to opt for the cardigan instead of the sweater. Twin deposits of dried spit lined either side of his mouth; he always looked he had just eaten lots of vanilla frosting."

I would rate this book five stars because it gives real advice to people, such as,"Watch what you say." This advice would allow people to become a better person for themselves for the the people. I would recommend this book for people who enjoy comedy and fiction because there are many jokes and unreliable information. "What you say can impact someones life"1 Aimee116 5

All the books in this series are compiled and edited by Jon Scieszka, who is an American children's writer and the founder of Guys Read – a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers.” While I am a big proponent that both boys and girls can enjoy all genres and we don’t need to specify who will what, I do know that parents tend to struggle sometimes finding books to particularly interest their boys, and these story collections do seem to cater to typical boy humor. I started with the first book in the series, called “Funny Business,” and I really enjoyed it. I love humorous short story collections, and most of them were genuinely entertaining to even a middle-aged woman. I can only imagine what a tween boy would think. One of my favorites in “Funny Business” was story number 2 called “Will” about a quote/unquote normal boy attending a school of budding superheroes. He tries desperately to find some tiny clue that he is really a superhero underneath his normalness. Crazy stuff starts happening in the school, and chaos ensues. Very clever story. I think my favorite story was number 3 called “Artemis Begins.” This one is written by none other than Eion Colfer, author of the popular Artemis Fowl fantasy series. This short story is from the author’s childhood about his trouble-making brother who ended up inspiring his famous fictional character. I seriously laughed out loud in parts of this. Colfer is a really great writer who can say things in such a tongue-in-cheek way. Another story in this collection I loved was number 9: “My parents give my bedroom to a biker” by Paul Feig. This one had quite the surprise ending that I wasn’t expecting. I think anyone of any age would enjoy it. I think my least favorite stories were number 6: “A Fistful of Feathers” by David Yoo in which a fifth grade boy’s father decided that his son is not manly enough and tries something quite unconventional to change that. I wasn’t so sure about this one. I also didn’t love number 7: “Unaccompanied Minors” by Jeff Kinney. Yes, this is the same Jeff Kinney who wrote the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. This story is basically describing brothers who terrorize each other to no end and lie to each other in order to trick each other. I wasn’t a huge fan of the lessons (or lack thereof) this one was putting across, but I suppose a boy might find it entertaining. Overall, this book was fun, and I think collections this are good personal reading for all ages, but could also be great read-alouds.clean-ish Skylar14 Read

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