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Synopsis
Bobby is the class clown. He can always be counted on to crack up his friends and sometimes even the teachers. But he can't always be counted on to stay out of trouble'and that's no joke when you're in danger of being shipped off to a special school for kids with ‘behavioral problems.' Bobby's got one last chance to prove to his teachers, his principal, and his parents'especially his super-sarcastic dad'that he can be taken seriously. His assignment: to put on a school-wide laugh-off. It's teachers vs. students'and may the best comic win. It's also a chance for Bobby to show his dad that mean jokes aren't just kidding around. Packed with kid-tested jokes and riddles, this funny novel is also a thoughtful exploration of the power of laughter to hurt'and to heal.
2000-2001 Georgia's Picture Storybook Award & Georgia's Children's Book Award Masterlist
Children's Literature
By the end of this book, I wanted to run out to a library and look up books on the art of comedy. Levy lavishes trade secrets on us with her story about Bobby Garrett, class clown. Bobby s showmanship will be tested. Because he has refused to do his homework, Bobby receives an extra-credit project. He must plan, host, and perform in the school's first "laugh-off." For the school this is a contest between the faculty and students to determine whose jokes are funnier - kids or adults. But for Bobby, that s not the real story. The real story is the age-old struggle between father and son. In a family where any part of your life is fair-game for hurtful and spiteful teasing, Bobby knows that this contest is not just for laughs. Though Bobby does grow, we also meet stock characters like the teacher who believes in Bobby, the rebel older brother, the voiceless mother and the loving grandma. The book's beginning is slow, but perseverance (which is also what Bobby Garrett learns) does pay off.