I Even Funnier

James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein's I Even Funnier is a joke-a-minute comedy for 9 year olds about a boy in a wheelchair who needs a whole new act, fast.

What happens

Jamie Grimm has already been crowned the funniest kid comic in New York State. Next up is a regional round at a comedy club in Boston, and he's got about a month to find fresh material.

His Uncle Frankie, who runs a diner on the boardwalk, has the best advice. Forget the joke books. Be you, and use what really happens to you. (Jamie's joke about not being able to find any camouflage trousers gets a groan.)

Luckily for his act, Jamie's life is full of material. His cousin Stevie Kosgrov, the school bully, runs an insults-only "comedy club" in the corridor by the lockers. The girl he likes turns up with a brand-new boyfriend from Malibu. And Vincent O'Neil plonks himself down at lunch to tell terrible puns at everyone.

Then his aunt and uncle ask him to tutor Stevie. Who'd say yes to that? Jamie does, and Stevie's favourite topic so far is Attila the Hun.

There's a lovely run of good luck too. Uncle Frankie gets tickets to Saturday Night Live, and Jamie, Gaynor and Pierce go to the cinema with Gilda on a sort of triple date. Then one of his best friends is marched into the vice principal's office, accused of stealing from lockers.

Jamie tells it all straight to you, with a gag every few lines. Some are his own and lots belong to famous comedians (he usually tells you whose).

It isn't all jokes, though. There's a night alone in his garage bedroom when Jamie admits no joke can fix how much he misses having a real family. It's quietly done and it gives the book a lot of heart.

It's worth knowing that Stevie's bullying is rough and personal. He calls Jamie "crip" and "gimp", both slurs used against disabled people, and at the cinema he tips popcorn over Jamie's head and pours a drink in his lap. The book is firmly on Jamie's side, but a child who's been picked on might want to talk it through.

This is the second I Funny book and it carries straight on from the first, so start with I Funny if your reader hasn't met Jamie yet.

What to read next

If it's the feeling of a boy telling you everything that they love, try Public School Superhero, also co-written by James Patterson. Kenny Wright is starting at a tough middle school and is only fearless inside his own head, where he's a superhero called Stainlezz Steel.