Book for Kids Who Like to Laugh

Dave Barry was required reading in the Washigton Post when I was straight out of college oh so many years ago. His weekly column was chock full of funny observations for adults. However, several years back he also began writing books for kids. I was thrilled.

While he has written many books that delight, Science Fair remains my son’s all time favorite and he still looks back on the book as one of the best. So, it didn’t take him more than a few seconds to sit right down with Barry’s latest offering and finish it off almost as quickly as he had begun. Can I really give greater praise than a boy addicted to video games not looking up once from this book until we rang the bell for diner! (Yes, we still ring a bell!)

Don’t forget to visit my website at www.onegreatbook.com so that you won’t miss any of Dave Barry’s latest offerings that will have your video addicted son actually addicted to a book! How can you pass that up?

Title: The Worst Class Trip Ever

Author: Dave Barry

Target: Grades 5-8

Series: No

What this book is about:
Wyatt is going on the obligatory middle school class trip to Washington DC. On the plane ride there, he and his friend Matt start to get suspicious when two men seem to be up to no good. Instead of believing them, the boys get reprimanded by their teacher for disturbing the peace. As these two thirteen year old boys continue to see a threat everywhere they look, there seems to be only a hand full of kids who realize that perhaps there are some bad guys on the scene. Thankfully for Wyatt, one of these kids is the girl he has had a crush on forever!

Why I love this book:
Dave Barry knows funny. Need I say more? This book is a comedy of errors with ridiculous bad guys, teenage boys who do stupid teenage boy things, and silliness to the extreme. Wyatt has the perfect voice as he makes even the absurd sound somewhat reasonable.

There is lots of action in the book with twists and turns in every chapter which will keep kids reading. Of course, reminiscent of Barry’s earlier works, our bad guys come from one of the “stan” countries, in this case Gadakistan.

Who this book is for:
Great for kids who loved Science Fair. This book will be a can’t put down read for boys who like action and humor. Any fan of Stuart Gibbs or Dan Gutman’s Genius Files will like this one.

Final thoughts:
Thankfully my son’s DC trip was nothing like this one!

I am a mom of three with a passion for literature! No matter what book series our kids devour, as they come to an end, we as parents ask the inevitable question - what is next? I am ever on the job, trying to answer that question. I try to do it with a variety of books. Some are silly, some true to life, some pure fantasy, but in the end I hope they make my children love words, explore new ideas, and laugh!