Laugh-out-Loud Books

Our Laugh-out-Loud Books Collection highlights titles that bring levity to literature through satire, dark humor, or hilarious dialogue. Representing genres ranging from romantic comedies to classic children's titles, this Collection features titles to tickle every reader's funny bone.

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Aging

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Travel Literature, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

Rules Of The Road is a contemporary young adult novel by established author Joan Bauer, first published in 1998. It is the first book in the Rules of the Road series. The second book, Best Foot Forward, was published in 2005. Joan Bauer’s own complicated childhood with an alcohol-addicted father inspired Rules of the Road, which was met with critical acclaim. It won both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Golden Kite Award... Read Rules of the Road Summary


Publication year 2002

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags LGBTQ, Mental Illness, Humor, Psychology, Psychology, Biography

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs was first published in 2002 as a memoir. After several of the figures it features sued for defamation and dishonesty of its claims, however, it was recategorized as a book. It can also be classified as a bildungsroman since it follows the adolescent growth of its narrator and protagonist. Running with Scissors was adapted into a feature film in 2006.Other works by this author include Dry and A Wolf... Read Running With Scissors Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mythology, Humor, Action / Adventure


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure


Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Literary Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Animals, Action / Adventure, Humor

Carl Hiaasen’s Scat! is a young adult thriller with a comic tone and an environmental message. Nick Waters and his best friend, Marta Gonzalez, are students at the private Truman School in Naples, Florida. When their biology teacher, Mrs. Bunny Starch, disappears, the two students are drawn into a conflict between a ruthless oil company and an informal band of environmentalists bent on protecting the breeding grounds of an endangered Florida panther and her cub. The... Read Scat Summary


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

Canadian author Gordon Korman’s middle-grade novel, Schooled, was published in 2007. The coming-of-age novel follows 13-year-old Capricorn Anderson after he leaves the commune on which he was homeschooled by his grandmother, Rain, to live with a foster family and attend public school while Rain recovers from an accident. With no knowledge of the outside world, Capricorn struggles to fit into his new middle school, learning lessons about how rules and norms govern society and how... Read Schooled Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Poverty, Humor

Scrawl (2010) is a young adult novel by American author Mark Shulman, who has written more than 200 books for young readers. Scrawl follows a young teenage bully, Tod Munn, and his experience in detention where he is required by a guidance counselor to write about himself in a journal. In the journal, Tod describes his struggles with coming from a low-income family, low self-esteem, and his problematic behavior at school. The novel was a... Read Scrawl Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Romance, Humor, Race / Racism


Publication year 1773

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Humor, Classic Fiction, Play: Comedy / Satire, British Literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy

She Stoops to Conquer is a play by British writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in 1773. The play is a comedy of manners and a romance set in 18th-century England. Goldsmith was an Anglo-Irish poet and dramatist and this play is his most popular and well-known work, with performances still regularly occurring in the 21st century. In 1778, John O'Keeffe wrote a successful sequel to the play, entitled Tony Lumpkin in Town. She Stoops to... Read She Stoops to Conquer Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Disability

Tags Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Grief / Death


Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Humor, Magical Realism, Education, Children's Literature, Education, Fantasy


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Humor


Publication year 2014

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Teams, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Humor, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Sports


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Humor, Holidays & Occasions, Modern Classic Fiction

Skipping Christmas is a 2001 satirical novella by John Grisham. It tells the story of Luther and Nora Krank, a married couple whose adult daughter, Blair, moves to Peru a month before Christmas. Facing their first Christmas without their daughter, and disillusioned by the holiday’s excesses, they decide to forego Christmas that year and go on a cruise instead. However, their decision brings them into conflict with their friends and neighbors, who expect them to... Read Skipping Christmas Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Irish Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

Skippy Dies, published in 2010, is a tragicomic novel by Irish author Paul Murray. Murray originally wrote the novel as a short story before expanding it into a longform work of fiction, basing the Catholic boarding school where the book is set on the prestigious secondary school the author attended in Dublin.The novel was nominated for the longlists and shortlists of several distinguished awards, including the Booker Prize, the Irish Novel of the Year, and... Read Skippy Dies Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers

Tags Magical Realism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Humor, British Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Slam (2007) is a young adult novel written by Nick Hornby. It tells the story of Sam Jones, a skateboarder who finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant when they are both 16 years old—his mother’s age when she had him. The novel explores themes such as Navigating Teenage Parenthood, How a Few Seconds Can Change Everything, and Relationships, Wisdom, and Growing Up.Nick Hornby is a renowned English writer known for his humorous fiction about... Read Slam Summary


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Bullying, Depression / Suicide, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

David Lubar’s young adult novel Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie (2005) was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults in 2006 and a BCCB Blue Ribbon Book. Lubar, a computer programmer-turned-author, has published many books for young readers, including Hidden Talents (1999) and the Weenies series.The story follows 14-year-old Scott Hudson as he navigates his first year of high school with both hilarious and tragic results. Lubar’s novel humorously addresses coming-of-age issues such as changing relationships... Read Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie Summary