I Funny: A Middle School Story

I Funny is a middle-grade, realistic fiction graphic novel written by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein and illustrated by Laura Park. It is the first in the six-book I Funny series, which explores the life of Jamie, a middle school student who has a passion for exploring the world of comedy and making people laugh. Jamie uses a wheelchair but does not want his physical disability to define his life. As he overcomes various hardships and embraces his natural talents, he gains a new sense of confidence and belonging.

James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein are both well-established authors who have penned numerous New York Times bestsellers. Together, they have collaborated on over 30 children’s books comprising several distinct series.I Funny was originally published in 2012 and was awarded the 2014 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award.

This guide refers to the 2015 Little, Brown and Company paperback edition.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of bullying and ableism, along with violence and slurs directed toward people with disabilities.

Plot Summary

Protagonist and narrator Jamie Grimm is on stage at "The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest" (1) in Long Island, New York. He freezes from nervousness but manages to get his jokes moving. For the past year, Jamie has used a wheelchair, ever since a car accident in Cornwall killed his parents and younger sister and left him paralyzed below the waist. Jamie jokes about his wheelchair and is not ashamed of his disability, but he feels out of place in his new town and home. Jamie moved to Long Island after the accident and now lives with his aunt, uncle, and three cousins. None of them ever laugh or smile, so he calls them The Smileys. The eldest cousin, Stevie, regularly bullies and harasses Jamie at school and at home. Jamie stands up for himself and others, using humor to distract and confuse Stevie. Jamie's two best friends, Gaynor and Pierce, treat him no differently than anyone else, which Jamie appreciates. He also likes a girl named Gilda, who soon becomes a good friend. Jamie's Uncle Frankie (his father’s brother, not the uncle who is part of the Smiley family) runs an old diner on the boardwalk, and Jamie goes there to visit his uncle and help at the cash register. He uses these sessions as a chance to test new and classic jokes on customers. Uncle Frankie tells Jamie that he has a talent for comedy and encourages him to participate in an upcoming comedy contest. A regular customer named Mr. Burdzecki tells Jamie that he is funny, and Jamie starts to think seriously about entering the contest. He misses his previous life and his family, but he bravely presses forward. One night, Stevie locks Jamie out of the house in the cold, but Jamie does not tell anyone that Stevie is the culprit. Over the next few days at school, Jamie gets nominated for student council and befriends Gilda, who is equally skilled at defending herself against bullies.

Jamie hates public speaking but is determined to overcome this fear in order to compete in the contest. He practices in class one day by reading a story that he wrote about climbing Everest in his wheelchair. The class loves it, but he forgets the ending and freezes. He seeks consolation from Uncle Frankie, who tells Jamie that he can overcome his fear if he works at it. On the boardwalk on the way home, Jamie is confronted by Stevie and his friends, who dump Jamie out of his wheelchair and throw him over the fence and into the sand. They then steal his wheelchair and leave him there. Uncle Frankie finds Jamie and carries him home, but Jamie still doesn't tell anyone that Stevie is bullying him.

The following weekend, Jamie goes on a solo train trip to New York City to gain inspiration by exploring the comedy clubs. While there, he gathers new material by observing the people and places around him, and he is grateful to be treated like just another New Yorker. Back in class on Monday, Jamie practices his new routine and makes the class laugh about the Statue of Liberty. The teacher gives him detention, which makes Jamie feel embarrassed. When he gets to detention, the teacher lets him go early, clearly feeling sorry for him. Jamie hates being treated differently and asks if Stevie can go home early, too. In the hallway, Jamie meets a girl named Suzy. He thinks that she is extremely cool and finds out that she voted for him in the student council election.

Later, Jamie decides to test his routine on the Smileys, and when he can't make any of them laugh, he starts to wonder if he should give up on comedy. It is then he has a dream about famous actor and comedian Billy Crystal, who confirms that Jamie is in fact funny. Jamie starts practicing his jokes on anyone he can find, strangers included, and people respond well. When the day of the contest finally arrives, Jamie is there alone because he has kept his entry a secret from his family and friends. When it is his turn to perform, he freezes on stage for a moment but finds his footing after a judge pities him. Determined to prove that he is an equal and should not be judged by his disability, he tells jokes about his wheelchair, then moves on to jokes about Long Beach and the pitfalls of political correctness. The audience laughs and cheers, and Jamie wins the contest. He wishes that his family were there to see it.

Jamie goes back to school and learns that the news about his win has already spread. People congratulate him and pat him on the back. A few hours later, Stevie starts spreading rumors that Jamie only won because of his wheelchair. This makes Jamie feel awful, until Suzy reminds him that he is definitely funny. Jamie tells Uncle Frankie about the contest, and Uncle Frankie commends Jamie for his courage. Jamie also gets encouragement from his teacher. When Jamie goes to the boardwalk with Suzy, she asks him if he is able to pee, and Jamie finds this question embarrassing. He sarcastically replies that he has not peed in two years. Jamie tries to come up with new material for the next contest, but he cannot get any new ideas. When the Smileys don't laugh at any of his new jokes, Jamie get so discouraged that he stops telling jokes at the diner, disappointing all the customers. Suzy cheers Jamie up by laughing at his jokes, which inspires him to start telling jokes again.

Back in New York for the next stage of the contest, Jamie waits for his turn to perform. While he waits, a boy tries to bully him into believing that he will fail, but Jamie does his best to ignore him. Jamie gets on stage and feels nervous at the size of the crowd, but he is reassured to see his friends and family there supporting him. He finds the confidence to perform and goes into a routine about all the silly things that make everyone he knows unique. At first, the audience laughs, but Jamie's loved ones do not. Although Jamie ends up winning the contest, he feels as though he has hurt the people he cares about. On the way home, the Smileys finally laugh and tell Jamie that his routine was hilarious. When they get back to the house, everyone is there to celebrate Jamie's achievements, and he realizes that his family and friends are not angry with him after all.

The next night, Jamie meets Suzy at the boardwalk again, and she gives him his first kiss. Jamie tells Suzy about a risky operation that he could get to possibly regain his ability to walk. He then relays the story of the accident that took his family. Jamie's family was driving down a mountain road when they were met by a swerving truck and ended up underneath it. Jamie was the only one who survived. He feels better after telling Suzy this, and he is relieved not to hold the story in anymore. Over the next few days, everything goes back to normal with notable improvements. The Smileys are warmer toward Jamie, and his friends are all closer than before. On the weekend, Jamie, Suzy, and the Smiley family drive out to the Hope Trust Children's Rehabilitation Center, where Jamie spent his recovery period after the accident. Jamie learns that many of his friends from that time are still there, improving and fighting for their lives. At lunch, he wants to inspire the people there the same way that comedy inspired him while he was fighting for his own life. He gives them a routine that both reveals and lightly pokes fun at the challenges of recovering from a serious injury, which makes everyone laugh. It is the highlight of his comedy career thus far, and Jamie looks to the future knowing that he has the strength to endure failure and hardship and continue rising to the challenge.