I Funny: A Middle School Story

I Funny #1

by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein, Laura Park (Illustrator)

Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian--even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair stop him from messing with Jamie as much as possible. But Jamie doesn't let his situation get him down. When his Uncle Frankie mentions a contest called The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic, Jamie knows he has to enter. But are the judges only rewarding him out of pity because of his wheelchair, like Stevie suggests? Will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past instead of hiding behind his comedy act?

Following the bestselling success of the hilarious Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life, James Patterson continues to dish out the funnies in another highly-illustrated, heartfelt middle school story. (Includes more than 175 black-and-white illustrations.)

Genres: Humor, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Comedy, Childrens

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy reading with my 9 year old daughter. As she gets older and starts venturing closer to the YA section of the library, I find myself reading more middle grade books to see what she's reading, keep up with her interests and make sure everything stays age appropriate.
At my son's soccer practice earlier, my daughter brought this to read but then set it down to play frisbee. But as it was still 92° at 6 p.m., I declined to play. I also didn't bring a book for myself as I usually do because I'm suffering from a massive book hangover (looking at you ACoMaF)...so I picked this up to start skimming and so far it's pretty cute. I think I'll finish it.

**************************************

4 Stars.
This was pretty adorable.

This book is about Jamie Grimm, a middle schooler living with his Aunt, Uncle and 3 cousins in Long Island. Jamie is in a wheelchair.

Hi.
Presenting me. Jamie Grimm. The sit-down comic.
So, can you deal with this? Some people can. Some can't. Sometimes even I can't deal with it (like just about every morning, when I wake up and look at myself in the mirror).
But you know what they say: "If life gives you lemons, learn how to juggle."
Or, even better, learn how to make people laugh.
So that's what I decided to do.

Now admittedly, this is what really piqued my interest. Aside from Me Before You, I've never read a book with a MC in a wheelchair and I already expected it from MBY...in this case, it took me by surprise. My daughter had already told me all about what she had read so far in this book, but she skipped over that bit.

So we have Jamie, who uses humor to deflect bullies and serious conversation in general. All he really seems to want, is to be treated like he's no different from anyone else. He has two best friends, Pierce and Gaynor.

We head into school. Pierce and Gaynor don't grab hold of the chair's handles to push me like I'm a baby in a stroller. They just walk beside me -- like wingmen.
Like I'm a normal bud.
I think somebody once said that friends are the family we choose.
You don't know how lucky I am that Pierce and Gaynor chose me. These two guys are awesome.
The best.

The biggest school bully, Stevie, also happens to be Jamie's cousin/adopted stepbrother. To help avoid spending time with him, Jamie spends a lot of time after school and on weekends helping out at his Uncle Frankie's diner. While there one day, his Uncle Frankie tells him about a comic contest. A nationwide contest to find the nation's. funniest kid stand up comic. The Long Island local competition is coming up and he thinks Jamie should enter.

So Jamie goes and overcomes some stage fright and he wins! He gets to go on to the New York State competition. He is beyond thrilled...until some hateful blog posts pop up basically saying that the only reason Jamie won was because of the judges pitying him.

"The judges felt sorry for Jamie Grimm, a contestant as lame as the jokes he was telling. He didn't win. His wheelchair did."
All of a sudden, I feel like someone just socked me in the gut with a shovel. I can barely breathe. I want to hide under the table and never come out again.

The question now is whether or not Jamie can ignore the hurtful comments and have the confidence to go and try to win the state competition.

I won't give anything away, but I did really enjoy this book. I'm glad I picked it up and that my daughter was nice enough not to spoil it for me.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed and I cried. It doesn't get much better than that for me.

[Once · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up purely to help out my son, who is behind on reading for pleasure. Which happens when you are a junior in high school. Being a middle school teacher for 10 years, I thought that I could breeze through this quickly, check it off the list and move to the next. See, I'm someone, who really doesn't watch comedies, sitcoms, read comedies, get jokes the first time they are told etc. etc. So when I saw I Funny and James Patterson, I thought, I'll give it a try. Now, this is the first book that I've ever read written by James Patterson. However, my oldest has probably read everything YA that he has ever written. Lets just say I know why. WOW, where should I begin? Mr. Patterson had me rethinking my laughing ability after the first chapter. I found my self reading and pausing to find the nearest kid in the family to retell the joke that I just read. Even my dearest hubby was so surprised that it took this long for me to really get into comedy all because of a book. Am I completely reformed? Not yet, however did this book open up some brand new doors for me? Absolutely!!!

Jamie Grimm is the main character. He uses a wheel chair. He's a middle schooler and is determined to enter the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest. Throughout the novel we follow Jamie's journey through this quest. He entertains his audience through every page, until the very end. Does Jamie win the coveted title? Pick this book up, devote a few hours and find out!

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is absolutely the least funny humor book I have ever read. I like to think I have a good sense of humor, even when it's humor aimed at tween-age boys. I have LOLed plenty at Jeff Kinney, Dave Lubars, John Scieszka and Andy Griffths. But I didn't laugh at this book. I think, maybe once, I cracked half a smile. "I Funny" not funny.

Jamie Grimm is a boy in a wheelchair. He lives on Long Island where he has been recently adopted by a humorless aunt and her humorless husband. He has become the prime target of their son, the neighborhood bully, and he's forced to sleep in an unheated garage so he can roll in and out through the garage door. For most of the book Jamie does not reveal how he came to be in a chair or adopted, but any adult and most young readers will guess at the back story.

The one thing Jamie has going for him his another uncle, Frankie, who runs the local diner. Jamie loves to crack jokes and he does it working the cash register at the diner. Everyone thinks he's hysterial. Everyone but me that is. The jokes are graciously attributed to their originators (George Carlin, Steven Wright, Billy Crystal, David Letterman to name a few) and some are Petterson's own material, but they're not funny. They range from one of my favorite Steven Wright's "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" to Jamie's own "When zombies give you a hand, they really give you a hand." Ba-da-bing. Nevertheless, Uncle Frankie talks Jamie into competing in the Funniest Kid Comedian competition. Guess what happens?

The book does work as a story about accepting a kid in a chair, not treating him differently, and what it took for Jamie to get to this point. The accompanying cartoon-style illustrations are excellent. If only it had been funnier. Never mind funnier. I would have settled for funny.

[Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I seriously hated this book. I don’t think any kid, especially a person in middle school could relate to this book. The chapters aren’t interesting or exciting. The jokes in the book aren’t funny. The genre of this book is realistic fiction/humor, but is neither funny nor relatable (being in middle school myself). James Patterson carries the story line on for over 200 pages to the point when the book just gets boring and is not exciting and doesn’t keep you in suspense. The story line was easy to follow and predictable.


The book I funny, by James Patterson, was about a kid named Jamie Grimm who is in a wheelchair and his parents and his sister were killed in a car crash. Then Jamie moves to his cousins house the Smileys and their family doesn’t laugh at all. That is hard for Jamie to deal with because he wants to become a stand-up comedian and eventually he enters a competition and eventually, becomes wins Long Island kid stand-up comedian and Jamie represent them in the state competition. But while all this is happening he is being bullied by his step brother, Stevie. Jamie also develops friendships and romantic relationships along the way.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humor, heart, and hope with tons of reader appeal. Can't wait to hand this to my students.

[Diego Beaumont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuando cayó este libro a mis manos lo primero que pensé fue “me voy a reír mucho” y no iba desencaminado. La primera idea que tenía sobre este libro es que era una novela de humor, con muchos chistes y poco más, pero por el camino descubrí una enternecedora y dura historia.

Para empezar no es una novela corriente de corte juvenil. Su protagonista es inválido y trata temas peliagudos sin dejar títere con cabeza no sin dejar atrás el humor. El sueño de Jamie es ser humorista y a pesar del poco apoyo que en un principio recibe de los suyos está dispuesto a luchar hasta el final.
Reseña completa: http://elmarcapaginas-loco.blogspot.c...

[Willa Valentine · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Star ★ That was the stupidest book I have ever read. In my life. And the worst part? IT WAS REQUIRED. Yes, this was my required reading book for English. THIS. It took me less than two hours to read and was a complete waste of time. Recommended, possibly, to second or third graders who would like to be comedian when they grow up. Even then, you may get bored. The jokes are probably stupider than your incoherent noises when you were two years old.

I am very disappointed in James Patterson.

[Lindsey Gandhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I'm really impressed with James Patterson on this one. The book held my son's interest from beginning to end, it's actually funny (like the title says) and there's a good lesson for younger kids.

"I know one thing for sure: I won't give up. Hope will keep whispering in my ear, telling me to get up and try one more time.
And I will."

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my sister's book and I just picked it up for fun since I miraculously reduced my own TBR pile to nada. It's a light read and had lots of jokes-- some of which I really didn't get and some I did get, but only very few made me chuckle. (I say chuckle because I didn't really laugh).

"He owns the oldest diner in the whole New York metropolitan area. It's so old, I think when it opened, Burger King was still a prince."

Ba-dumtssss. Anyway, that was my favorite joke from the book. I couldn't say much about this one as the humor used in this book isn't up my alley. I would have given this two stars, but I liked how Patterson wrote about people who liked to make others happy are often carrying a huge bundle of sadness in their heart. I remembered Robin Williams (Heaven hold him).

I like the inspiring message this book sends though. I just wish the jokes were relatable even to non-American readers. (And gosh, the only things I know about baseball are Babe Ruth and how a homerun happens!)

[Kenneth Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reccomend this book to people that like jokes and also it was a preety good book because it was funny

[Mahsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان خوب به همراه تصاویری که بر جذابیت کتاب اضافه می‌کند.
بسیار سعی شده بود که ترجمه خوب از آب دربیاید اما کاملاً ناتوانی نثر فارسی در رساندن معانی جوک‌های زبانی مشخص بود. محتوا از جهت معنی دار بودن و به تصویر کشیدن شخصیتی که با وجود محدودیت‌ها و اتفاقات ناگوار همچنان امیدوار است و روحیه قوی دارد، بسیار آموزنده است.
به نظرم برای کودکان و نوجوانان گروه سنی ج و د خنداننده‌تر باشد.

پ.ن: قیافه مرد پشت پیشخوان در صفحه ۲۸۱، عینهو «والتر وایت» نیست؟!

[Hannah Steil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but I just really couldn stay focused. I liked how it was funny and sometimes seriouse. I liked how he had his own world inside his head. Like the zombies and how they represented people in his mind.

[Tori I · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished "I FUNNY" by: James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. This is probably the best book I have ever read. I think it is a fabulous book because Jamie Grimm is really funny. His goal was to become the PLANET'S FUNNIEST KID COMIC, but I am not going to tell you what happens at the end. When he was little he got in a car wreck and his mom, dad, and little sister, Jenny, died, but he lived. The sad thing is he almost didn't and now he's in a wheel chair. I can sort of relate to Jamie when his mom, dad, and little sister died because four years ago my great grandma died and I was crying for a really long time. Sometimes I still cry about her. I also can relate to Jamie's good friend "Cool Girl" because he can tell her everything and I can tell my best friend "Eileen" everything. I think this book is really really amazing because it is about overcoming your fears and not giving up. If I had to rate this book, which I did, I would have to give it five stars because it totally deserves it. I love this book and I would read it many more times because I can't stop reading it. It made me feel like I was in the book and that's one thing I love about books. It also makes the characters pop out of the book which is super cool. If you ever read this book, which you should, I think you will cry twice because there are two very emotional parts in I FUNNY. I hope read read this book because you will laugh your heart out - just saying.

[Kacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up to have something to do during my lunch break. Patterson is always an easy read so I knew I could sit back and enjoy.

I liked Jamie as a character. I especially liked the emphasis on him being treated like a normal kid despite the wheelchair. And how he can poke fun at himself and assure others it's okay to laugh with him. There is a line between comedy and cruel, and I like that Jamie worried about crossing that line at one point during the book. He was just an average kid who just happened to be in a wheelchair.

The jokes were hit or miss with me, but maybe they would play better spoken out loud? Definitely something to try with child readers. I think my favorite was the visual humor, though. That was where the drawings actually came in handy. The bumper stickers on the back of Jamie's chair, for example, were always changing. There were others as well so if you're reading, keep an eye out for them!

So if you want a good laugh and a sweet story behind it, go ahead and pick up this book. Recommending to everyone, because you're never too old to laugh and it actually might help improve your day!

[Edward Ledesma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to read things that are funny and can understand what going on.I love this book because it has humor and has a lot of detail in it like your in the book.I think chances to have more books in the series.The book is about a kid named Jamie who loves to make people laugh so he enters a competition in New York to become the funnies kid in New York.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids at school are obsessed with this series, so I set a goal of trying one book a month that’s a suggestion from them.

It’s way cuter than I expected and I can hear the touches of Grabenstein. I loved his Lemoncello series. It’s entertaining, tender, and yes, funny.

[Scarlett O · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Funny, cute, light hearted, but a little childish. I guess that is the intended audience but it went by fast and the plot was pretty easy to see coming. All and all a good book but not the best in the world. 🙃

[Grace Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was so funny and very fun to read! I'm so excited to read more from James Patterson!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patterson (the brand) has done a nice job of segueing into including some really fun and interesting books for younger readers. They are written in a format the blends illustration and text in a way that is somewhere between a graphic novel and a traditional novel. This is the newest book of three that do just that. This one introduces the readers to Jamie Grimm, a middle schooler hoping to make it big as the world's first sit-down comic. That's right ... SIT-DOWN comic. What makes Jamie different in the field is that he is bound to a wheelchair, but he doesn't let that fact keep him down. He is full of funny jokes and more than willing to share them with the world.

In the last few years, Jamie has had to move to a new community to live with his step-parents, who are really his mother's sister and her husband. The Kosgrove family is definitely the most humorless family you will ever meet, but that is OK. Jamie finds love and support in the form of his Uncle Frankie. Jamie gets an opportunity to practice his jokes at his uncle's diner.

School is also an adventure. First, he is picked on by the school bully ... who also happens to be his step-brother. He also has two of the best friends any guy could ever want in the extra-bright Pierce and the tattooed and pierced Gaynor. Then there is the cute Cool Girl who seems above his station, but is so much more. He is going to need all the support he can when he goes out for a contest to choose the funniest kid around!

This is really a fun read, though, the humor does go a bit over the top. It also has some really touching moments that help go into the idea of talking to people when you are hurting and the fact that you can't hide behind humor.

[Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

IFunny By James Patterson is a book about a boy named Jamie Grimm who is a sit down comic because he is in a wheelchair he cant really stand up but he is a big joker.Some people dont like him but a lot of people think he is very funny and think he is really cool.Jamie also meets a girl who is also a pretty big joker and she helps Jamie with his jokes.She decides to give Jamie a poster that shows a contest for stand up comics and Jamie thinks about going.Jamie finally decides to sign up for the contest.But when he goes he finds out that he is actually really nervous and almost bails out but as he goes up he finds out he is pretty funny.

I think Jamie is really funny but also brave and courageous.He stands up to bullies and is really nice to all of his friends.The setting of the story is really funny but it also has some really important things that shows that Jamie has more story than just being a joker.Even if people dont think he is funny he never stops.Jamie also loves to visit his uncle at his diner and help out sometimes.

Overall I think the book is really funny and it has some really well thought out characters in it.It also has some serious things and I think that in the next book that Jamie wins and becomes the funniest person.I also hope that James Patterson makes more books that are just as funny as this one.

[Linnea Shockey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Funny by James Patterson features a boy named Jamie, who’s goal is to become a comedian. His friends all tell him to enter a comedic contest, too. However, he lives with the Smileys, who never, ever smile. Jamie studies as much as he can on how to be a comedian. But will he ever cause the Smileys to crack a single grin with his jokes? Will he enter and win the contest? Read the book and find out!


This is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. I love the playful and humorous writing, as well as the motivating story line and fun-loving characters. I would recommend it to almost all of my friends.

[Ben]

Such a heartfelt comedy

[YashasRudra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt it was a book that gave me giggles, it wasn't that funny though...
giggles were not from Jamie Grimm's jokes...they were from Stevie!
he was a very funny step-brother. I liked how he kept punching Grimm for no reason.
The most hilarious part was when Grimm was sharing his jokes with his family and to be honest, the jokes were annoying but their reaction was the standout. I literally was bursting into laughter.
I loved how they just ignored the jokes and the back answers the dog gave were even funnier.
It was one of the funnier books I read.

[Arghiiw · Rating 2 out of 5]

عاممم، نه.
اصلاً نتونستم دوستش داشته باشم.
ایده قشنگی داره، شخصیت‌ها اصلی دوست داشتنین ولی یجوری بود.
داستان به اندازه کافی عمق نداشت و خب اصلا کتابی نیست که شما بتونید ترجمه‌ش رو بخونید.
چون جک‌ها بک گراند خاص خودشون رو دارن و درک کردنشون توی زبان فارسی سخته. هرچند که طبق گفته مترجم، تلاش شده تاجای ممکن منظورشون رو برسونن.

پ.ن: شما وقتی می‌بینید اول کتاب نوشتن "تقدیم به رامبد جوان" ناخودآگاه نسبت به کتاب بدبین نمی‌شین؟ 😹

[Jennifer Pusey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because I needed something to read for my 2016 reading challenge that was written by an author with my same initials. There didn't seem to be many of them, at least with names I recognized so I settled on James Patterson. I have read a few of his books and while I was OK with his Alex Cross series I was even less enthused about his women's murder club series and really rather hated Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. So....I chose a short book. Plus I was a little curious about this one. I picked it for a road trip with the family and the audio book may have been it's biggest downfall. What's the most important rule of comedy? Timing! And the kid that read this book, while not a terrible narrator, just didn't have any comic timing. Not too good for a book about the funniest kid comic. How do I know he was bad? He repeats a lot of jokes from amazing comics, one was from Steven Wright. I cringed at the delivery. I paused the book to explain to my daughter who Steven Wright was and how he delivered jokes with total deadpan monotone. Then I repeated the joke we had just heard in my own awful Steven Wright voice. She busted up laughing! Even though she had just heard it and knew the punchline. I think I might have thought this book was funnier if I had read it to myself.

[em (lattereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's wonderful. I like it a lot more than I liked James Patterson's other books, even though I enjoyed those too. This book was hilarious. Seriously. It was also depressingly sad. But, in a good addicting way. Okay, so now I'm not making any sense, am I? Oh, well.
The Plot: I thought the plot was a creative idea and excecuted perfectly. Like, I'm not sure if they wrote it together, but if they did, then you couldn't tell it was told by two different people at all. The story had me laughing out loud the whole way through, and I had read 320 pages on my kindle without even knowing it.
The Characters: I really like all of the characters. Sure, Stevie was your typical bully, and he was like a Dudly Dursly, but I still enjoyed the characters and all of them, including the Smileys, made me "smile."

[Nicole :0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book I Funny by James Patterson was a funny book but something about it was not as funny as i was expecting. I love all of James Patterson´s books ,but this one was not one of his best nor one i liked. The book was written like all of his books but the one did not have something that the others had, in this book the characters were not that interesting,but for example in the middle school series Rafe (one of the characters) James added that he was kind of a bad student and it was ore entertaining because all of the teachers did not like him.But in this book the character Jamie, did not really have anything entertaining going on. So i would not advise you to read this book.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughter truly is the best medicine. As we follow Jamie's journey to become Long Island's best kid comedian, we can truly see how laughter can heal. What is on the outside a very funny book also has some poignant and deeply touching moments. Recommended for 4th grade and up.

ARC provided by publisher.

[Madeleine Gamboa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. This book is about a boy that goes to middle school and he wants to be a comedian. He has an enemy that is a bully and in the middle of the book he is the adopt brother.When he goes to the house they put them in the garage .In middle school he likes somebody he calls her the cool girl.Almost at the end of the book they kiss.