I Funny: A Middle School Story
Written by James Patterson
Narrated by Frankie Seratch
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest stand-up comedian - even if he always seems to 'choke' in the spotlight. When Jamie finds out about a contest called the Funniest Kid on the Planet, he knows it's time to face his fears and enter. But are the judges rewarding him out of pity because he happens to be in a wheelchair, like his bullying cousin Stevie suggests? And will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past - and reason for his disability - instead of hiding behind his comedy act?
In this book that's as heartfelt as it is hilarious, James Patterson dishes out heaps of jokes that will have readers rolling on the floor and cheering for more.
James Patterson
James Patterson is the CEO of J. Walter Thompson, an advertising agency in New York. He has written several successful fiction and nonfiction books, including The New York Times best seller The Day America Told the Truth.
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Reviews for I Funny
109 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hilarious and touching. Jamie's story unfolds in just such a way that you're tantalized, but not annoyed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5this book really was funny i used all the jokes in here on my very own family of smileys and they worked!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I funny is perfect for the middle school audien e. I appreciated the simplicity and flow of the story. Jamie, the main character, reminded me of myself because I like to be silly and humorous in front of my students.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wimpy Kids fans will enjoy getting to know Jamie Grimm, whose backstory is slowly uncovered over the course of a tale in which Jamie decides to enter the America's Funniest Kid contest.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A fun read!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book -- not being a middle school boy, with a middle school boy's sense of humor, I was dubious. However, not only is this book full of jokes, it's full of heart as well.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is funny on the surface, but when you read between the lines you will find it deals with sadness, grief, loneliness and bullying of a boy (Jamie Grimm) who is mourning the death of his parents & sister. His family died in a tragic car accident and Jamie was left wheelchair bound with paralysis from the waist down. To cope with this tragedy Jamie makes light of everything by cracking jokes to whom he meets. At the start of the book we are introduced to the main characters there are The Kosgrows (alias the SMILEYS because they never smile) this family is Jamie’s uncle, aunt and cousins, a girl and the main bully Stevie. They have adopted Jamie and he lives in the shed that has been converted to a makeshift bedroom. Uncle Frankie, is an ex yo-yo champion who owns a diner and totally believes in Jamie becoming a world class comedian. Jamie wanted to live with him but the courts awarded Mr & Mrs Kosgrow custody. Jamie’s best friends Pierce, Gaynor and Suzie (cool girl) are prominent throughout the book, in that they support Jamie. Cool Girl and Jamie share a special bond and Jamie finds he can confide in her; some of his confidences he shares are heart wrenching. Stevie Kosgrow is Jamie’s cousin and he makes Jamie’s life pure misery. Some of his bullying tactics are unbelievable and heartless and Patterson inclusion of the wheelchair incident does what it is supposed to do in that it evokes the right emotions. Jamie initially uses jokes to deal with bullies and the customers at Uncle Frankie’s diner. When he realises that they think that Jamie is Funny, Jamie believes in himself (I FUNNY) and enters a Comedy Contest and wins. Bloggers (led by Stevie) blog that Jamie only won due to his disability and the judges casting sympathy votes. Initially this disillusions Jamie and he is prepared to give up going onto the next round of contests in New York. He confides in Suzie Cool Girl and she urges him to enter and you guessed he is the winner!!!! I enjoyed this book and it was well worth enduring the first 1/3 to get into the gritty storylines.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Narrated by Frankie Seratch. Jamie Grimm wants to win a regional kids' comedy contest and become a star stand-up comedian...although he's actually sitting in a wheelchair. Seratch is a child actor and he reads fluently, his voice appropriate and agreeable for Jamie although his timing on Jamie's jokes needs refinement. The print edition has a lot of illustrations; the CD set includes PDFs of those illustrations...not sure if it's comprehensive or a sampling.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was really cute and uplifting. I think it would be really good for ages 9-10 and up.
It's about a boy in a wheelchair who becomes a "stand-up" comedian, and uses humor to overcome the difficulties in his life. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I do enjoy a good YA book and this is a good one. Patterson lets the humor of Grabenstein shine through this story when a middle-school student decides to try out for the Planets Funniest Kid Contest. Jamie Grimm tells jokes, lots and lots of jokes. Sometimes it is to hide his pain, some times to entertain but he is pretty good at the whole joke thing -- except when he has to do it in front of a crowd, which could cause complications for the contest.The underlying story is that Jamie is in a wheelchair and living with his aunt and uncle and cousins. Life isn't easy for Jamie but he still is "I Funny".Highly recommended book, it is a wonderful story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sure there was the juvenile humor and a really nasty stepbrother (who tosses a kid in a wheelchair onto the beach????) but still a good read with just the right amount of humor, a satisfying main character who refuses to let people pity him, and a nice ending in a children's hospital that made me cry.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jamie Grimm lost his family in an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He lives with his Aunt and her family. He's interested in comedy and enters a local competition for the funniest kid comedian.The illustrations add to the story, which is a mixture of funny and seriousness.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is about a disabled kid named Jamie Grim who was always interested in comedy and he is a very funny person. In middle school he notices a contest for young comedians and eventually he enters. Will Jamie win the contest and become the best kid comedian in the United States? I really liked this book for the great jokes and the good story. (Ben)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I am going to credit that to Chris Grabenstein and Laura Park's illustrations. I actually think this is a strong read-alike for fans of Gordon Korman or Raina Telgemeier.