FUNNY TEEN BOOKS - WEEK 9

These are some of the funny young adult books that I found appealing this week along with an amusing video that I just couldn't resist.

 How to Ruin Your Boyfriend’s Reputation by Simone Elkeles

This is the third book in her How to Ruin…. Series.  In a previous book, Amy met Avi in Israel when her father took her there one summer.  This book takes place the following summer when Amy and her friends decide to surprise Avi, who is in the Israeli Army, by enlisting in the camp’s ten day program.  Amy’s designer sunglasses befall a nasty fate along with her manicured nails and white shorts out in the desert.  Outhouses, insects, extreme heat, bad food & bunk beds…none of this was in the brochure.  Hoping things will get better when she sees Avi, she is sadly mistaken.  The ten days can’t go by fast enough.   

This book was recommended to me by a good friend.  I loved the cover because it captured the main characters style and spunk.   I chose this book because I love how Amy followed her heart while having her friends around to support her. 

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

This book starts off by explaining all of the diseases, inclement weather, venomous creatures, and lethal predators that have met a very small number of hikers over the years.  44 year old Bill decides he is going to do it…hike The Appalachian Trail!  After purchasing the mountains of gear he will need, the thought of spending all that time alone starts to concern him.  A request to all of his friends finds him agreeing to allow Stephen Katz, an even more out of shape acquaintance from his past, to join him.  His wife reminds him of their past problems, but Bill assures her that all will be well.  Bill should have realized that Stephen’s constant need to eat donuts, to stop his seizures that years of drug use have left him with, should have been a signal that this was not going to go well.  It went from bad to worse once the hike began and Stephen “flipped out” and in an effort to lighten his pack he threw out every essential food item that they were going to need.  These two men were clearly not ready to deal with the elements, the terrain, the weight of the backpack, or dealing with each other.  Their adventure, while at the time clearly not funny, is actually hilarious.

On first glance, this serene background will pull you into nature’s beauty and the eyes of the brown bear looking at you will seem unassuming.  After reading the book, if you saw this scene while on your hike, you would most likely be playing dead if you could stop you heart from racing at the misfortune that had just come your way.  In my quest for funny books, I was given this book by a friend who clearly shares the same sense of humor.

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Disappointed, used, lied to, and cheated on was finally enough to get Penny Lane Bloom to realize that she didn’t need to rely on the popular boys at her school to define herself.  She created a plan B, named The Lonely Hearts Club, and was its first member.  News of her endeavor spread to all ages and groups of girls at her school.  She created a large support system that would not let her down but instead encourage each member to their full potential.  Penny begins to realize that not all boys are like the ones she has sworn off.

  

I borrowed this book from my daughter’s room.  She found it so funny that she finished it in record time after staying up until 12:30am reading it!  The typical teen drama is done in a comical way especially with the apparent Beatles theme throughout.  From the “Abby Road like” cover, the main character’s name, and the appropriate section headings referencing popular Beatles songs it was a perfect book for the long time Beatles fan that I have always been.