From: Kathleen Odean <KOdean>
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 16:41:59 -0400

I'm new to the list, and give a few introductory words about myself below. But, first, I want to weigh in with Karen about the Bagthorpes, which I think are the funniest children's novels, hands down. I also agree about The Exiles, which made me laugh out loud. Some of the Alice books by Naylor are hilarious--there are a few scenes centered around a sex ed class that are priceless. A very funny book book from New Zealand is The Heroic Life of Al Capsella. It's about a teenager dealing with his unusual mother; he always calls his parents Mr. and Mrs. Capsella, to distance himself.

How about fantasy with humor in it? Diana Wynne Jones has some of the funniest flying carpets (Castle in the Air) and other magic objects, complete with stubborn streaks. I think she's brilliant. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede is also a great combination of fantasy and humor.
 The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively is another.

 I'm enjoying the humor discussion a lot. Like Brenda, I've long felt that award committees other than those in which children vote have a harder time picking humorous books, partly because awards feel solemn and important, and partly because responses to humor vary so much. I remember arguing for The Exiles when I was on Notables, stunned that not everyone was as enchanted as I was by the humor.

Some of you already know me. I'm a children's librarian at a Quaker school in Providence, RI; I've been on Notables, Newbery & Caldecott, and written two guides to children's books, Great Books for Girls and Great Books for Boys (not, I might add, that I planned to divide books into the two sexes
-- it's a long story).

Kathy Odean KOdean at compuserve.com
Received on Wed 13 May 1998 03:41:59 PM CDT