Mumsnet Talk

dd (9) wants me to read a funny book at bedtime - past hits have been The Land of Green Ginger, Sherlock Holmes and we've just finished Muddle Earth and Muddle Earth Too

She's a voracious reader and has already read many of the classics by herself

any ideas?

thanks

Dd recently read and enjoyed Molesworth.

Jeremy Strong's Nicholas series, starting with My Dad's got an Alligator! Pure comedy heaven.

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum is a good one. And lots of sequels too.

Thanks - this is for me to read aloud to her .. she's read everything Jeremy Strong has ever written and loves his sense of humour but she wants something she hasn't read before

She is perfectly capable of reading anything she likes by herself but likes me reading and doing different voices etc

I'll give Molesworth a try - I don't think I've seen it since I was a child..

Molesworth might be tricky for reading aloud as a lot of the fun is in the mispellings ect chiz chiz.

Sorry, that's not very constructive, though.

The talk about books from childhood reminded me of Jennings. Amazon have them here including extracts.

What about Alice? Plenty of scope for silly voices there!

Professor Branestawm is quite good for silly voices - a few colonels and vicars in there as well as the batty prof himself!

Roddy Doyle? She might be a bit old, but my DS rolls around all over for "The Giggler Treatment" and "Meanwhile Adventures" and I don't think they're any "younger" than Mr Gum

Just been reminded by seeing a poster called Fishlegs. Has your DD read Cressida Cowell's Hiccup the Viking books? DD started them at about 9. Very funny, just starting to get darker. And nothing like the How to Train Your Dragon film.

Thanks for suggestions, however dd's read Alice, Mr Gum, Cressida Cowell Viking books, Prof Branestawm, Giggler Treatment and sequels - any more suggestions, please?

Nine is a difficult age for an advanced reader because some of the humour in books like 'Cold Comfort Farm' and 'I Capture the Castle' relies on some innuendo and might be best left till early teenage years. Anthony Horowitz's Diamond Brothers series is fun and witty. Also Eion Colfer's Artemis Fowl series -- great humour in that. How about some Thomas Hardy? I really enjoyed reading 'Far From the Madding Crowd' to my daughter when she was about 10 and Hardy's characters are fun. Also, of course, there's Dickens. Great Expectations is a wonderful book to read aloud.

Casper Candlewacks amused ds enormously! Giggler Treatment is very funny, The Clumsies too.

I've just started reading the Jiggy McCue books to DS who is nearly 9. Have just read the Toilet of Doom which he loved and so did I!

Has she read 'My Family and Other Animals'?

The Sword in the Stone is very funny in places (& good to read aloud).

DD (9) & I both like 'Read Me and Laugh: A funny poem for every day' & also Ogden Nash's poetry though obviously its not the same as a book

Erm, I mean not the same as a novel, clearly poetry still comes in books [long day emoticon]

Roald Dahl?

Paul Jennings was an author I used to read, he was pretty funny.

Just remembered the Uncle books by JP Martin - I keep meaning to track them down for dd, so I can't guarantee quality, but they seemed very funny when I was about 9 (and I've seen others recommending them on here)

mine loved clarice bean and clever Polly and the wolf (there's 2 or 3 in the series)