Funny books for a 13 year old boy

[SecretSpi]

I'd love to find something funny (fiction or non-fiction) for my son, who's about to turn 13. He does still read books (!) but has a non-stop diet of spies and thrillers - CHERUB and that sort of thing.

So many books for teens seem to be so heavy and either terribly worthy or nastily violent.

He's definitely not into girlfriends or looking cool or that sort of thing. When he was younger he liked Horrible Histories (still does) as an indication of the sort of humour.

[NicholasTeakozy]

The Gates and sequel Hells Bells by John Connolly are amusing and should appeal to a 13 yo. They're neither heavy nor violent.

[IndridCold]

Has he read the Artemis Fowl books?

DS is 14, but he is loving the Spike Milligan war memoirs.

[cornflakegirl]

How about Terry Pratchett?

[SecretSpi]

Thanks for the ideas. He has read some of the Artemis Fowl books, yes. I did wonder about Terry Pratchett but didn't know where to start (haven't read them myself) - and I'll look into John Connolly. I've read one of this myself.

Spike Milligan may not be such a bad idea - he like history generally.

[cornflakegirl]

Terry Pratchett - "Only you can save mankind" is very good - teenage boys, computer games, dry humour. It's not a Discworld book. If he fancies a Discworld book, then, IMO, the first couple aren't as good as the rest, so maybe Mort or Pyramids. I read Small Gods first, which is a bit further in, but fairly stand alone, and excellent.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Is he too young for Tom Sharpe?

[vixsatis]

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time"
"Noughts and Crosses" Malorie Blackman (not funny but a good read)
"Spud"- Can't remember the author but it's quite an amusing South African school story
"Fatherland" by Robert Harris (not funny but good for a history lover)

[SecretSpi]

Thanks for the recommendations. I might wait a year or two for Tom Sharpe but that's reminded me there are some of his I haven't read yet!

[ladydepp]

Sorry a bit late to this, but what about comics like Asterix, Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side? Might lighten things up a bit!

[SecretSpi]

Thanks, ladydepp - he loves comics and has already got those - left over from my husband!

[Louise1956]

Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searles. Absolutely hilarious books about a dreadful schoolboy at a dreadful school, with Ronald Searle's wonderful illustrations.

Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. jerome. hilarious account of a trip up the the Thames with various mishaps occuring - still funny after more than a century.

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. briloiantly funny account of his five years in Corfu as a boy, with his wildly eccentric family.

James Herriot's vet books - If Only They Could Talk, Shouldn't Happen to a Vet etc. Delightful and funny books about a vet i. yorkshire in the 1940s.

The General Danced at Dawn by George Macdonald Fraser. collectio. Of short stories about life in A highland regiment in north Africa just after WW2 - wonderful stories, very very funny,

Adolf Hitler,My Part in His Downfall, by Spike Milligan. Hysterically funny memoir of Milligan's army training at Bexhill in WW2. Followed by several sequels if he likes that one.

P.G. Wodehouse - a great many titles to choose from, one of my person favourites is The Code of the Woosters.

[SecretSpi]

Thanks Louise - he has already read Molesworth (my old copies) - and MFAOA but will try the others - particularly like the idea of Spike Milligan which I'll also read myself. By the way, we got a DVD of a recent-ish film of MFAOA (with Imelda Staunton as the mother) which we all loved, despite not being 100% true to the book.

[peppermum]

Has he read Adrian Mole ? My son loved those, as do I.

[SecretSpi]

Another good idea - thanks!

[peppermum]

He might also like the Alistair Fury books by Jamie Rix . Lighthearted diary format and a long standing favourite of my son.

[PomBearWithAnOFRS]

Skullduggery Pleasant or Percy Jackson? not funny comical all the time, but they do have some good jokes and one liners/humourous situations in them, as well as being exciting.
Diary of a Penguin Napper is funny, and was free on Kindle recently - my 10 year old loved it.

[IndridCold]

Another thought, DS loves the 'Hitchhikers Guide the the Galaxy' books.