Funny/silly fantasy for pre-teens

[Belmondo]

Can anyone recommend anything similar to the children-appropriate Discworld ones like The Amazing Maurice for my nearly 10-yr old (pretty mature and probably reading at 11-12yrs+ level). He's loved the silliness of the Knight Sir Louis books but I think is ready for something cleverer, IYSWIM. He enjoys fantasy and LOVED the Hobbit, also loves Michael Morpurgo and the Tim Diamond detective ones by Anthony Horowitz.

Artemis Fowl

The Belgariad

The Lives of Christopher Chant by Dianna Wynne Jones

Ds loved the Percy Jackson books.

Skulduggery Pleasant

Fortunately the milk
Last dragonslayer series by jasper fforde
Hitchhikers guide

Redwall?

The Northern Lights might hit the mark.

Skulduggery Pleasant is a bit too grown up for 10, imo.

House with chicken legs, castle of tangled magic. Start him on some of the more straightforward discworld?

I think His Dark Materials is a little old, and also not that funny. Excellent though, if he's an advanced reader he may well enjoy it.

I recommend the How To Train Your Dragon books

This first one is OK, but I agree, it gets more grown up in the rest of the series.

Thanks everyone, some interesting-sounding suggestions here that I need to go off and look up!

He enjoyed Percy Jackson but that's not really the kind of genre I'm thinking of - I'm essentially after Discworld/Hitchhiker's Guide for kids, I think, and of course whilst I know that the whole effect of the silliness of these is that it keeps them light, in a lot of ways, a lot of the references will go over his head so he may as well wait a few years.

He loved the How To Train Your Dragon series but I'm after something a bit smarter, if that makes sense. His Dark Materials doesn't really fit the bill for clever silliness, I don't think, much as I enjoyed them! (Side note: I think The Belle Sauvage and The Book of Dust are better.)

I loved Redwall as a kid, and I do keep meaning to get the first one for him, but again, not quite what I'm after here.

I'll look up all the other suggestions though, thank you!

Yeah, I wouldn't say HDM is pre-teen.

S2 read Skulduggery Pleasant in y3-4 - I only read the first one, am I a neglectful parent? He thought they were great,

A lot of the humour in humourous (sp?) fantasy relies on pre-knowledge. Does it have to be funny? or just not heavily serious?

S2 also really enjoyed Michelle Paver's Wolf Brother. I love the Green Knowe series.

Tiffany aching books from discworld? Although actually I re-read one the other day and it was startlingly dark so maybe when he's a bit older.

Second the Belgariad. And if you have a chance to get to your local library, ask them too as they often know about the more obscure but equally brilliant authors 😁

Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series, and Alan Garner's books.

And at similar age I loved The Dark Is Rising although not sure I'd ever put that in the funny category.

I have a cousin who loved the lemony Snicket series at around the same age but I've not actually read them, but throwing them in just in case!

I'd say the first two Tiffany Aching books are fine for that age groups, the third possible, I Shall Wear Midnight is incredibly dark with themes of CSA and suicide. A brilliant book, but not for pre teens.

Stewart and riddles the edge chronicles

Ahh Lemony Snicket is a good shout actually, thanks!

He liked The Weirdstone of Brasingamen, and The Belgariad looks great for solid fantasy world-building (I'll definitely bookmark for him), but again not very funny/silly?

The Knight Sir Louis ones I mentioned above are these: https://www.knightsirlouis.com/book-2-dragon-doooooom - there's a definite flavour of the Discworld/Pratchett, but maybe I just need to hold that thought til he's a bit older and stick to well-written fantasy for now!

"A lot of the humour in humourous (sp?) fantasy relies on pre-knowledge" - this is a good point, @merryhouse.

I do think the two I suggested meet your criteria both very funny!
Not sure why the last dragonslayer isn't more well known the first one in particular is hilarious
And fortunately the milk is very silly indeed.

My son read some graphic novels called the last kids on earth at about that age. I guess they are more zombie type books than fantasy but pretty sure they are funny as he would only read funny stuff at the time.

I also think morrigan crow is quite funny but more in a side sort of way than the full on hitchhikers/terry Pratchett way.

Not fantasy, but Morris Gleitzman's "The Real Facts of Life" is funny and an excellent read.

Ahh @SummerLightning my son LOVED The Last Kids on Earth! Absolutely whizzed through them. Yes that's the kind of silliness I'm after I think - I'll definitely check out your suggestions, thank you. I tried a Jasper Fforde a while back and didn't really get into it but that shouldn't put me off.

The Darkwood Trilogy. Very funny and very charming.

This series, as just noticed there’s a similarly named one
https://farragobooks.com/book-series/the-darkwood-series/

There’s a series of Paul Tobin books, the first one is called How to Capture an Invisible Cat. Clever and funny and a sort of “bizarre journey adventure” which sort of chimes with hitchhikers, though not at all the same. Def worth a look:
The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat https://amzn.eu/d/dNmYmlW

I would say that the first Tiffany aching ones are approaching suitable if you read them to him? Might be a bit much to absorb age 9 but he’s reading all the right stuff and it could be ok? Mine liked those on audiobook at a similar age, especially the feegle voices :-D

Carl Hiaasen also writes books for kids - not at all fantasy, very real and somewhat gritty but also funny - maybe also worth a look? Generally set in Florida with alligators.
Hoot https://amzn.eu/d/ix2dZZi