LOL 101

March 15, 2023
Everything you ever wanted to know about writing jokes. With a blithesome barrage of puns, this book wastes no time in getting to a successful joke's secret ingredient: surprise. After both showing and telling why the unexpected twist is what makes a joke funny, Roth and Shah give their audience assignments in amusement; a wordplay exercise involves listing similar-sounding words, coming up with a punchline, and reverse-engineering the joke from the punchline. Next, the authors explain the "rule of three" (where humor derives from an unexpected final item in a list of items); the accompanying exercise uses a fill-in-the-blank formula. The section on exaggeration follows the same accessible formula, though some may not appreciate the prompt ("My grandma is so old..."). A section on advanced wordplay, which walks kids through idioms, is the strongest how-to, as it demonstrates that not all uses of the formulas are equally successful and why. After a brief discussion about effective joke-telling, readers land in "The Serious Section," which troubleshoots jokes gone wrong, from delivery that falls flat to an audience that doesn't laugh, followed by not-quite-sufficient caution to make friends laugh instead of upsetting them. Final sections cover visual humor, offer a recap, and suggest jobs that involve comedy. Art features anthropomorphized creatures; occasional humans are mostly bright pink. An efficient, punchy pun-generation primer. (Humor/nonfiction. 6-11)

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April 1, 2023
Grades 2-4 What are aspiring young comedians to do when knock-knock and lightbulb jokes get stale? Write their own material, that's what--and here, Roth and Shah offer a set of examples, techniques, and templates designed to get the creative juices flowing. Along with exploring types of wordplay ("Q. Where did the dog leave her car? A. The barking lot!") and extolling the value of exaggeration and surprise, the authors tally ways to use the classic "rule of three" ("I have nightmares about ghosts, tarantulas, and my dad's tiny jean shorts"), take a gander at visual humor, rap out savvy advice about practice and good delivery, and kick jokes that tease or bully others to the curb. They also discuss what to do if a joke bombs, and wrap up with a recap before closing (what a punch line!) with a surprisingly full list of occupations that could involve joke writing and/or performing. Fanciful cartoon figures add both sight gags and visual spritz to this handbook for would-be standups.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 23, 2023

K-Gr 3-Live from the stack-it's library night! Professional comedian Roth breaks down the mechanics of a great joke, showing readers just how easy it can be to write a real side-splitter. The clever wordplay and idiom jokes kids so adore may seem super complicated, but Roth's step-by-step explanation provides a simple template for a winning joke formula. Exaggeration jokes have been around since the days of the dinosaur. All these joke styles, plus Rule of 3 and visual humor, rely on a common element: SURPRISE! That's what readers learn to strive for. Along with offering tips on joke delivery and style, Roth makes sure readers know two important principles: 1) Never tell another person's joke without giving them credit-that's stealing! and 2) Never tell a joke that makes someone sad or uncomfortable. Shah's colorful cartoon illustrations perfectly complement every spread. Kids who want to be the life of the party will gain instrumental insight from this instructional guide. VERDICT This one's a must have, no kidding.-Abby Bussen

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