A few days ago a kid asked me for books "like" the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. I sighed, then set to work coming up with suggestions.
Basically I tried to find titles that fit a few or all of the following criteria:
funny
Here's my list, which I'll be putting on an end-cap display:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Whales On Stilts! by M.T. Anderson
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Science Fair by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
Superfudge by Judy Blume
NERDS by Michael Buckley
Notes From a Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins & Andrew Pinder
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
The Day My Butt Went Psycho by Andy Griffiths
Just Joking! by Andy Griffiths
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Swindle by Gordon Korman
Leon and the Champion Chip by Allen Kurzweil
I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want To Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies by David Lubar
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie by David Lubar
Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson, Christopher Tebbetts, and Laura Park
Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
The Dork Diaries by Rachel Russell
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar
Guys Read: Funny Business edited by Jon Scieszka
Guy Time by Sarah Weeks
Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston
Malice by Chris Wooding
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee
BONUS:
Books by Roald Dahl, while not realistic, might be comedic & snarky enough to fit the bill.
Basically I tried to find titles that fit a few or all of the following criteria:
funny
aimed at boys
first-person narrator
diary format
school stories
illustrated
Here's my list, which I'll be putting on an end-cap display:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Whales On Stilts! by M.T. Anderson
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Science Fair by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
Superfudge by Judy Blume
NERDS by Michael Buckley
Notes From a Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins & Andrew Pinder
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
The Day My Butt Went Psycho by Andy Griffiths
Just Joking! by Andy Griffiths
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Swindle by Gordon Korman
Leon and the Champion Chip by Allen Kurzweil
I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want To Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies by David Lubar
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie by David Lubar
Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson, Christopher Tebbetts, and Laura Park
Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
The Dork Diaries by Rachel Russell
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger by Louis Sachar
Guys Read: Funny Business edited by Jon Scieszka
Guy Time by Sarah Weeks
Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston
Malice by Chris Wooding
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee
BONUS:
Books by Roald Dahl, while not realistic, might be comedic & snarky enough to fit the bill.