Reading levels and needs
12 funny books for middle schoolers
Humor is a good way into reading. These books make kids laugh out loud and range from short and silly to dry and witty.
Chosen from award lists, school and library reading lists, and reviews, and each title and author checked against Open Library, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams · Ages 12-16
Arthur Dent escapes Earth's demolition with an alien friend. Absurd and clever British comic sci-fi.
Watch for: Mild crude humor and language.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Princess Bride
William Goldman · Ages 12-16
A fairy tale of true love, pirates, and a six-fingered man, framed as an abridgment. Funnier than the film.
Watch for: Mild violence and innuendo.
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Hoot
Carl Hiaasen · Ages 10-14
Roy, new in Florida, and two friends try to stop a pancake-house chain from bulldozing a burrowing owl nest. Funny and light on its feet.
Watch for: Mild language and bullying.
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Ungifted
Gordon Korman · Ages 10-13
Donovan lands in a gifted school by accident, and then has to stay a while. Funny.
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Swindle
Gordon Korman · Ages 9-13
Griffin and friends try to steal back a baseball card. A comic heist.
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The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Tom Angleberger · Ages 8-12
A paper Yoda on a boy's finger gives advice. A funny look at middle school.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney · Ages 8-12
Greg Heffley's illustrated journal of middle school. The big gateway book for reluctant readers.
Watch for: Mild crude humor.
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Restart
Gordon Korman · Ages 10-14
Chase falls off a roof, loses his memory, and must find out what kind of kid he was. Quick, and a lesson on bullying.
Watch for: Bullying from the old self.
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The Wednesday Wars
Gary D. Schmidt · Ages 11-14
Holling spends Wednesday afternoons alone with his teacher reading Shakespeare in 1967. Warm, funny, and about the Vietnam era.
Watch for: Vietnam War and a death in the family.
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Fortunately, the Milk
Neil Gaiman · Ages 6-11
A father returns late with the milk, with a tale of aliens and pirates. Very short and funny.
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Holes
Louis Sachar · Ages 9-13
Stanley Yelnats is sent to dig holes at a juvenile camp in the desert, and three timelines click together. Short chapters, dry humor, a real mystery.
Watch for: Some bullying and a death in a backstory.
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The Terrible Two
Mac Barnett and Jory John · Ages 8-12
Two prank masters at the same school duel to be the best. A silly prank war.
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