I'm currently enjoying this collection of interviews, And Here's the Kicker, by Mike Sacks with well-known humor writers such as Dave Barry, David Sedaris, and Jack Handey (actually, I didn't know Jack Handey was a real person before I picked up this book. I thought he was a made-up Saturday Night Live character.  Apparently I am not the only person who has ever held this misconception).

The writers showcased within have fascinating observations to make about the creative process and what makes something funny. They often sound very serious about it. Helpful tidbits of advice for aspiring humorists on how to get off the ground are scattered between the interviews as well.

One thing this book makes very clear to me is the unfortunate dearth of well-known female humor writers. There are only two women interviewed in this book (Merrill Markoe of Late Night with David Letterman and Allison Silverman of The Colbert Report). The world of humor definitely suffers without the voice of women. Maybe I can do something about that problem!

I spent last Sunday afternoon with Nora Ephron.  I sat under an umbrella in my favorite chair on my patio at home.  The weather was perfect:  sun shining in  a cobalt blue sky; a gentle breeze ruffling the leaves.   The temperature was hovering around 78 degrees with no sticky humidity.  For me, a transplanted New Yorker, I was in weather heaven.   Anyhow, on this beautiful afternoon I sat in my back yard with my old fashioned SONY Walkman CD Player listening to Nora Ephron read her collection of essays: I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections.   How bicoastal, I thought, to be sitting under the  California sun listening to Norah Ephron narrate her humorous essays with that unmistakable straightforward, sharp edged  New York attitude.   Nora was born in New York, but her family moved to  Southern California when she was a child. She made a permanent move to the East Coast after graduating from Wellesley College and lived most of her adult life in New York working as a journalist, playwrite and screenwriter-director . Remember the films When Harry Met Sally,  Silkwood, Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie & Julia ?  They are all Nora Ephron's screenplays. 

Nora passed away last month after a long illness.  I Remember Nothing is the last book she wrote.  It is a collection of  humorous essays and anecdotes that are reflections on her personal and professional life.  Annoyances in contemporary life, the trials and tribulations of aging, and poignant family stories are all narrated with her signature clarity and  humor.  As I sat there listening and often laughing aloud,  I wondered if Nora knew the end was coming as she wrote this book.  I think she did.  And so along with the laughter, there were a few tears as I shared the afternoon with Nora.   She will be missed and long remembered.

Do you ever feel like no one is paying attention to you?  That's the way Moose feels in Kelly Bingham's Z is for Moose.  A truly hilarious tale that will keep classes in stitches!

Moose will start to infiltrate the story at around the letter, "D."  He can't wait around until "M" comes around!  That's much too long to wait!  By the time "M" comes around, Moose will be in for a surprise.  You will be sure to smile at the surprise ending.

This book may seem like a concept book for toddlers.  However, the humor seems to be just right for lower elementary readers!  This is not your typical alphabet book!

Some kids enjoy scary stories before bedtime... but what do ghost kids consider to be a scary story? Find out in the hilarious new picture book by David LaRochelle, The Haunted Hamburger. There are actually three separate stories in the book which father ghost tells to his wide awake ghost kids in an effort to get them to go to sleep. 

The first tale, the Scary Baby, is all about ghostly Uncle Ned who flies about town trying to scare various people without any luck whatsoever. When he finally ends up in the bedroom of the scary baby, the baby’s crying is so awful that he decides to hide in an open drawer - big mistake - as (spoiler alert!) the baby’s mother comes in and mistakes Uncle Ned for a diaper! While this is truly a horrifying thought for the ghost children listening to the tale, human kids will definitely get a kick out of the illustration of poor Uncle Ned turned into a baby’s diaper.

Then there is the title story in which boastful cousin Nell somehow gets defeated by a hamburger in a race, solving math problems, and even in a scary face making contest. The full page illustration of the hamburger’s winning scary face: two green pickle eyes, scary yellow mustard mouth, and ketchup red cheeks is sure to get a laugh from non-ghost kids.

Lastly the tale of the Big Bad Granny... most frightening of all to the ghost children - where ghost Grandma comes up the stairs with a “Thump Thump Thump” to kiss ghost children all over the face with her red lipstick if they don’t go to sleep!

Twelve-year-old Derek is looking forward to a great summer with his best friend.  Mom and Dad, of course, have other ideas for the Calvin and Hobbes-loving Derek.  Two words:  Learning Camp!  YIKES!  Even worse, he must spend more time at Learning Camp with that goody two shoes, Carly!  ICK!  What is a fun-loving skateboarder to do?  All he has left is his faithful dog, Bodi.

Solve a ten-year-old mystery, of course!  Derek finds a clipping about a mysterious death that occurred in Martha's Vineyard when he was just a toddler.  When he brings up the clipping to his Mom, she becomes mysteriously close-mouthed.  What is she hiding from Derek?  And why does the clipping mention that the girl died while trying to save a two-year-old toddler?  Is it a coincidence that Derek happened to be at Martha's Vineyard when it happened?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans are sure to enjoy My Life as a Book (AR 4.0, Level 5.2) by Janet Tashjian.  Each cartoon, drawn by the author's son, is laugh out loud funny.  Find out what happens to Derek when he manages to convince his parents to visit his grandmother in Massachusetts!

Friendships often change in middle school. Zoe finds this out when her best friend Dara starts to develop different interests from her. Zoe is unconsciously drawn to Lucas because of a shared gift in cryptanalysis.

Lucas is very unusual because he doesn't care what others think of him; he only cares about Zoe. But when Lucas tries to solve Zoe's problems, he inadvertently makes them worse! Along the way, Lucas tutors Zoe in the various puzzles he is so gifted in decrypting. Meanwhile, Zoe tries to figure out what to do about her friendship with Dara.

Barbara Dee skillfully shows us Zoe's troubles when she tries to choose friendship over her natural talent. Solving Zoe (AR 6.0, Level 4.3) is humorous and tender at the same time.