Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. W.W. Norton & Co., 2019, 224 Pages.

The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll. Plume, 1999, 176 pages.

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast. Bloomsbury USA, 2016, 228 pages.

The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl. Alfred A. Knopf, 1978, 56 pages

So Roald Dahl--my new favorite author-- if you love funny, irreverent, violent, a little scary, smart books for kids. Quirky Books for Quirky Kids. The ending, as satisfying as La Mariquita Malhumorada, is a bonus.

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry. Yearling, 2010, 176 pages

Odd and Quirky-- a family where the parents are distant and couldn't care less about their kids-- find them annoying, in fact. 4 kids on their own but with many issues-- weird, bossy older brother, shy and timid youngest girl who lacks confidence, Two Twins straining to find out who they are and make their mark. A funny nanny who is a character-- and on the kid's side, an old rich man who redeems himself and a foundling baby they all revolve around. And there is more. Loved it. Hooray for quirky families-- a funny sort of old fashioned but not really book.
- audio read  by comedian Arte Johnson.
If you love Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket.

Araminta Spookie: My Haunted House as told to Angie Sage. Katherine Tegen Books, 2006. 133 pages.

Big Nate: In A Class By Himself by Lincoln Peirce. Harper, 2010. 224 pages.

Nate is a funny and over confident middle schooler who manages to break the school record by receiving a detention for every period in one school day. Along the way we meet different school characters-- teachers and principals, friends and enemies-- who keep the story moving quickly and the mood funny and light. Some very funny words and cartoons-- Big Nate and all the other books in the series are sure to be very popular with kids 8 and up. Very Diary of a Wimpy Kid-ish, but this is a lesser product in terms of writing and style --no subtly here--and i agree with the reviewer who observed that adults and kids both love Diary of a Wimpy Kid but Big Nate is only for kids. And the kids will LOVE him.

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J Krosoczka. Alfred A Knopf, 2009. 100 pages

Welcome the new superheros--- Lunch Lady-- serving justice AND lunch-- this time she is fighting the evil librarians who are trying to rid the library of video games--AAAARRRGGGH!!! A new graphic for the elementary set-- clean lines and simple, humorous drawings with unsaturated light color create a lighter, simpler juvenile graphic than Secret Science Alliance-- while several of the themes remain the same-- set in a school with friends who must solve a mystery only they can see--in the end, the kids- and the Lunch Lady--overcome! The spare and uncluttered pages will appeal to both younger students as well as reluctant readers. And, of course, Lunch Ladies and Librarians.

The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle. Scholastic, 2000 112 pages.

When Mr. Mack punishes his children unfairly, he gets 'The Treatment'-- that is, tiny, gremlin like creatures called Gigglers must find a fresh dog poop and make him step in it. This is the story-- told with lots of reference to poo, bums, rudies, etc. A favorite of my own daughter Rose for several years, the book is funny and irreverant and much loved by kids. Definitely for the "The Day my Butt Went Psycho" and "Captain Underpants" crowd---which is virtually every 3-5th grader, I believe. In addition, since the author is Irish, the book comes with a glossery of the Irish/Anglo expressions used in the text. Cheeky and loads of fun!