Radio 4 Children's Summer Book Club: Humour

The Today programme’s Children’s Summer Book Club has returned for the holidays!

The Book Club recommends children’s books on different themes and for different age groups every Monday until the end of August. Recommendations include old favourites, classics, new releases, books you can borrow from the library and books to delight the whole family.

This year is even more special because they've enlisted the help of Frank Cottrell-Boyce, SLA Patron, award-winning author and screenwriter and the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, as well as Cressida Cowell, author and illustrator of the bestselling the How to Train Your Dragon.

As Frank is a Patron of the SLA, this year we thought we'd get involved and support the Book Club by suggesting our own reading recommendations on each weekly theme!

Read on to discover our recommendations on this week's theme, and be sure to check back next week for more.

Theme: Humour

Frank recommends:

• Boss of Everyone by Danny Wallace
• Truckers by Terry Pratchett
• Bunny Vs Monkey by Jamie Smart

Cressida recommends:

• Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging by Louise Rennison
• Astrid and the Space Cadets by Alex T Smith
• Barbara Throws a Wobbler by Nadia Shireen

The SLA recommends:

KS1

• Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd and Kate Hindley  

- A wonderfully funny tale ostensibly about size with Marcel in trouble from start to finish.

• A Dinosaur at the Bus Stop by Kate Wakeling and Eilidh Muldoon  

- A collection of poems to be read aloud and to have fun with. 

KS2

• Oh Mummy Mia! by Maz Evans

- A new series from this author which promises as many laughs as WLTGO 

• Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey

- No funny list is complete without a Dog Man graphic novel.

KS3

• Reggie Houser Has the Power by Helen Rutter 

- When Reggie decides to learn the skills behind mind control and hypnotises his headmaster into clucking like a chicken, what can go wrong? 

• Northern Soul by Phil Earle 

- Marv, a teenage boy, tries to win the heart of the cool new girl at school but takes advice from his Dad’s musical idol.