Laugh and Think: 17 funny and smart stories.

1. FUNNY
AND
SMART
STORIES
Laugh and
Think
17

2. 1. “CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS” BY DAVE PILKEY
If you like stories that are simple but also clever, then
this is the book you are looking for. The plot is about two
boys, George and Harold, who like to draw comics and
are famous pranksters in their school.
One day their principal catches them setting up a series
of stunts and threatens them. For a while he makes them
do his chores, but soon the boys find a way out. They
hypnotize their principal and make him into a superhero
they drew—Captain Underpants.
The story reveals a lot about the dominating relationship
between adults and children. The central source of
humor comes from the main characters’ brilliant strategy
to reverse this relationship and have fun with it.
The book is filled with funny cartoons and jokes that are
sometimes disgusting but always entertaining.
“George and Harold were usually responsible
kids. Whenever anything bad happened, George
and Harold were usually responsible.”
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3. 2. “XO, OX: A LOVE STORY” BY ADAM REX
Very few people would have truly wondered about the
love stories of gazelles or oxen. This book proves that if
such a relationship would ever become real, then it
would be nothing short of hilarious.
The story is told through a collection of letters where a
love-struck and adamant Ox tries to impress a celebrity
Gazelle. The joyful illustrations make the book truly
memorable.
This may seem like it is a book for children, but adults
can understand the theme of unrequited love and
appreciate the way the author plays with language.
“You are so graceful and fine. Even when you are
running from tigers you are like a ballerina who is
running away from tigers.”
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4. 3. “HUNTING DECEITFUL TURKEY” BY MARK TWAIN
Mark Twain is one the legendary figures in American
literature. He is best known for works of fiction like “The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn.” Considered the funniest turkey tale in
American literature, Twain recounts a true incident
where he tries to shoot a turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner.
The story is a humorous account of his failure and also
relates to
American tradition and a ritual of growing up.
Thanksgiving is a holiday usually celebrated in the United
States and Canada where the whole family is supposed
to have dinner together in order to express their gratitude
for the food and things they have.
Generally, turkey is the main dish in the feast and it has a
special meaning for Americans.
During Twain’s time, hunting a turkey for the festival was
seen as a mark of being a grown up. In this story, he talks
about how he was outsmarted by a turkey for a whole
day and in the end simply had to have tomatoes for a
meal. The minute (detailed) observation of the bird’s
behavior and his exaggerated descriptions make the
story a true classic.
“When a mamma-turkey answers an invitation and she finds
she has made a mistake in accepting it, she does as the
mamma partridge does—remembers a previous
engagement and goes limping and scrambling away,
pretending to be very lame; and at the same time she is
saying to her not-visible children, ” Lie low, keep still, don’t
expose yourself; I shall be back soon as I have beguiled this
shabby swindler out of the country.”
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5. 4. “LET’S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED: A MOSTLY
TRUE MEMOIR” BY JENNY LAWSON
Have you ever felt that you did not fit in? Did you feel like
you were strange, weird, awkward or simply confused?
The author of this book felt like that throughout her life.
She tells a tale which is equal parts funny and
enlightening (something which makes you aware). And
she explores what it means to be who we are.
The core message is that the moments that embarrass
us (that we pretend never happened) are the ones that
define us. While she narrates incidents about her sister
who comes to school in a bird costume, her cat who is
like a message board for her and her relationship which
is both deep and hilarious, she manages to talk about
serious things which are important to all of us.
If you are still unsure about it, then first read this article
by The Washington Post.
“Dear Victor: Wow. That … really got out of hand. I’m
sending this cat in as a peace offering. I forgive you for all
the stuff you wrote on the walls about my sister, and I’m
going to just ignore all the stuff you wrote about my “giant
ass” (turn cat over for rest) because I love you and you need
me. Who
else loves you enough to send you notes written on cats?
Nobody, that’s who. Also, I stapled a picture of us from our
wedding day to the cat’s left leg. Don’t we look happy? We
can be that way again.”
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6. 5. “THE WOMAN WHO WENT TO BED FOR A YEAR”
BY SUE TOWNSEND
Eva, the main character, is frustrated with her family. So
when her children leave home, she climbs into bed and
stays there. She refuses to be a dutiful wife to her
indifferent husband.
She also stops being an ideal mother to her careless
children.
Soon enough, unexpected things start happening and the
true face of every person in the household starts to come
out.
The novel is comical but also seeks to question
traditional family roles. For a more detailed review, read
this review by The Guardian.
“Brian kept the photograph inside an old Bible. He knew it
would be safe there. Nobody ever opened it.”
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7. 6. “EM AND THE BIG HOOM” BY JERRY PINTO
Madness is usually seen as a very clinical topic. Mad
people are distant and mysterious. They are reduced to
their disorders and their humanity is usually ignored.
This novel narrates a story about a woman who suffers
from schizophrenia. The narrator is her son who is trying
to figure out what is happening and also explores his
parents’ past.
It contains the whole range of emotions from joy to grief
to exhaustion.
The unique characters and interesting observations
about the family and their way of coping with Em, the
mother, make the book humorous. But the book is never
too simplistic and is able to retain the human element in
all the characters.
“Honestly, I don’t understand Zen. It seems if you don’t
answer properly, or if you are rude, people get enlightened.”
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8. 7. “THE SELLOUT: A NOVEL” BY PAUL BEATTY
This is a satire that won the prestigious Man Booker Prize
in 2016. It is a sharp, witty story about an African
American protagonist (main character) who was born in a
middle-class family. Raised by a single father, he dreams
of making his life better. But when his father is killed in a
police shooting, he seeks to take a radical step.
The novel is funny, and goes deep into the heart of
American society. To know why it won one of the most
famous awards in the world, read this.
“If New York is the “city that never sleeps,” then Los
Angeles is the “city that’s always passed out on the couch.”
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9. 8. “HOW TO BUILD A GIRL” BY CAITLIN MORAN
This story is about killing a 14-year-old girl to build a new
one. It is not literally about murder but rather a story
about growing up as a girl.
The protagonist is named Johanna who renames herself
Dolly Wilde when she decides to change her life. She
goes through a very intimate journey to become the
woman she wants to be. This is a witty story about being
free and what it means to be that.
You can read a fantastic story here.
“There’s no point in drinking if no one’s watching.”
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10. 9. “SOMETHING FRESH” BY P.G. WODEHOUSE
P.G. Wodehouse’s novels are always filled with
humorous characters and plots with as many twists as
the number of holes in Swiss cheese. In this tale, a set of
events are set into motion when a precious art piece is
stolen from the castle of Mr. J. Preston Peters. There are
detectives, imposters and marriages that go wrong.
This is a classic and simple story that never
fails to be funny and interesting. In the quote below, the
word “chivalry” means polite behavior usually that of
men towards women.
“You remind me of an old cat I once had. Whenever he killed
a mouse he would bring it into the drawing-room and lay it
affectionately at my feet. I would reject the corpse with
horror and turn him out, but back he would come with his
loathsome gift. I simply couldn’t make him understand that
he was not doing me a kindness. He thought highly of his
mouse and it was beyond him to realize that I did not want
it.
You are just the same with your chivalry. It’s very kind of you
to keep offering me your dead mouse; but honestly I have
no use for it. I won’t take favors just because I happen to be
a female.”
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11. 10. “THE EYRE AFFAIR” BY JASPER FFORDE
This is a fantasy book that takes place in Britain. Jane
Eyre, one of the most famous literary heroines in history,
has been kidnapped and is going to be murdered. A
detective is given the task to save her before it is too late.
It is set in a world where people can literally enter
novels, time travel is real and cloning is commonplace.
The novel manages to be funny while talking about a
society under the rule of a dictator.
Here is the book.
“I shouldn’t believe anything I say if I were you. And that
includes what I just told you.”
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12. 11. “THE LUMBER ROOM” BY SAKI
Adults often treat children as people who are less
intelligent. In this story, Saki introduces us to Nicholas,
who easily tricks his strict aunt and outsmarts her
throughout the story.
Nicholas is constantly fascinated by the lumber room,
where all kinds of curious things are stored but children
are not allowed to enter it. The story is about how he not
only gets into the room but also manages to reverse the
relationship of obedience he has with his aunt.
Saki is famous for writing about characters who are not
only funny but also use their minds to change the
situation they are stuck in.
“Only that morning he had refused to eat his wholesome
bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there
was a frog in it. Older and wiser and better people had told
him that there could not possibly be a frog in his bread-and-
milk and that he was not to talk nonsense; he continued,
nevertheless, to talk what seemed the veriest nonsense,
and described with much detail the coloration and markings
of the alleged frog.
The dramatic part of the incident was that there really was a
frog in Nicholas’s basin of bread-and-milk; he had put it
there himself, so he felt entitled to know something about
it.”
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13. 12. “THE CROCODILE” BY FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY
Ivan Matveich is swallowed alive when he goes to see a
crocodile with his wife and a friend. He finds himself
quite comfortable inside the animal and refuses to come
out. What follows is a hilarious story which has become a
classic.
Originally published in 1865 in Russian, some words
might seem confusing. For instance “arcade” is an old
word used for a covered passage where people used to
go for entertainment.
“Alive and well,” answered Ivan Matveitch, “and, thanks to
the Almighty, swallowed without any damage whatever. I
am only uneasy as to the view my superiors may take of the
incident; for after getting a permit to go abroad I’ve got into
a crocodile, which seems anything but clever.”
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14. 13. “THE NOSE” BY NICHOLAS GOGOL
“The Nose” is a satirical story about a person named
Kovalyov whose nose leaves his face and decides to have
a life of its own. In a hilarious series of events, the nose
actually moves above Kovalyov in official ranks and is
now his senior in the government.
This was written in 1836 and it is a comment on a
Russian society obsessed with social status. Just like
other stories, you will read some words that are less
common in modern English. “Propriety” is one such
word which means to have good manners and act
according to social rules.
“The nose looked at the Major and frowned a little.”
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15. 14. “THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF” BY O. HENRY
Two men kidnap a boy who turns out to be so
mischievous that they ultimately return him to his father
and give their own money to his family instead.
In this ironic twist, O. Henry once again creates a story
that is remembered throughout generations.
“If you don’t behave,” says I, “I’ll take you straight home.
Now, are you going to be good, or not?” (This was said by
the kidnapper.)
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16. 15. “THREE MEN IN A BOAT” BY JEROME K. JEROME
This book was originally intended to be a serious memoir,
but the funny elements soon took over and the writer
decided to publish it as a humorous tale.
This book is about three men who take a boat ride on the
river Thames in England and describe funny things they
encounter throughout the journey.
“George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day,
except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him
outside at two.”
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17. 16. “A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES” BY JOHN
KENNEDY POOLE
This novel is about Ignatius Reilly, a fat man with a funny
hat. Various things happen in the story including a parrot
attack, a revolt to impress a girlfriend and many
accidents. This book was published after the author died
and won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.
As you can tell from the title, the novel is best for
advanced English learners. The word “dunce” refers to a
stupid person and the word “confederacy” means a
union or alliance of people who agree to work together.
“I mingle with my peers or no one. And since I have no
peers, I mingle with no one.”
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18. 17. “PUCKOON” BY SPIKE MILLIGAN
Puckoon is a novel set in 1924. That year Ireland was
divided into Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. You
can read the historical background here.
In the novel, the border cuts through the middle of a
village named Puckoon and divides a house into two.
What follows is a comical journey widely regarded as one
of the best.
The protagonist is so lazy that the narrator had to
intervene to make sure he did something in the story.
“Many people die of thirst but the Irish are born with one.”
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