I Funny
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| Authors | James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Hugh Park |
| Language | English |
| Series | Middle School |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
Publication date | 2012 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover or paperback) |
| Pages | 303 |
I Funny: A Middle School Story, simply known as I Funny, is a realistic fiction novel by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. It was published by Little, Brown and Company in 2012. It is followed by I Even Funnier in 2013, and I Totally Funniest and I Funny TV in 2015.
Summary
Jamie Grimm is an extremely funny guy. He has been left paralyzed from the legs down after a car crash that killed his family and relocated him from his home in Cornwall to Long Beach on Long Island. He cracks jokes nearly every day at his uncle's diner, school, and at home. His uncle tells him that a comedy competition for kids is coming up in Ronkonkoma. Jamie goes to the competition and wins first place, which means he moves onto the next round in New York (which he also wins first place). After that he gets his first real kiss by Suzie Orolvsky (known as Cool Girl by Jamie). In New York, his whole family comes, plus a few friends from Long Beach. He wins first place and moves on to the next round which is in Boston. Everyone in Long Beach is so happy for him, so they throw him a party for winning.
Characters
- Jamie Grimm is the handicapped protagonist of the story. He enters the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest and wins the Long Island competition, then moves on to the state competition and wins. Next he will go to the Regionals in Boston. He was involved in a serious car accident two years prior that killed his parents and his younger sister, Jenny, and left him paralyzed from the legs down, and puts him in a wheelchair. He is later relocated from his home in Cornwall in Upstate New York to his aunt and uncle's family (who he nicknamed "the Smileys" because they never smile, even when Jamie makes a joke) in Long Beach.
- Suzie Orolvsky (AKA Cool Girl) is a girl that Jamie carries her books for. They become good friends and she kisses Jamie at night in the light of the full moon. It is stated that Jamie and Gaynor both have feelings for her.
- Stevie Kosgrov is Jamie's adoptive brother and bully. He often make jokes at his expense saying Jamie is successful because he is disabled.
- Uncle Frankie is Jamie's other uncle. He owns Frankie's Good Eats by the Sea Diner and is shown to be very talented with yo-yo tricks.
- Joey Gaynor is one of Jamie's best friends. He has long hair, a nose ring, and several tattoos. He is apparently obsessed with girls.
- Jimmy Pierce is one of Jamie's best friends. He is said to be nerdy, has glasses, and wears this black hat with a flat top and broad rim. He is a total brainiac and knows everything.
- Gilda Gold is one of Jamie's best friends. She is shown to be a Boston Red Sox fan.
- Shecky is a kid from Schenectady who competes in the New York finals. He tells distasteful and usually insulting jokes, and is overconfident and arrogant. His catch phrase after telling a joke is "Ba-Boom. Nailed it!".
- Judy Nazemetz is a girl from Manhattan who competes in the New York finals. She is Jamie's friend and apparently has a contract with Disney to become the next Hannah Montana.
- Ronna Applebaum is a girl in Ronkonkoma who competes in a comedy contest with Jamie. She won third place and when she did so, her family went berserk, and Jamie suspected that her prizes were a T-shirt and some jalapeño poppers.