My Life as a Fifth-Grade Comedian

Packed with kid-tested jokes and riddles, this funny novel is also a thoughtful exploration of the power of laughter to hurt-and to heal.

Bobby is the class clown. He can always be counted on to crack up his friends and sometimes even the teachers. But he can't always be counted on to stay out of trouble, and that's no joke when you're in danger of being shipped off to a special school for kids with "behavioral problems."

Bobby's got one last chance to prove to his teachers, his principal, an...