The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh

by Helen Rutter

Overview

When life is funny, make some jokes about it.

Billy Plimpton has a big dream: to become a famous comedian when he grows up. He already knows a lot of jokes, but thinks he has one big problem standing in his way: his stutter.

At first, Billy thinks the best way to deal with this is to . . . never say a word. That way, the kids in his new school won’t hear him stammer. But soon he finds out this is NOT the best way to deal with things. (For one thing, it’s very hard to tell a joke without getting a word out.)

As Billy makes his way toward the spotlight, a lot of funny things (and some less funny things) happen to him. In the end, the whole school will know —

If you think you can hold Billy Plimpton back, be warned: The joke will soon be on you!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338652260
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	394,246
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh:

"Very funny, very touching, very truthful — a total delight to read." — Jacqueline Wilson, internationally #1 bestselling author

"This incredible debut tugs at your heartstrings and makes you laugh out loud." — Lisa Thompson, author of The Goldfish Boy

"Amazing!" — Noel Fielding, comedian and co-presenter, The Great British Bake Off

"It made me punch the air with delight. Billy Plimpton is my hero." — Marcus Brigstocke, acclaimed UK comedian

From the Publisher

2021-06-11
Billy faces his speech impediment with a lot of determination and a little help from his friends.

English 11-year-old Billy Plimpton is like most other boys, with one exception: He has a bad stutter that makes it almost impossible for him to practice his favorite hobby: telling jokes. Billy loves jokes, but his stutter undermines his ability to tell them fluently. It causes endless embarrassment in encounters with everyone except his immediate family, and a move to a new school makes everything worse. Billy concludes that his only choice is to remain silent until one of his remedies works—but his forced reticence makes him a natural target for the school bully. Help comes in the shape of a caring teacher who spots Billy’s natural drumming ability and encourages him to take up percussion, which doesn’t require him to speak in order to express himself. Although Billy fails to discover a cure for stuttering, he learns the value of friendship, to embrace his disability, and even how to turn it to his advantage in a remarkable impromptu stand-up performance. Billy’s first-person narrative is funny, authentic, and moving. His maturation as he learns to come to terms with his speech impediment develops naturally and will be encouraging for readers facing similar challenges. Main characters present White; Billy’s teacher is of Nigerian descent.

A boy who stutters learns how to make lemonade out of lemons. (stuttering resources) (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews