Dogs Don't Tell Jokes [Hardcover]

Louis Sachar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 1991 | Age Level: 10 and up

GARY W. BOONE knows he was born to be a stand-up comedian. It’s the rest of the kids in his class who think he’s just a goon. Then the Floyd Hicks Junior High School Talent Show is announced, and Gary’s sure this will be his big break.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Compulsive joke-teller Gary Boone--aka Goon--thinks his witticisms are hysterical, but almost everyone in his seventh-grade class knows different. Only his best friend, Angeline, really enjoys his humor. Still, when Gary sees the posters for a talent show, he knows his moment has come. Gary's parents will let him perform, but only if he agrees not to tell a single joke in the three weeks before the big night. Going cold turkey teaches Gary a lot about socialization and a little about baseball cards, and gives him the confidence to weather disaster at the talent contest. With its strong, realistic characterization, Sachar's ( Sideways Stories from Wayside School ; There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom ) gracefully told story will please his longtime fans and gain him new followers as well. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- Gary Boone (who calls himself "Goon") is the self-proclaimed clown of his seventh-grade class. He never stops joking, despite the fact that nobody laughs much, and he has no real friends at school. Entering a talent contest as a stand-up comedian forces him to look more closely at the effect his humor has on others and on himself. Sachar balances the fun with moments of insight and feeling. Gary, who appeared as a fifth grader in Someday Angeline (McKay, 1990), is not very funny as the book begins. He has moments of true wit, but they are overshadowed as he reels off one-liners culled from books. As he begins to notice how his family and classmates react to his jokes, he gradually becomes funnier. He also stops falling back on the self-deprecating humor that has helped to make him unpopular . His hilarious performance at the talent show is a fitting climax, full of real surprises. Hurwitz's Class Clown (Morrow, 1987) deals with a similar theme but is for a younger audience. Dogs Don't Tell Jokes is an excellent choice for junior high readers, and Sachar's younger fans will enjoy it too. --Steven Engelfried, Pleasanton Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 209 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 3, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679820175
• ISBN-13: 978-0679820178
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,616,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

author spotlight
Newbery Award-winning author Louis Sachar is the creator of the entertaining Marvin Redpost books as well as the much-loved There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, winner of 17 child-voted state awards.

Louis Sachar's book Holes, winner of the 1999 Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, is also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick, an ALA Notable Book, and was made into a major motion picture.

A Few Words From Louis Sachar
Of all the characters from Holes, why did you choose to revisit Armpit in SMALL STEPS?
LS: I tend to write about underdogs. It seemed to me that life would be tough for an African-American teenager from a low-income family with a criminal record. Especially someone stuck with the name, "Armpit."
Although this new book is about a character from Holes, the two books are very different. How would you explain to a fan of Holes what to expect from SMALL STEPS?
LS: I can't. I'm no good at describing my books. Holes has been out now for seven years, and I still can't come up with a good answer when asked what that book is about.
Could you imagine future novels about any of the other boys?
Do you think about what Stanley is up to now?
LS: I don't think too much about Stanley or Zero. I left them in a good place. Although money doesn't bring happiness, or give meaning to someone's life, the problems Stanley and Zero face now (and I'm sure they do face many problems) are less interesting than those faced by someone like Armpit.
Plenty of teenagers fantasize about what it would be like to be a young rock star.
You portray it as lonely. Tell us about that decision.
LS: The media tends to portray the teenage world as one where drinking and sex is taken for granted. In fact, I think most teenagers don't drink, are unsure of themselves, and feel awkward around members of the opposite sex. I thought it was important to show Kaira, a rock star no less, as such a person. Her situation, in many ways, is made more difficult as she has no social contact with anyone her age. She is trapped in a world of agents, record producers, and hanger-ons.
I'm imagining that off all the books you've written, Holes is the one that has changed your life the most. Not only did it win the Newbery Medal, it's also simply a popular sensation. Is this assessment accurate? What is this novel's continuing impact on your life? Would you consider it the book that you are proudest of?
LS: Not counting Small Steps, I think Holes is my best book, in terms of plot, and setting, and the way the story revealed itself. It hasn't changed my life, other than that I have more money than I did before I wrote it. I'm still too close to Small Steps to compare it to Holes.
Why do you typically write only two hours each day?
LS: Small steps. Every time I start a new novel it seems like an impossible undertaking. If I tried to do too much too quickly, I would get lost and feel overwhelmed. I have to go slow, and give things a chance to take form and grow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs Don't tell Jokes, April 25, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dogs Don't Tell Jokes (Paperback)

I chose this book because of the title "Dogs Don't Tell Jokes." I thought this book would be about this girl that was telling dogs jokes. This book is about a kid whose name is Gary W. Boone, and he really wants to enter a talent show but then he finds out that he is the only one signed up for it. I liked this book because the boy is really funny, but I also liked this book because the boy is really lucky. He will get $100 from his parents if he doesn't tell jokes for two weeks. I recommend this book for 4th-8th graders.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Funny review for a Funny Book, September 15, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dogs Don't Tell Jokes (Paperback)

This book, written by Louis Sachar, was a very enjoyable book. It's a very easy book, but you won't be able to put it down. It's about a boy by the name of Gary W. Boone. "If you take the Oon from Boone and the G from Gary, it makes Goon!" Being the goofy kid he is on the inside, he tries to make friends, but being the comedian without any good jokes, he sees it's very difficult. His best friend, Angeline, moves to a new school, which makes it harder for Gary. Finding a sign for the school talent show, Gary finds this the perfect opportunity to gain popularity, and practice his jokes. As he practices day and night to find a nice order to put his jokes in and memorize them, he gets a call from Angeline. Angeline, who has always thought she was psychic, tells Gary not to enter the talent show. She senses something bad might happen. Gary wants to believe her, but this is his big chance to give the school a big opening BANG with his hilarity.

I would give this book four stars because its funny and it has a good story line.

Louis Sachar is a brilliant author that talks about funny things. I like him mostly because he's down to earth and he doesn't involve aliens or anything fiction. His stories are about everyday kids in awkward, hilarious situations. I'm not a good science fiction reader so this book is perfect for me, plus it's not as hard so I won't get confused on what's going on. This is why I like Louis Sachar.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dont Tell Anymore Jokes, February 13, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dogs Don't Tell Jokes (Paperback)

Don't Tell Anymore Jokes
Dogs Don't Tell Jokes By Louis Sachar
This story is about a boy named Gary W, Boone. He wants to be a famous comedian. He always daydreams about being on a late-night TV show. When he tells a joke to kids in his class they all give him funny looks and call him a dork and all other mean names. They also laugh at him because they think the joke is so dorky. When Gary hears them laugh he think that they are laughing at the joke but they really are laughing at him.
The most interesting thing about this book is when the school talent show comes up.
Gary of course wants to be in the talent show and do jokes. He says that that will get him in
to the comedian stage. He tries everything he can and he goes through alot of stuff. One of the thangs he goes through is him finding out that people don't like his jokes. When he has to practice his jokes. He tries to make the jokes up but sometimes he doesn;t know what the joke should be. When he says the jokes to him self and they do not sound funny. After a while he gets tired of trying to make up jokes so he disides to change his whole idea and goes to a normal kid. He tries to hang out with other kids and not do the jokes anymore. Then he diside that no one else would really pay attention to him and that he really liked telling jokes.So he goes back to teling jokes.
People I think would like this book is kids who like to read life books about people's life.Also if you like funny stories!So I think that 4th or 5th graders would like it.If older kids like books like that or like kinda in the middle sized of stories might like it to.
Between the rating sacale of 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. I would give it a 9. Not that it is bad book it is a great book!!!