Dogs Don't Tell Jokes [Paperback]

Louis Sachar (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 11, 1992 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 560L (What's this?)

Twelve-year-old jokester Gary Boone knows he was born to be a comedian, it's the kids in his class who think he's just a goon. Winning the school talent show would be Gary's dream come true, but on the big night his dream nearly backfires--with hilarious results.

An IRA/CBC Children's Choice.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

PW praised the "strong, realistic characterization" in this "gracefully told story" of a compulsive comic, the scourge of his seventh-grade class. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (August 11, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679833722
• ISBN-13: 978-0679833727
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,696 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

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

A Kid's Review

Format: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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Title Is All Wrong---This Is A Great, Honest Story May 3, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book has nothing to do with dogs not telling jokes. I think that may have been one of Gary's jokes, but really it has absolutely no relation to the story. (I'm Louis Sachar's biggest fan---he's such an awesome writer---but I wish he would work on picking out titles for his stories!)
Gary Boon is an outcast who can't stop telling jokes. The story isn't as simple as it might sound... As you read, you can find reasons for Gary being the way he is. He calls himself "Goon", with the "G" from Gary and the "oon" from Boon, and his best friend is Angeline from the book Someday Angeline (which is the best book ever writen, by the way). Gary enters in the school talent show to finally be appreciated for his "talent" of telling jokes.
Most of Gary's jokes are corny, but you'll still laugh at his efforts... And soon it's apparent that he'd just like to fit in. Like everyone else.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ha-Ha-Ha!!!!!!!!!!!! December 19, 2001

By A 10-year old reader

Format:Paperback

Gary Boone likes to tell jokes. He thinks they are funny. Whenever he is talking to someone, he tells a joke, but no one thinks they are funny. But when a talent show is announced at his school, he starts on making his routine everyday to make it perfect. Then his mom and dad said that if he didn't tell a joke until the talent show, he would get 100 dollars. But since he didn't think his jokes were funny, he quit. But an incident caused him to change his mind. I found this really great after a few chapters. It is the funniest book I have read. Don't put down this book!!!!!!!!!! The characters have a big plot in this book. I think this book is good for all ages. Read it by yourself or with someone.