Laugh Till You Cry [Library Binding]

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD Cody doesn’t like Texas. He and his mom were only supposed to spend the summer there, helping out his grandmother. But Cody’s grandmother is sick and needs them to stay. Now he’s the new kid at the local middle school and all his friends are back in California. You’d think Cody’s cousin Hayden would show him the ropes. Not only is Hayden in the same grade, he lives next door. But Hayden doesn’t want anything to do with Cody.

Cody’s luck begins to change when he befriends Officer Ramsey, a policeman and aspiring stand-up comic. Officer Ramsey appreciates Cody’s jokes so much, he pays Cody for the material! But it’s no laughing matter when a crime is committed at school and Cody becomes a suspect. Cody is going to need more than jokes to solve this mystery—and clear his name.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7 - Cody, 13, and his mother have temporarily moved to Texas to care for Cody's ailing grandmother. As the story opens, he is running from class bullies, one of whom is his cousin. He runs straight into a police officer, an aspiring comedian, who intervenes. A friendship develops between them, and Officer Ramsey pays Cody to write jokes for his stand-up routine. When a bomb threat is phoned in at school, Cody is the prime suspect, and he and Officer Ramsey are determined to find the real culprit. A subplot involves an assignment on Hamlet, which adds interest and results in an unusual oral report from the teen. While the characters aren't fully developed, the pacing of the story, Cody's humorous side, and the book's length make this mystery ideal for reluctant readers. - Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, Skokie Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. Thirteen-year-old Cody is in Texas because his grandmother is ill and his mom is taking care of her. Grandma is the one bright spot in his new world. Otherwise, it's a new school, no friends, and his bullying cousin, Hayden. Then bad gets worse as Cody is blamed when things go wrong at school, including a prank bomb threat. Fortunately, Cody is befriended by police officer Jake Ramsey, who wants to be a stand-up comic, so there's someone on Cody's side when trouble begins. This is more family story than mystery--it's obvious who is behind the shenanigans. There are also a few things off here: Cody seems too young to be studying Hamlet (though the kids do complain how hard it is), and it's not clear why Hayden's family isn't taking care of Grandma. But readers will probably skip over these nuances and spend time sympathizing with the kid who gets into trouble that's not of his making. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385901860
• ISBN-13: 978-0385901864
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,454,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Boy Transplanted Into A World Of Trouble, September 1, 2010

By 

J Astin (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laugh Till You Cry (Paperback)

Laugh Till You cry is the story of a 13 year old boy named Cody, who is forced to move to Texas with his mother to help tend to his ailing grandma. However, trouble comes in the form of a bullying cousin, Hayden, and bomb threats, which Cody is accused of making. Jake, a police officer, believes in his innocence, but can he prove it?

A fast-paced read; shorter and different from Nixon's other works, it is geared toward a slightly younger audience. Best for tweens and those who really enjoy Joan Lowery Nixon.

5.0 out of 5 stars A humorous mystery all readers can relate to, December 10, 2004

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laugh Till You Cry (Hardcover)

When thirteen-year-old Cody Carter moves with his mother from California to Texas to be near his sick grandmother, he finds out just how different these two places are. Cody is the new kid at school, he has no friends, and his cousin Hayden is a bully. However, there are two good things about Texas --- his grandmother, Mrs. Norton, and his new friend, Officer Ramsey. Mrs. Norton tries to help Cody understand the confusing "Hamlet" for his English class. Ramsey is a police officer and an aspiring stand-up comic, who pays Cody for his original jokes.

Understanding William Shakespeare, however, is the least of Cody's problems. When a crime is committed at his school, Cody finds himself to be the prime suspect. Cody knows he didn't do the crime but realizes that in order to prove his innocence he must find the real suspect himself. However, time is running out and Cody has to solve the mystery quickly before someone gets hurt.

LAUGH TILL YOU CRY is an intriguing and humorous mystery that has something for all readers to relate to --- from being the new kid at school to trying to understand the sometimes confusing works of Shakespeare. This is the last of more than 130 books written by the prolific Joan Lowery Nixon, who passed away in 2003.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle ([e-mail])