Humor is kind of personal. We all find different things to be funny, so sometimes what one reader considers to be a funny book another reader might not find as humorous. But the nice thing about humor being so personal is that there are so many books that could be considered funny. 

Good readers know, too, that funny books are not “easy” books. It takes skill to nail the voice of a funny book and it takes skill to maintain a level of humor throughout a story. 

Next month’s “Get Genrefied” guide is to YA humor, but because I think it’s a category of books we don’t talk quite enough about, I wanted to tease out a contemporary-only list of titles that span the last few years. I don’t think humorous contemporary books are published at the same pace that books tackling other topics are, so it would be hard to limit my list to titles in just the last two years. So it’s a little bit of a broader scope (though not too much — so yes, I’m missing some older titles).  

All of these books are either meant to be humorous throughout or they’re books that have a significant amount of page time devoted to being funny. Again, it’s a personal call on humor, but I suspect most of these books would be considered funny by the majority of readers. 

As usual, the list isn’t comprehensive, and all descriptions come from WorldCat. If you can think of other funny contemporary YA, I’d love to know more titles in the comments. I’ve also limited my list to one book or series per author. 

Since You Asked . . . by Maurene Goo: Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim, the copyeditor for her San Diego high school’s newspaper, accidentally submits a piece ripping everyone to shreds and suddenly finds herself the center of unwanted attention–but when the teacher in charge of the paper asks her to write a regular column her troubles really start.

Firecracker by David Iserson: Forced to attend public school after being expelled from her elite private school, Astrid earns the enmity of her new peers as a result of her biting wit and competitive worldview until fellow misfits teach her a lesson in humility.

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison (series): Self-conscious about her knobby knees but confident in her acting ability, fourteen-year-old Tallulah spends the summer at a Yorkshire performing arts camp that, she is surprised to learn, is for girls only.

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (series): Awkward freshman Will Carter endures many painful moments during his first year of high school before realizing that nothing good comes easily, focus is everything, and the payoff is usually incredible.

Me & Earl & The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews: Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.

Swim the Fly by Don Calame (series): Fifteen-year-old Matt and his two best friends Sean and Coop, the least athletic swimmers on the local swim team, find their much anticipated summer vacation bringing them nothing but trouble with unsucessful schemes to see a live naked girl and with Matt, eager to impress the swim team’s “hot” new girl, agreeing to swim the 100-yard butterfly.

Art Girls Are Easy by Julie Klausner: Fifteen-year-old Indigo Hamlisch is an art prodigy looking forward to her last summer at the Silver Springs Academy for Fine and Performing Arts for Girls. But her BFF Lucy Serrano is a C.I.T. this year, and that means she doesn’t have to hang out with Indigo and the other campers anymore: she can mingle with the counselors–including Indigo’s scandalous and unrequited crush, paint-splattered art instructor Nick Estep. But it’s not like anything is going to happen between Lucy and Nick–right? As Indy becomes more and more paranoid about what’s going on between her best friend and her favorite counselor, Indy’s life–and her work–spin hilariously out of control. 

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford: Upon learning on Christmas Day that their rich and imperious grandmother may soon die and disown the family unless the one who offended her deeply will confess, each of the three Sullivan sisters sets down her offenses on paper.

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb: Omaha, Nebraska, twelve-year-old Oliver Watson has everyone convinced that he is extremely stupid and lazy, but he is actually a very wealthy, evil genius, and when he decides to run for seventh-grade class president, nothing will stand in his way.

Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen: After winning an essay contest, high school junior Francesca Manning finds herself stranded on an island with five celebrities when their plane crashes on the way to a charity event.

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson: Through assignments for English class, seventeen-year-old James Hoff rants against consumerism and his classmates’ apathy, puzzles over his feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and expresses disdain for his emotionally distant parents.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: Cath struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words, and worrying about her fragile father.

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin: Smart, occasionally insecure, and ambitious Brooklyn fourteen-year-old Kelsey Finkelstein embarks on her freshman year of high school in Manhattan with the intention of “rebranding” herself, but unfortunately everything she tries to do is a total disaster.

Guy Langman: Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk: Sixteen-year-old Guy Langman, his best friend Anoop, and other members of the school Forensics Club investigate a break-in and a possible murder, which could be connected to the mysterious past of Guy’s recently-deceased father.

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff: When the beautiful Lucy prays to fall in love, God, an irresponsible youth named Bob, chooses to answer her prayer personally, to the dismay of this assistant, Mr. B who must try to clean up the resulting catastrophes.

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody: On her eighteenth birthday, spoiled party girl Lexington Larrabee learns that her days of making tabloid headlines may be at an end when her ever-absent father decides she must learn some values by working a different, low-wage job every week for a year or forfeit her multimillion-dollar trust fund.

Sparks by SJ Adams: A sixteen-year-old lesbian tries to get over a crush on her religious best friend by embarking on a “holy quest” with a couple of misfits who have invented a wacky, made-up faith called the Church of Blue.

Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan: When her mother dies, sixteen-year-old Molly moves from Indiana to California, to live with her newly discovered father, a Hollywood megastar, and his pampered teenaged daughter.

Audrey, Wait by Robin Benway:  While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.

Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon: Two teenagers, both burdened by grief and loss, find each other and gradually develop a strong connection.

She’s So Money by Cherry Cheva: Maya, a high school senior bound for Stanford University, goes against her better judgement when she and a popular but somewhat disreputable boy start a profitable school-wide cheating ring in order to save her family’s Thai restaurant, which she fears will be shut down due to her irresponsible actions.

Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales: Sixteen-year-olds Violet and Katie, best friends since seventh grade despite differences in their family backgrounds and abilities, are pulled apart during their junior year at Massachusetts’ exclusive Westfield School.

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger: Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan: When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other’s best friend, who produces a musical revealing his relationship with them both.