Roald Dahl Funny Prize

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize Awards will be given for the first time on November 13th 2008 in London.

A "reading charity" named Booktrust is responsible for the prizes. Since this is a British prize, these titles may not be published in the U.S. yet.

Here is the shortlist of nominees, with brief descriptions added by me:

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under:

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, Illus. Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books) (A stick man with a family has adventures as he tries to find his way home)

Elephant Wellyphant by Nick Sharratt (Alison Green Books) (Fanciful elephants with lift-the-flap and pull-the-tab pages)

The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins Children's Books) (An ecological mystery in a changing forest)

The Witch's Children Go to School by Ursula Jones, Illus. Russell Ayto (Orchard Books) (A little witch tries to help her ogre friend fit in on the first day of school)

There's an Ouch in My Pouch! by Jeanne Willis, Illus. Garry Parsons (Puffin Books) (Willaby Wallaby finds his home sweet pouch is no longer comfortable.)

Manfred the Baddie by John Fardell (Quercus Books) (A thief captures scientists and makes them create fantastic machines for him.)

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen:

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, Illus. David Tazzyman (Egmont Press)(Part of the Tales from Lamonic Bibber series, a little girl tries to save a bear who is forced to dance.)

Paddington Here and Now by Michael Bond, Illus. R.W. Alley (HarperCollins Children's Books) (The perennially popular Paddington is nearly fifty. In this new novel, he has word of a long lost relative from Darkest Peru.)

Stop in the Name of Pants! by Louise Rennison (HarperCollins Children's Books)(Series character Georgia Nicholson returns to describe her antics in such twisted terms that we're never quite sure what exactly has happened.)

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan Children's Books) (If a twelve year old were unusually tall and needed a shave, they could easily end up testing a new spacecraft, among other amazing things.)

Aliens Don't Eat Dog Food by Dinah Capparucci (Scholastic Children's Books)(Three boys with a penchant for getting into trouble end up on a reality tv show)

Urgum and the Goo Goo Bah! By Kjartan Poskitt, Illus. Philip Reeve - (Scholastic Children's Books) (An Urgum the Axeman tale, part of the Murderous Maths Series)