Lollies Awards 2017 shortlist: Discover the funniest books of the year

Published on: 13 June 2017 Author: Catriona Wightman

The Lollies Awards 2017 shortlist is here - so which hilarious books made the cut, and how can you vote for your favourite?

We're delighted to be partnering with Scholastic and Michael Rosen for the second Laugh Out Loud Awards 2017. They're designed to celebrate the funniest books in the world of children's fiction, and we're very excited to be celebrating the shortlist announcement...

Having taken place for the first time last year, Scholastic set up the Lollies because they (and we!) believe funny books - and their authors and illustrators - are the beating heart of the children's book world. After all, there's nothing quite like a side-splitting book for creating lifelong, passionate readers.

The shortlist, which you can explore below, features the Lollies judges' 12 funniest reads, ranging from picture books up to books for readers aged 9-13. But now it's where you come in - because the winners of the Lollies are decided entirely by teachers, parents and children. To start reading and voting for your favourites, go to www.scholastic.co.uk/lollies - and find out which books made the shortlist below!

Picture Books

Oi, Dog! by Kes Gray and Jim Field (Hodder Children's Books, Hachette)

Frog's had enough, so he's the changing the status quo! But Cat insists that there are rules - only mules sit on stools, no-one but hares should sit on chairs and, however irritating, dogs MUST sit on frogs.

Read our review of Oi, Dog!

Eat Your People by Lou Kuenzler and David Wojtowycz (Orchard Books, Hachette)

This monstrously funny story of difficult dinnertimes will have children asking for seconds! Monty definitely does NOT want to eat his people. He'll eat his vegetables - every single one! - but he will NOT eat his people.

Read our review of Eat Your People!

Prince of Pants by Alan Macdonald and Sarah McIntyre (Scholastic)

It is Prince Pip's birthday, and he can't wait to choose a pair of pants to wear on his special day. But when he goes to his pants drawer, it's empty! Where have all his pants gone? Could it be that the palace has planned a very special, pants-tastic surprise party? A royally funny picture book by an award-winning duo, with glow-in-the dark undies on the final page.

Sarah McIntyre on illustrating The Prince of Pants

Danny McGee Drinks the Sea by Andy Stanton and Neal Layton (Hodder Children's Books, Hachette)

Can a boy drink the sea? Surely it's impossible! But Danny McGee does just that - and now he has set his sights on other delights. Soon he's swallowing trees, flies, fleas, peas, mountains ... where will it end?

Read our review of Danny McGee Drinks the Sea

6-8 years

Thimble Monkey Superstar by Jon Blake and Martin Chatterton (Firefly Press)

Life is never boring now that Jams and his family have a monkey to look after. Jams and his mum love Thimble, but Dad is determined to get rid of him - to a zoo, a school, or even a demolition site. But when Jams and his dad are in mortal danger, Thimble proves once and for all why he is a Monkey Superstar! Thimble is very clever and very naughty - and just the best friend Jams has been waiting for.

Read our review of Thimble Monkey Superstar

Hamish and the Neverpeople by Danny Wallace and Jamie Littler (Simon and Schuster)

Nobody knows it yet, but the people of Earth are in big, big trouble. Like, HUGE trouble. Oh, come on, where's your imagination? Double what you're thinking! And it's all got to do with a shadowy figure, an enormous tower, some sinister monsters, huge clanking and thundering metal oddballs, and people who are just like you... but not like you at all. Luckily Hamish and the PDF are around to help save the day! Aren't they?

Read our review of Hamish and the Neverpeople

Eddy Stone and the Epic Holiday Mash-Up by Simon Cherry (Usborne Publishing)

When Eddy Stone finds a pirate in his Gran's bath, his miserable summer holiday turns into a treasure hunt! Setting sail in a ship-shaped shed, crewed by an old lady and a grumpy penguin, what could possibly stop their quest for booty? You know, apart from the world's most evil shopkeeper, a man-eating beast, and the maddest, baddest villain in all the seven seas. All aboard for an EPIC adventure...

Read our review of Eddy stone and the Epic Holiday Mash-Up

Future Ratboy and the Invasion of the Nom Noms by Jim Smith (Jelly Pie, Egmont)

When a bolt of lightning hit Colin Lamppost he was zapped millions of years into the future and turned into part boy, part rat, and part TV! With new superkeel powers and a real life sidekick in Not Bird, Future Ratboy was born. In this new adventure, can Future Ratboy and Not Bird save Shnozville from the bitey little insects that are turning everyone into zombies? Will they defeat the evil Mr X? And how will they ever find their way home?

Read our review of Future Ratboy and the Invasion of the Nom Noms

9-13 years

I Don't Like Poetry by Joshua Seigal (Bloomsbury Education)

With poems on every topic from the power of books to the joys of fried chicken, this collection is packed with Joshua Seigal's subversive humour and insight into the world of children. If you don't like poetry after reading this, there's probably something wrong with you...

The Best Medicine by Christine Hamill (Little Island Books)

Philip's happy-go-lucky life is disrupted when his mother gets breast cancer. It's bad enough that your mother is seriously ill, but could she not have developed a less embarrassing kind of cancer - toe cancer, maybe, or ear cancer? Philip's attempts to cope with his situation are both hilarious and touching, and through it all, he's writing letters to his hero, the comedian Harry Hill, looking for advice. This book is a hilarious take on life, love, glasses - and medicine.

Read our review of The Best Medicine

My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord by David Solomons and Laura Ellen Anderson (Nosy Crow)

Luke's brother Zack and friend Lara have superpowers. Luke has new school shoes and a burning sense of resentment. He KNOWS that aliens disguised as gym teachers are about to attack Earth, but will anyone listen? No! So one dodgy pact with a self-styled supervillain later, Luke is ready to save the world. He just needs to find his trainers first...

Read our review of My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord

AniMalcolm by David Baddiel and Jim Field (HarperCollins)

Malcolm doesn't like animals... which is a problem, because his family love them. Their house is full of pets. What the house is NOT full of is stuff Malcolm likes. Such as the laptop he wanted for his birthday. The only bright spot on the horizon is the Year Six school trip, which Malcolm never thought his parents would pay for. And yet there he is, on the bus, heading to... oh no. A farm! Over the next few days, Malcolm changes. He learns a lot about animals. More, in many ways, than he would like. He learns what it's really like to be an animal - a whole series of animals, in fact. It does make him think differently. And speak differently. And eat differently. And, um, smell differently. But will he end up the same as before? Because sometimes the hardest thing to become is... yourself.

Read our review of AniMalcolm