I Funny Books in Order

The I Funny books follow Jamie Grimm, a middle school kid who wants to be the greatest comedian in the world. That sounds breezy at first, and the series absolutely delivers the jokes, cartoons, contests, and goofy energy the title promises. But Jamie is also carrying a lot more than a joke notebook.

He lives with loss, disability, bullying, and the kind of attention that can go sour very quickly. What makes the series work is that it never treats comedy as a magic trick that fixes everything. For Jamie, being funny is ambition, self-defense, performance, and sometimes the only way he knows to keep moving.

Across the books, he goes from local competitions to national attention, television, teaching comedy, and bigger stages. Each step raises the pressure. The tension is not just whether Jamie can win. It is whether success will change him, swallow him, or force him to figure out who he is when the audience is not laughing.

Jamie is easy to root for because he keeps choosing to try.

Start with I Funny and keep going in order. The emotional thread matters here as much as the punch lines. Readers who like illustrated middle grade stories with heart, humor, and a main character who refuses to quit will have a lot to enjoy.