About the Author

Newbery Award winner Louis Sachar is the author of The Boy Who Lost His Face, the Marvin Redpost books, and the much-loved There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom, winner of 19 child-voted state awards.
 
Louis Sachar’s book Holes, winner of the 1999 Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, is also an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Quick Pick, and an ALA Notable Book, and was made into a major motion picture.

Reviews

"With its strong, realistic characterization, Sachar's gracefully told story will please his longtime fans and gain him new followers as well"-- Publishers Weekly.

"With its strong, realistic characterization, Sachar's gracefully told story will please his longtime fans and gain him new followers as well"-- Publishers Weekly.

Gr 5-8-- Gary Boone (who calls himself ``Goon'') is the self-proclaimed clown of his seventh-grade class. He never stops joking, despite the fact that nobody laughs much, and he has no real friends at school. Entering a talent contest as a stand-up comedian forces him to look more closely at the effect his humor has on others and on himself. Sachar balances the fun with moments of insight and feeling. Gary, who appeared as a fifth grader in Someday Angeline (McKay, 1990), is not very funny as the book begins. He has moments of true wit, but they are overshadowed as he reels off one-liners culled from books. As he begins to notice how his family and classmates react to his jokes, he gradually becomes funnier. He also stops falling back on the self-deprecating humor that has helped to make him unpopular . His hilarious performance at the talent show is a fitting climax, full of real surprises. Hurwitz's Class Clown (Morrow, 1987) deals with a similar theme but is for a younger audience. Dogs Don't Tell Jokes is an excellent choice for junior high readers, and Sachar's younger fans will enjoy it too. --Steven Engelfried, Pleasanton Library, CA