In the middle grade hit that debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, bestselling author James Patterson introduces the hilarious Jacky Ha-Ha, a class clown who turns to troublemaking–and laughter–to cope with life’s challenges. Now available in paperback! In twenty years Jacqueline Hart will be a famous comedienne, but right now, she goes by Jacky Ha-Ha, a nickname she’s given after her classmates tease her about her stutter. While her mom is away fighting in Iraq, she pranks up a storm at home and school, trying to distract everyone with laughs so they won’t notice her speech impediment. Can Jacky survive being forced into the big school play? Or will she be laughed off stage (and not in the good way!)?

Booklist calls Jacky smart, funny, immensely likable, and a colorful narrator, and the bold black and white illustrations by French duo Kerascoet are full of verve and energy, according to The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.