Book Review of Laughter is the Best Ending
Introduction
You’re not supposed to laugh at funerals is the opening line to award winning Maryam Masters wonderfully written middle grade fiction novel Laughter is the Best Ending. Published in 2024 and winning the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers category, it is a distinct novel with a writing style that has the protagonist talking to the reader.
Summary
The beginning of the novel introduces Ziba or Zee who is sent to Youth Fusion, a weeklong camp for young teens. Much to her own protests, Zee was sent there because she was a loner and her parents wanted her to socialise. Zee inevitably forms a social group with the influencer Tifanee, and the twins Jonah and Moses with her favourite being the elderly Dame Viv who is quite notorious around the camp. There at Youth Fusion, Zee is embroiled in a mystery with her friends that ultimately links back to the beginning of the book “You’re not supposed to laugh at funerals”.
Analysis
The book stands out due to its direct writing that makes the reader feel like the protagonist, Zee, is talking to them face to face. It has a witty sense of humour and a charming zing that would appeal to middle aged kids. Its apt use of illustration serves to help the imagination of the reader and is a great tool to immerse children in the story.
Conclusion
Ultimately Laughter is the Best Ending focuses on the themes of finding your own people, the loss of a good friend, and how to come into your own as an individual. This concept of figuring out how to make your own way in the world would highly appeal to the intended middle grade audience who are starting to consider their place in the world around them.
References
Masters, M. (2024). Laughter is the Best Ending. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/212351356-laughter-is-the-best-ending