Rating: 
Summary: GREAT Book!!!!
Review: As a 16 yr old who has grown up in the environment that this book takes place, I can honestly say it hits home. The slang is correct and flows naturally instead of sounding forced. The fact that all of the 11 teens lives are in some way interconnected makes this book a fascinating read. It is told from the heart and really captures the true essence of life in the city and how extemely hard it can be. The characters are real and come to life because they have real problems that come right off the page and touch your heart.
Rating:
Summary: A rare gem in teen fiction
Review: As a teenaged reader, I have always suffered through mediocre books written for people my age who can hardly concentrate or grasp simple concepts. The other thing I always found frustrating was how contrived and unbelievable the dialogue was in these stories. E.R. Frank's "Life is Funny" gave me hope for the teen fiction genre, as it not only tackles tough issues of 11 teens living in Brooklyn, but also utilizes real dialogue that teens can relate to. The book opens with China and Ebony using undated slang used by kids everywhere, but particularily in urban America. The book is also uses graphic profanity and sex lingo, which is also, as difficult as it may be for parents to accept, commonplace in teenage conversations. The story-telling format, which finds the kids switching off from chapter to chapter over the course of their middle school, high school, and college years, also keeps the reader interested in their separate dilemmas, while still making the stories overlap and having the characters be connected in one way or another. Each character struggles with personal demons, family troubles and young love, and though they often fall flat on their faces, each one picks him or herself up by the time their tale is through. This book was a joy to read; it made me laugh, cry and served as an inspiration. Much love to writer E.R. Frank, who I will be on the lookout in bookstores for in the future.
Rating:
Summary: A rare gem in teen fiction
Review: As a teenaged reader, I have always suffered through mediocre books written for people my age who can hardly concentrate or grasp simple concepts. The other thing I always found frustrating was how contrived and unbelievable the dialogue was in these stories. E.R. Frank's "Life is Funny" gave me hope for the teen fiction genre, as it not only tackles tough issues of 11 teens living in Brooklyn, but also utilizes real dialogue that teens can relate to. The book opens with China and Ebony using undated slang used by kids everywhere, but particularily in urban America. The book is also uses graphic profanity and sex lingo, which is also, as difficult as it may be for parents to accept, commonplace in teenage conversations. The story-telling format, which finds the kids switching off from chapter to chapter over the course of their middle school, high school, and college years, also keeps the reader interested in their separate dilemmas, while still making the stories overlap and having the characters be connected in one way or another. Each character struggles with personal demons, family troubles and young love, and though they often fall flat on their faces, each one picks him or herself up by the time their tale is through. This book was a joy to read; it made me laugh, cry and served as an inspiration. Much love to writer E.R. Frank, who I will be on the lookout in bookstores for in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Dully disappointing debut
Review: E. R. Frank, author of LIFE IS FUNNY, knows kids. She is a real-life social worker who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. So if Frank knows kids, does it mean she knows how to write, how to breathe a joie di vivre into a YA novel?Heck, no. Told through the voices of 11 New York children, all ranging in age, Frank clumsily manages to take up 263 pages of a so-called book, filling it with lifeless, limp dialogue, mostly bland characters, and unpoetic language that resists smooth flow all throughout the novel. Concisely put, this book is bad. Very, very bad. It's poorly written. The synopsis intrigued me and compelled me to shell over $8.00 of hard-earned cash. I adore novels of today's YA genre that ring true with authentic voice. Take Megan McCafferty's Jessica Lynn Darling of SLOPPY FIRSTS and SECOND HELPINGS. Take Deb Caletti's Jordan MacKenzie of THE QUEEN OF EVERYTHING. Those voices ring frankly and honestly. Yes, I do understand the fact that these New York kids have bigger battles to face than mere high school angst and traumas. Monique is pregnant at 16. Her sister, Molly, would not be in NYU if it weren't for her full scholarship - the family is flat broke. Ebony cuts herself and introduces the idea to her white friend, Grace, who has an alcoholic mother. Eric is an angry weed-smoking teen who is very protective of his little brother, Mickey. They don't see their mother because she's in a drug rehab program because of her crack addiction. See? All of these kids are screwy. I understand that Frank wanted to portray the rough lifestyles some of these kids live. Whether her own kids inspired her, I am unsure. I do know that this light read is teeming - unpleasantly overflowing - with too many problems. The rough language did not irk me in the slightest - poor sentence structure did. I know some kids have hard lives. I know I am fortunate and blessed to live the life I live. But Frank goes overboard here. As a result, this novel is not for the faint of heart. I think Frank wanted to merely inform her audience, not shock them. Either way, I was curiously unmoved. Molly appears to be the most normal out of the bunch. When she speaks, her words actually make sense. This is not the case with overbearing and incessantly angry Eric. (Pg. 132) "I eats, I sleeps, I s***s. I goes to school. I watch TV. I draws. I practice my English and maths. I waits for finding Mickey. I not talking to Ms. Hudson. I goes after school, but I not talking to her. She don't seem like she notice." We know he has yet to firmly grasp proper English. We know he cares for his brother, Mickey. We know he's angry 99.9% of the time. Big whoop. That's the thing. When you try to cram the stories of 11 kids' lives into a light 263 pages read, chances are, you'll fail at the task. We never get to know any of these kids all that well. The story simply jumps from person to person, place to place, harrowing occurrance to occurrance. And on the way, I'm sorry to say, it loses mostly all of its heart, soul, and flow. It's the worst YA novel I have read in ages.
Rating:
Summary: Dully disappointing debut
Review: E. R. Frank, author of LIFE IS FUNNY, knows kids. She is a real-life social worker who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. So if Frank knows kids, does it mean she knows how to write, how to breathe a joie di vivre into a YA novel? Heck, no. Told through the voices of 11 New York children, all ranging in age, Frank clumsily manages to take up 263 pages of a so-called book, filling it with lifeless, limp dialogue, mostly bland characters, and unpoetic language that resists smooth flow all throughout the novel. Concisely put, this book is bad. Very, very bad. It's poorly written. The synopsis intrigued me and compelled me to shell over $8.00 of hard-earned cash. I adore novels of today's YA genre that ring true with authentic voice. Take Megan McCafferty's Jessica Lynn Darling of SLOPPY FIRSTS and SECOND HELPINGS. Take Deb Caletti's Jordan MacKenzie of THE QUEEN OF EVERYTHING. Those voices ring frankly and honestly. Yes, I do understand the fact that these New York kids have bigger battles to face than mere high school angst and traumas. Monique is pregnant at 16. Her sister, Molly, would not be in NYU if it weren't for her full scholarship - the family is flat broke. Ebony cuts herself and introduces the idea to her white friend, Grace, who has an alcoholic mother. Eric is an angry weed-smoking teen who is very protective of his little brother, Mickey. They don't see their mother because she's in a drug rehab program because of her crack addiction. See? All of these kids are screwy. I understand that Frank wanted to portray the rough lifestyles some of these kids live. Whether her own kids inspired her, I am unsure. I do know that this light read is teeming - unpleasantly overflowing - with too many problems. The rough language did not irk me in the slightest - poor sentence structure did. I know some kids have hard lives. I know I am fortunate and blessed to live the life I live. But Frank goes overboard here. As a result, this novel is not for the faint of heart. I think Frank wanted to merely inform her audience, not shock them. Either way, I was curiously unmoved. Molly appears to be the most normal out of the bunch. When she speaks, her words actually make sense. This is not the case with overbearing and incessantly angry Eric. (Pg. 132) "I eats, I sleeps, I s***s. I goes to school. I watch TV. I draws. I practice my English and maths. I waits for finding Mickey. I not talking to Ms. Hudson. I goes after school, but I not talking to her. She don't seem like she notice." We know he has yet to firmly grasp proper English. We know he cares for his brother, Mickey. We know he's angry 99.9% of the time. Big whoop. That's the thing. When you try to cram the stories of 11 kids' lives into a light 263 pages read, chances are, you'll fail at the task. We never get to know any of these kids all that well. The story simply jumps from person to person, place to place, harrowing occurrance to occurrance. And on the way, I'm sorry to say, it loses mostly all of its heart, soul, and flow. It's the worst YA novel I have read in ages.
Rating:
Summary: a teenagers bible
Review: E.R. Frank's first novel has been like a bible to me i've read it over 20 times and each time it gets better and better. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It touched me in so many ways and it got me through crying nights and happy days. I think anyone who reads this will have to read it over and over again because each time you discover something new and interesting about each person.
Rating: 
Summary: "Life" vs Catcher In The Rye
Review: Even though I have not read Life is Funny I strongly believe that this book should take the place of Catcher in the Rye in most sophomore English classrooms. "Catcher" is a lovely book, but it is very dated in my opinion and I would love to see another book that my generation can relate to given a chance. I understand that some parents my have issues about the content of this book. All I can say to that is in "Catcher's" day it also caused some negative parent reactions. In a way I could relate to or understand all the issues the teens faced in "Life". Personally that made me glow with happiness because finally some one addressed issues that I face in my everyday life. So I really hope that we all can bury "Catcher" in peace and make way for the new generation of young adult novels.
Rating:
Summary: Every Teenager
Review: Every teenager has a dream, every teenager wishes to be some one else and every teenager does't want to be here. Life Is Funny is an emotional rollercoaster of feelings and emotions. Not everyone is who they really are and no one wants their past catching up to them. Life Is Funny takes everyday teenagers and shows us who they really are, what they hold on the inside and why they do not want anybody to know. A spectacular novel about the different lives of teenagers.
Rating:
Summary: From an adult, mixed feelings
Review: First I want to say that since there seem to be so many favorable reviews from younger readers (that is compared to me at 56) and some negative from adults, that the young readers win! I cannot speak for teens and young adults so if many of them like it, I say it must be good. Do not misunderstand me...I think it is well-written and I have no problem with the language or the speaking styles of the different characters. Since when do novels have to be grammatical in a standard way? The change in how the characters speak is realistic and so are the problems they face. (although not all parents are so distant as this may suggest). The author, who is a woman, something one reviewer missed, obviously bases the characters on her professional experience working with teens. I had hoped that the characters would have intereacted more before the end of the book. Although Frank did weave the stories together as time progressed, I expected more strange coincidences and connections. It raised questions for me that I would have liked to be explored in more depth. I just started bonding with the characters when the book ended. The parents are so two dimensional, but aren't everyones? (from the perspective of their kids).
Rating:
Summary: Horrible Stereotype!
Review: Frank is stereotyping Muslims when he writes about Sonia wanting to be a "good muslim girl". Muslims can talk to boys, people outside of their religion, plus he has mixed up muslims with another religion by the saying that she cannot cut her hair. As I read that chapter I was hurt, offended and extremely mad. This is a perfect example of how horrible stereotypes truly are. Sonia isn't even a Muslim name. It doesn't even say why she has these rules, he should do more research on a religion before writing about it!
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