I Funny: A Middle School Story

Jamie dashes to Uncle Frankie’s diner after school, upset and embarrassed. Uncle Frankie can sense that something is wrong, but at first, Jamie covers up his distress with humor. Uncle Frankie often has to remind Jamie to be serious, and Jamie finally blurts out that he froze while telling his story in class. Uncle Frankie tells Jamie that having a fear of public speaking is extremely common, and that many people have found ways to overcome it. He gives Jamie a pamphlet for a public speaking seminar.

Before heading back to “Smileyville,” Jamie stops at the boardwalk to look at the stars and listen to the waves. He loves being by the ocean, but he misses his old home in Cornwall. He hints that he not only lost his home, but the people who matter most to him.

Jamie is just about to leave the boardwalk when Stevie and his friends appear and start harassing him. Stevie pulls Jamie’s wheelchair over and tells his friends to take it away. They then grab Jamie, tossing him over the boardwalk fence and onto the sand below. Jamie is left defenseless and cold, and he doesn’t want to call for help because he is embarrassed about what just happened to him.

Jamie hears Uncle Frankie walking along the boardwalk, singing and dancing as he often does. Relieved, Jamie calls for him, and Uncle Frankie comes running. He scoops Jamie up, and Jamie starts to feel that same sense of comfort he used to feel with his parents. He does not reveal much about what happened, but he knows that he is hurt and his wheelchair is gone.

Uncle Frankie carries Jamie home, and they are greeted by the whole Smiley family. Aunt Smiley wants to know what happened and actually seems concerned, but Jamie claims that it was just an accident. Stevie produces the wheelchair, claiming that it was left in the alley, and whispers to Jamie that he cannot tell anyone what really happened.

On the weekend, Jamie takes the train by himself to New York City to learn more about the comedy scene. When he arrives, he is instantly reminded of why he loves New York. Nobody cares that he is there; they walk past him, bump into him, and scowl at him as they would with anyone else. As Jamie observes, “There’s very little pity on the streets of the big city” (110). Jamie is depicted as cheering for New York while a dog walks by and pees on his leg. Jamie is thrilled just to be treated normally.

Jamie goes to Broadway and the Carolines Comedy Club, where famous comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rush have performed. Jamie thinks about entering the contest, but he still isn’t sure. He buys a foam Statue of Liberty crown and a snow globe for Uncle Frankie, then starts brainstorming new jokes about the Statue of Liberty.

Nex, Jamie visits the Ed Sullivan Theater, and along the way, he is nearly run over, mugged, and peed on again. The whole experience is marvelous to Jamie, because once again, he is just glad to be treated like anyone else.

After visiting New York City, Jamie feels refreshed and confident. He is ready to start practicing the three Ps (Practice, Prepare, Perform). After practicing at home and preparing new jokes, Jamie tries them out in class on Monday. He brings his Statue of Liberty crown and does a bit about her arms getting tired and her armpit being smelly. The whole class laughs, except the teacher. For the first time, Jamie feels like he is succeeding at comedy, but then the teacher gives him detention.

A double splash page shows all the students sitting in detention in prison uniforms as the detention teacher sits behind a desk with barbed wire to protect herself. Ironically, Jamie only has to stay in detention for 12 minutes because the teacher feels sorry for him and lets him go early. Jamie is convinced that she has done this because of his wheelchair. He hates the special treatment, and he knows that the other students in detention hate it, too. He asks the teacher if Stevie can also go home early to “walk him home,” and the teacher agrees.

Instead of thanking Jamie, Stevie punches him twice and warns him that he will see Stevie in his nightmares. Jamie cannot believe he lives with someone like Stevie.

A girl that Jamie believes to be “extremely cool” (128) comes toward him in the hallway and stops. Jamie starts sweating and stammering, but he manages to offer to carry the girl’s books. She agrees and puts them on his lap. She tells him to put them in her locker, then walks away. Jamie can’t believe how cool she is, and when she turns back and tells him that she was the one who voted for him in the election, Jamie is shocked. She introduces herself as Suzie, but Jamie calls her his “cool girl” (132). An illustration depicts Suzie sleeping with her sunglasses on.

Jamie’s brain is depicted as popping out of his head when he has a “Eureka!” moment. He realizes that if he can make the Smileys laugh, he has a change at proving himself to be a true comedian.

Jamie tries endless jokes on the Smileys to no avail. He tells them jokes at dinner, during TV time, and even while they are in the bathroom. For some reason, the Smileys never laugh; instead, they just glare at him. Jamie’s lack of success makes him want to give up, but only temporarily.

Just when Jamie feels like giving up, he has a dream about the famous actor and comedian Billy Crystal, who is one of his heroes. Billy tells Jamie that he is funny by nature and doesn’t need to overdo it. He reassures Jamie, telling him that he is indeed funny. When Jamie wakes up, he takes the dream as a sign to enter the contest at Ronkonkoma. He is almost certain that he will freeze onstage and suffer humiliation, so he decides not to tell anyone about his decision.

A double splash page shows Jamie trying out his material on anyone who will listen, including his best friends, random animals, and any stranger he encounters. Jamie also keeps brainstorming to gather more ideas. He even tells a joke about being politically correct, arguing that that type of language is designed to avoid telling people “the cold, hard truth” (147). Everyone laughs at his jokes, and Jamie gains more confidence.

Jamie sneaks out to go to the contest, which is quite a long distance away from home. The trip gives him plenty of time to get more nervous as he imagines all the ways in which his performance might go wrong. When he calls a cab, the cab driver almost refuses to give him a ride because of his wheelchair.

Jamie is on stage after weeks of preparation and anticipation. His eyes bulge, and in the illustration, he perspires so much that he imagines the audience carrying umbrellas. Onstage, Jamie’s mind goes blank at first, and he cannot remember any of the set-ups for his jokes. He closes his eyes and thinks about Uncle Frankie’s advice and his dream about Billy Crystal. He reminds himself, “I funny” (154) and manages to tell his first joke. After his second joke, the crowd laughs. One of the judges whispers to him that he’s “already a winner” (156), and Jamie knows that she is taking pity on him. Determined to prove that he does not need anyone’s pity, Jamie pours all of his energy into his performance.

Jamie tells several jokes about himself, his wheelchair, Long Beach, and the ills of political correctness. He teases the audience for being so “ordinarily abled” (160) and jokes that he never has to feel bad about sitting all day long. The audience loves his humor and confidence, and everyone laughs and cheers for him.

Jamie and the other contestants wait in a room to watch the remaining performances and await the announcement of the winner. An eternity goes by before the contest finally concludes.

After the runners-up are called, Jamie is announced as the winner. He can barely believe what he is hearing, and the whole crowd cheers and claps for him. Jamie is completely elated, but one thing is missing—his family. He wishes that they were there to see him succeed.