One of the funniest television series, hands down, is a British comedy called The IT Crowd. It follows a group of IT workers as they embarrass themselves publicly, fail at dating, make those around them uncomfortable, and fix computers by turning them off and on again. The show has amazing writing and the actors are all fantastic. And at the center of this show is Chris O'Dowd, who plays Roy.
O'Dowd has also appeared in several movies, such as Bridesmaids, Thor: The Dark World, and St. Vincent. He is a fantastic, versatile actor, and also a writer. Enter Moone Boy.
Moone Boy: The Blunder Years is his first book with co-writer Nick Murphy, and it's as perfect a middle grade book as I've ever read. Martin Moone is an 11-year-old boy in a house filled with older sisters, and as if getting bullied at home wasn't bad enough, he gets bullied at school too. When his friend suggests that Martin find himself an imaginary friend (IF), Martin thinks it's the perfect idea. Only, the IF he chooses isn't quite right for him, and when an office clerk shows up to try to help Martin with his IF issue, Martin chooses him as an IF instead. Enter new IF Sean Murphy, who has spent his days in a cubicle and has a lot to learn about being an imaginary friend.
Moone Boy is funny and charming, smart and witty. The characters are interesting and well-drawn, and the situations that Martin and Sean find themselves in are wickedly smart and laugh-out-loud funny. What could be better than that?
I'll tell you what's better. Getting this delightful book read to you by the authors. O'Dowd and Murphy read it together, with O'Dowd reading the part of Sean Murphy. This is important if you also choose to watch the Hulu show based on this book (also highly recommended!), because he plays the character in the show. His comedic voice is perfect for the character, and hearing this book read by its creators is as entertaining an experience as I've had with an audiobook. I can't recommend this audiobook enough. Seriously. Get Mooned.