For a smart and funny Young Adult novel full of brains and heart: Fat Cat by Robin Brande
My friend Denise said to run and buy it, so I did. She was right! I
love it and haven't fallen into a book so completely in a long time. I've had two friends read it in one sitting!
For a laugh-out-loud historical middle grade novel: The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck