Guys Read: Best of Friends: A Short Story from Guys Read: Funny Business – When Annoying Ernest Wins a Spectacular Trip for Kids

by Mac Barnett, Adam Rex (Illustrator)

Ernest is annoying. Ernest is awkward. Ernest is…Ernest. And Dean wants nothing to do with him, until Ernest wins the most spectacular trip in the history of America – and is allowed to bring one friend. A short story from the acclaimed collection Guys Funny Business, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Genres: Childrens

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2010

About the author

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.

Reviews

[Emmanuel Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it because Ernest and dean watched a commercial about milk, it had a slide that leads into a pool of chocolate milk. Ernest told dean that he won 2 tickets to go to the slide. Ernest was lying but dean didn't know so he was being so nice so Ernest could take him.Ernest ended up telling everyone after dean said not to. After school Dean invited Ernest to go eat so they did. Ernest, his parents, and one of his "friends" were there. Ernest asked dean if he could sleep over and he did, the next day Ernest said that he never won tickets and that he was also lactose intolerant.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the book "Guys Read: Funny Business: Best of Friends" by Mac Barnett, Ernest is a challenged kid without any friends and a dirty mind. The narrator is a kid who's name is never mentioned in the book. The narrator stated in the book that there is a commercial in which it shows the Nesquik factory in all it's glory and splendor. Ernest, desperate for a friend lies and says that he won a sweepstakes and that he was going to go in a chocolate pool with a slide that loops all over. This causes everyone at school to do whatever he wants because they want to go with him.

[Maleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story strayed from humor into cringe for me. It was like watching one of those movies where you feel awkward for everyone involved and you know things are going to go wrong.

Also, the idea of a chocolate milk slide seems neat until you really think about it. It would have to be cold and no one would like a cold water slide. If it were warm, the milk would be sour. And imagine the smell when it turned. Wow, that thought alone makes me shudder.

Maybe you could have a hot chocolate slide...

[Gavin Anstis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Best Friends" I thought this was a very good book, but for the humor genre it is not very funny. The stories are still very good and engaging, such as when a kid tries to be nice to another kid so they can go to the Nestle factory, just to say at the end he doesn't want to go. There is another story called "Will" where a kid named Will wants to have superpowers, but must accept that he doesn't. Then a supervillain comes to his school and he must defeat the villain without superpowers.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every short story because they were full of detail, and I could visualize the story in my head.
In one of the stories, the parents gave their sons bedroom to a biker because he wouldn't listen to them. I thought that this idea was very funny. In another story, I could picture a supervillain coming in to the school and trying to blow it up. If you don't like reading you should try this book; if you like funny stories you would love this book

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine. Some of it was funny, but not nearly as funny as it was made out to be, especially with some of the writing pedigrees of the writers. Still, it passed the time well on an airplane.

[Jodi Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short story.

[Leah Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Best of Friends" from Guys Read: Funny Business is a hilarious and super relatable story about two best friends who find themselves in one bizarre situation after another. There’s a mix of competition, miscommunication, and laugh-out-loud moments, all showing that friendships aren’t always smooth sailing. Even when things get messy, true friends stick it out; even if it means swallowing your pride. This story is perfect for grades 5-7 because it really gets how friendships work at that age. It’s full of humor, quick dialogue, and situations that feel real. The key themes of this story is about friendship, loyalty, and dealing with challenges together. I picked this book because it’s funny, fast paced, and completely relatable. It’s also a great conversation starter about friendships, competition, and the silly moments that make them stronger.

[Nickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kid no one really likes wins a prize trip with an extra ticket for a guest, so now all the kids are trying to be his friend for the wrong reason.