Laughter is the Best Ending

by Maryam Master

Zee is a loner. She likes to read Oscar Wilde and watch documentaries all day which, according to her parents, is not normal for 13 year olds. So they decide to send her on a five-day holiday camp, hoping she'll make 'at least one friend'.

But Zee would rather take a bath in Tabasco sauce than attend a camp called Youth Fusion. Especially when the fearsome camp leader, Madam Augustus, declares a bonding game called 'Murder in the Dark'.

With influencer Tiffanee and super-nerds Jonah and Moses, Zee soon finds herself in the middle of a hair-raising mystery, hurling her into some fierce detective work and bringing her face to face with the notorious Old Bat Viv.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Friendship, Humor, Young Adult

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2024

About the author

Maryam Master is a writer with more than 20 years' experience creating work for stage and screen.

In 2019 she wrote the stage adaptation of David Walliams' best-selling book The Midnight Gang. The show enjoyed a sellout season at the Sydney Opera House and will begin an extensive national tour in 2021. The previous year she wrote an acclaimed adaptation of Walliams' Billionaire Boy, which also toured nationally.

In 2017 Maryam collaborated with Australian Children's Laureate Leigh Hobbs on Horrible Harriet: Live on Stage. In 2016, her new version of Mr Stink toured nationally and to the UAE, and was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award.

Maryam started her career in television, writing over 80 episodes of Home and Away (Seven Network). Since then, Maryam has written for many major Australian and international television programs. In 2011 she was selected by Sesame Workshop as the writer for Elmo's tour of Australia, and wrote Elmo and Ollie for Sesame and Nick Jr. Other TV credits include Hoopla Doopla (Beyond), Lah-Lah's Adventures (Stella/Seven Network), Blinky Bill (Yoram Gross), Animalscope (CBeebies), Raggs (Southern Star/Seven Network), Dive Olly Dive (Flying Bark), New Macdonald's Farm (Pacific and Beyond/Nine Network) and Bambaloo (Jim Henson Co./Yoram Gross/Seven Network).

Other stage work includes The Incredible Book Eating Boy (Australian and international tour), Lah Lah's Big Live Band, which debuted to sold-out audiences at the Opera House Concert Hall, and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and Jingle Bell Jazz (Sydney Opera House Babies Proms).

Reviews

[RobotAlice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I try to read all the CBCA shortlisted books so I can spruik them to my students. With that in mind I read this book as if I am the intended audience. Even with that caveat I really struggled.

The premise of the story is that the main character, Zee, has no friends, would rather read Oscar Wilde and likes her own company. Her parents send her off to a youth camp with the express desire that she make at least one friend. And that, really is the extent of the plot. There are far too many messages in this book and I think it's the kind of book that adults think that children should read.

* A warning that social media is bad for you? tick
* Not so subtle suggestions that the reader should read classics such as Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare? tick
* Never judge a person at first glance? tick
* Old people might surprise you with their life story? tick

I found the whole book very tedious. It was frenetic and the story seemed forced to me. I kept thinking about the previous two winners in this category: Runt and Scar Town. Both those stories had family, community and integrity at the heart of the story but never bashed the message over your head. The characters were well fleshed out. Runt was very funny and although the villain was a bit cartoony I forgave it because it is a children's novel. In the case of Scar Town there were some genuinely tense scenes. This book gave me none of the humour and none of the tension.

I hope this didactic nonsense does not win.

[Kim Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four teens meet at a camp and form an unlikely team to try to solve the mysterious disappearance of another camper. Breaking out of the campground and into the home of the local ‘witch’, the four detectives find themselves befriending Old Bat Viv.

Told in a very unique format - part traditional, part screenplay, and part listicles - it is a quick read with illustrations by Astred Hicks @astredhicksdesigncherry sprinkled throughout. The storyline is fast-paced and not only has humour but soul as well.

This is Maryam’s third book and may just be my favourite (but that is a hard call to make)

[Ms Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Maryam’s quirky, sarcastic, slightly left of centre characters. Zee is no exception to this. Zee finds friendship and an acceptance of her place amongst others in this sweet, funny middle grade book. I wish we’d gotten to experience more of Zee and Viv’s friendship. Positive message for young readers related to death, social media, and beauty standards.

11-13 years

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the writing style of this one - recommending it to every middle schooler I can! :)

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
I actually really liked it as an adult. Some humour and a good message of beauty

[Jen]

DNF audiobook after one chapter. Narration voice and style is grating on me, but I’m not the target audience for YA book. If I could read it as a text novel, I would probably like it.

[Charlie Margin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the funniest book I have read. The book is so small with tiny stakes which is a lot different compared to other books I read

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zee (Zeba) begins her story at a funeral. With instructions for no tears or black clothing, Zee is doing her best to follow her special friend's words. Why special?

Zee is 13 years old and her recently passed friend was in her 80's. They had been friends for only a few days. But those short days had changed Zee's life - along with three young strangers and the elderly lady's too. Settle in, because Zee is about to tell you all about it...

Not that long before the funeral, Zee's mum has decided it's not healthy for a 13 year old to watch documentaries all day and hang out with Oscar Wilde. At least his books, anyway. Mum has signed Zee up for Camp Youth Fusion and Zee is not happy about it. She's quite happy not being like other kids her age. She's not into fashion or gossip, social media or the plethora of other 'mindless' things that occupy the minds of other teens. Mum however, would like her daughter to at least try to make some new 'real' friends - hence, Camp Youth Fusion.

Zee agrees to a day to try it out, but it's not long at all before the wheels completely fall off at this camp, and Zee discovers things about herself. She might actually be leadership material, sorting out a mess after a boy go missing, and shortly after, the camp staff!

Zee is mending scraped knees, working on the mystery missing boy and much to her shock, making friends with 2 super nerd twin boys and a beautiful teen influencer. What the heck!?

Jonah, Moses and Tiffanee are the last people Zee would normally connect with, but with the help of a glamourous elderly ex jazz singer, a barbed wire fence and a twisted camp counsellor, Zee's world is changed forever.


Told directly to the reader from a sassy, sarcastic but always funny 13 year old girl like no other, Laughter is the best ending is full of just that - laughter.

It's funny, thought provoking and a wonderful blend of young and old, popular or not, cool and very uncool, and unlikely friendships. There's a mystery to solve, a modern dilemma to unpick and some ghoulish humour, sprinkled with illustrations to add yet more laughter to the tale.

Sure it begins and ends with a funeral, but you'll certainly be smiling. I particularly liked the bond made between main character Zee and an old lady on the hill with a terrible reputation and a secret of her own.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After two failed attempts to read this book where I found the text and dialogue corny and off-putting, I have just listened to an audio performance - and it was amazing! Mari Soudi, the performer, sublimely achieved what i could not - bringing the characters to life, making the wacky and offbeat dialogue 'make sense' and sound 'just right'. The book deals with serious themes - with the main character, 13 year old Zee, not having, or wanting friends being completely happy immersed in a literary world and drawing on her literary heroes, such as Oscar Wilde, to understand the world. Like Wilde, in Dorian Gray, she shuns skin deep beauty.

When her mother books her into summer camp to help her 'make friends', Zee is most displeased, but ends up bringing together three other 'oddities - dysfunctional super nerd twin brothers Jonas and Moses, and Tiffanee (yes, spelt with a double e), famous online influencer - she's gorgeous and reviews beauty products- for her beauty is skin deep.

Somehow the foursome bring out both the best and the worst of each other, and when the holiday camp of horrors loses a child, the four set off to find out what's going on. And they meet the most wonderfully eccentric elderly Dame Viv - once a famous jazz singer - who is irreverent, with a wicked sense of humour and a barbed tongue that manages to also deal out some serious and very valid advice

Although I listened to this book, my two failed attempts to read it did provide ample opportunity to explore the sketch like illustrations in bluish ink. These are amply scattered throughout and cleverly, and humorously capture various the foibles of the different characters as well as the extreme moments as they unfold.

Great fun with some telling moments and a very healthy, if unusual coverage of death and dealing with ones own frailty and with the passing of those you love.

CBCA 2025 Younger Reader Winner.

[Marles Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of young adult fiction, but this the first in a long time where I’ve had the chance to read a book for a more tween-based audience. Laughter is the best ending is light-hearted, silly, fun and captures the mayhem of a younger generation.
I loved how this book gently explored Zee, who was more at home reading than interacting with others her age. The way the disconnect with her parents was explored was refreshing as it came from the heart of Zee, and not from what the adults were thinking. Zee is bold, unabashed at saying what’s on her mind. When Zee is strongly encouraged (via a mother’s guilt) to attend a camp to make at least one friend, the chaos ensues: she connects with teen influencer Tiffanee and nerd twins Moses and Jonah during a how to solve a dodgy murder camp activity, which leads them to escape the groups and discover Dame Viv. And this is where the exploration of friendship is taken up another notch: Zee has a realisation that she has made great connections with others her age, plus with Viv who is about 70 odd years in age difference who speaks her language.
The use of script-like text to navigate through conversations was useful to explore each of the characters in more detail, and the use of illustrations started to resemble my own questions and tangents in my head and this was appealing even to an old frog like me. The uncomfortableness of being a teenager was explored well in this story, and the changes in prose and text provide enough levity for understanding and connection and to equally illustrate how wonderful it is to connect to others who accept you as you are.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books started out full of fun with an engaging voice and an interesting premise. Zee, who prefers the company of books, is sent on a camp so that she can make friends. She quickly falls in with three other kids and they become friends. I'm not sure it was clear why it was so easy to make friends in this place when she'd been unsuccessful in the past - maybe because she had no books with her? The real friendship though was with old bat Viv. Viv is an older lady with a wicked sense of humour who has lived life to the full as a jazz singer and other hinted at adventures. I would have liked to observe more of the friendship between Zee and Viv first hand but that part of the story is covered quickly. The whole book rattles along at great speed - ending as it began with Viv's funeral and reflections on how to honour dead friends. In my opinion the pace of the book which is achieved through a number of clever strategies, is at the expense of opportunities to examine some elements of the plot more closely.
The themes of the book include an examination of the power of online influencers, our beliefs about beauty, intergenerational friendships and the sacrifices we might make for our friends.

[Odelya London · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This review gives some spoilers. I don't recommend reading if trying to avoid spoilers)
BTW I did not read this on the kindle. That was an accident. The book copy is slightly shorter than the kindle copy.
A super SUPER sweet, quick, easy read. SO beautiful and heart warming!💖
The book starts with a 13 year old, Ziba laughing uncontrollably at a funeral. Then the story goes to the past for the reader to understand why she is laughing like this. She is sent to a camp to make friends (which she does.) During the camp, there is a missing kid and Ziba and her friends take it on themselves to find the kid. There are rumours of someone called Old Bat Viv who is known to be evil and living in a near-by house. They suggest that the kid had been possessed by her, so they bravely sneak into her house to find not an evil old woman but a fun, lonely old woman. They all became close to her but especially Ziba who claims to be 'friends' with her. They bond over books and writers like Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare. One day Dame Vivience states she is dying. Ziba is miserable but Dame Viv tells her not to cry at her funeral...⬆️(Have you made the connection?)

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Another great novel by Maryam. In a way reminiscent of Exit Through the Gift Shop, Laughter is the Best Ending starts with a shocking scene. We are left to wonder why Zee is acting the way she is, and the circumstances that led her here. Maryam then takes us back in time to properly meet Zee and to explain everything.

I loved Zee's character. She is funny, confident and perceptive. She is not afraid to be her own person. I also loved the portrayal of Old Bat Viv. She was a realistic character who I can imagine genuinely striking up a friendship with someone like Zee.

I wasn't as taken with the Camp Fusion part of the story. The interactions between the friends was great, but the game and the mysterious camp director just took me too far out of believability. As a result, I found myself not caring about the mystery & just wanting to explore the relationships more.

I was still very happy to see this shortlisted for the 2025 CBCA awards and look forward to exloring the rest of this list.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in energetic first person, Zee’s narrative is sure to capture the hearts and minds of young tweens and teens. Her lapses into script-like dialogue aids emotional distancing and provides interesting scope for those reading this book as a group in classroom settings. Sprinkled with illustrations that underscore various moments of mirth or mayhem, I loved this slight departure from Master’s ‘usual’ topic matter for its playful, banter-based focus on the modern-day expectations and burdens of Gen Zers. For those who’ve ever been thrust into an uncomfortable environment (read: camp with strangers) or lost their best mate, or need to find their own song, to laugh is to withstand and therefore, perhaps laughter really is the best ending.

For my full review on Maryam's latest MG fiction, read my Kids' Book Review appraisal: http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2024/0...

[Rebecca Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading middle grade fiction - I find it incorporates concepts from adult fiction in a humorous and touching way. This book was no exception. I found myself loving the four main characters - Tiff, Zee, Moses and Jonah - and equally adored the old woman they befriend, Dame Viv.

Whilst hunting for their 'lost' campmate in a game of Murder in the Dark, the quartet happen upon Dame Viv's house of the hill - a mysterious and legend filled house that they enter against their better judgement. Surely the old lady who eats strange things on toast and loves a cup of tea can't be all bad? What they find out is that friendship can come at any age, and some of the best life lessons come from those events least expected.

Not only a great read, Laughter is the Best Ending is a visual feast with wonderful illustrations throughout.

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for me ; maybe 4 for the target audience.

Pros:
- growth and friendship of characters.
- ending. Who doesn't want a rich old person to bequeath them their library?
Cons:
- strange formatting. Listing dialogue just seems a lazy way of not having to repeat he said she said. It almost works, but not when it includes all the additional description. If it had been kept to just dialogue, it would have worked better.
- many pages where nothing really happens.
- overall nothing really happens.

I wouldn't say this is a must-read, but a fine one for a school or public library collection.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really love this book because of its lighthearted style including script and very short and light passages. Although I can appreciate a quick read, I really prefer to read medium length and density chapters because then you can see the author’s writing style (which I didn’t love here).
I also didn’t love how fast paced it was at times, and although I like how it teaches middle grade readers important life lessons, at times the plot didn’t add up to me. Maybe I’m too old for it though as it has received many 5-star reviews.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as one of the CBCA short-listed books for Younger Readers.
Loved the images that run along side the story. Zee is sent to a camp as she doesn't have any friends. The camp turns out to be a calamity of errors, but she does make friends. In particular an older lady who lives in the house on the hill.
Zee realizes that she can be friends with a range of people, and age is no barrier and she learns a lot from the older lady, even after she passes away.
Some good messages within the story. Suitable for Year 2 up.
Same author as exit through the gift shop.

[Perla Raiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, seriously awesome. I thought at the beginning that this would just be a short book, I would rate it 3 stars, move on with life. There is seriously something about this book that made me mentally UNABLE to move on. Maybe it’s how the author took a kinda dark topic and made it into something laughable. Maybe it’s all of the Oscar Wilde quotes, maybe it’s the ridiculousness of Elvis and man-bun, or maybe it’s Old bat Viv’s humour.
Nevertheless, laughter truly is the best ending, because I was laughing the whole way through this book.

[Lee-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clean Read !! Perfect read for 11 - 14 year olds (Upper Primary to Middle school)

Zee, (who is 13 yrs old) is sent to Camp Youth Fusion, so that she can make friends. She meets Tiffanee (with a double e), and twins Moses and Jonah. Together they attempt to solve the mystery of a missing camper and meet Viv, a glamourous elderly ex-jazz singer, who changes their world. A wonderful thought provoking story on loving yourself for who you are. Full of 'lingo' that will appeal to tweens and teenagers

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok but not to my taste. I find it annoying when characters have to explain their "big word" choices. Also the author's implicit message about social media, beauty and influencing was very obvious. Aimed at grades 5-7.

[Sam Sharman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this novel to my year 3-4 classes in the library, due to being listed as a CBCA winner.
I was finding it quite entertaining, humourous in places and just the right amount of action to keep kids interested.
I was wrong. Kids were bored to the point that I gave it up as a bad joke, but came back to it myself to see how everything ended.
I liked the characters and their little idiosyncrasies, however found it hard to distinguish between the twins. I also was not a fan of how quickly new relationships blossomed into 'bestie' territory. I found after the first few chapters the plot thinned and was less enjoyable as it progressed.
While a nice story, not one that I would continually recommend to my students to read.

[Claire Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light hearted fun book with some big life lessons.

[Hutch Hussein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read to upper primary school kids.

[Felix Humphris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a 17 year old some parts were funny but definitely for younger kids cause I could smell some jokes coming and veryyyyy low key not high key zee is pick me but torable

[Gobo JG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great ideals, but somewhat uneven in its attempt at ‘meta’

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a fun read. I liked the style of writing and the way images and font changes added to the story. Zee was a loveable main character too.

[Taylah McLennan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read before starting tour on Children’s Book Week. Really enjoyed it for a kids book!!

[Helen.Styan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Off the rails, funny and quirky. Such strong characters. Love the way it’s written too.