"They had sent me to a kids' camp so that I would find kid friends but I came out the other side, proudly announcing that I was now besties with an 80-year-old potential villain who was about to kick the bucket."
Zee, short for Ziba, has a worried mother. Mum thinks Zee has no friends (this could be true) so she decides Zee needs to go to a holiday camp. This is a camp called Youth Fusion and their brochure promises the kids who attend will make new friends.
On the first night of the camp the kids are told they will play a game of 'Murder in the Dark'. They are told to form themselves into teams of four. Zee has been sitting beside a girl called Tifanee (with two ees). She is a bold confident and funny character and Zee is sure it would be good to link up with her over the five days of this camp. (By the way Zee absolutely does not want to be here). On the other side of the camp fire the girls see a couple of boys - perhaps they will join their team of four.
Then the camp authorities announce one of the kids has gone missing and so the focus shifts and Zee, Tifanee, along with twins Moses and Jonah, decide they need to find this kid. That involves searching an old run-down mansion that is rumored to house a woman who murders children and perhaps even eats them! (Yes I agree this plot line sounds okay for Primary school readers but I will explain my thoughts in a moment).
Here are some teachers notes from the publisher. Listen to a sample of the audio.
You might like to read a few reviews:
I will begin with the things I liked about this book. The cover is terrific. Use of Fluro orange is very eye catching and the title written on a pile of books links well with some aspects of this story especially the ending. The title is also perfect and enticing. And it is true Zee does laugh at the funeral (but to find out why you have to read the whole book). If you flip inside this book you can see the book design is quirky, interesting and appealing, with changes of font and you will see the way conversations are presented as play scripts. Zee makes lots of lists which appear in frames and at times these are very funny.
Now for the aspects of this story that I liked but which I think make it a better fit for a reader aged 12+.
Zee is crazy about Oscar Wilde (I am fairly sure no Primary school aged reader will have read or have any interest in him). In fact the title of this book is adaptation of a quote from The Picture of Dorian Gray "Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship and it is the best ending for one."
Zee talks about liking old language such as the writing of Jane Austen. And she recognises the camp chaos is closely like the plot from Lord of the Flies (not a book I would share in a Primary school library - I am still traumatised).
Zee goes to high school and much of commentary about peer group relationships relates to her experiences there: "School is a cesspool of people checking each other out. Judging each other. Rating each other. And it's 99 percent based on looks .... I hate a lot of things about it, but the grotesque catwalk of who's hot and who's not bothers me most."
I really liked Zee but her tone is totally teenage: "whenever I'm dreading something, like really, truly, genuinely dreading something, whether it be the first day at a new school for zombies or root canal with a demon dentist, I get super sleepy."
Here's an example from Tifanee "I'm Tifanee by the way. Spelt with two ee's cause my parents are idiots. Any idea how we can break free from this touchy-feely hellhole?" Tifanee is an Instagram influencer.
Zee mentions her favourite poets - Kahil Gilbran; Rumi; and Maya Angelou.
Zee and Dame Viv (she's the 80-year-old I mentioned in my opening quote) visit a state library to view a rare folio of Shakespeare's work and then they watch the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds.
Companion books:
Laughter is the Best Ending has been listed as a 2025 CBCA Notable title BUT in my view it is in the wrong category - it is listed as a Younger Readers title but all of the content I have explained above surely shows this is a Young Adult title and it should perhaps have been entered and judged as an Older Readers book. I really did enjoy Laughter is the Best Ending but it think it better suits a High School library and High School readers. Here are the criteria for you to compare.
From the CBCA awards:
I previously read and enjoyed these books by Maryam Master:
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