Why Is Nobody Laughing? shortlisted for the 2023 Amazing Book Award

Yasmin Rahman's WHY IS NOBODY LAUGHING? has made it to the 2023 ABA shortlist. 'Established in 2011 by four West Sussex School Librarians the Amazing Book Awards, aka The ABAs, were created to give local students a strong personal voice.' 

The winner will be announced 16th June. 

Will the real Ibrahim Malik please stand up? 

Ibrahim and Dexter have been best friends forever. While Dexter is always cool and confident, Ibrahim...well, Ibrahim's dealing with a lot. Hiding his passion for comedy from his family, dealing with the pressure of being the oldest child in an immigrant family, and now he's started having episodes he soon realises are panic attacks. When Ibrahim has a panic attack on stage at a local stand-up competition, he runs off to a deserted room. 

There he finds Sura. Sura is kind and helps him come to terms with his anxiety. He can open up to her in a way he's never been able to with Dexter. But there's also something strange about her - how much she knows about Ibrahim, and how she seems to disappear in an instant. Will Ibrahim crumble under the pressure, or will Sura's words be enough to help him? And what will happen when he no longer has her help?