Lexicon -- Round 4

Hi,

The JKL entries are due today in the Lexicon.

later
Tom

Lexicon -- Round 4

Hi,

The JKL entries are due today in the Lexicon.

later
Tom

Book Review: King Dork

Hey,

So I just finished reading King Dork by Frank Portman. It had been getting a lot of pre-release buzz and so I picked it up.

The buzz is quite well-justified. It's a Young Adult book with no sci-fi, military or zeppelins, but I quite enjoyed it anyway. The book basically covers the life of one Tom "King Dork" Henderson. He goes to the prototypical American High School Hell and is among the lowest of the low. His only friend, Sam, is the guy who was ahead of him alphabetically in grade school. Life is a bleak, unending wasteland of misery and humiliation (the way it always is in high school). The only bright spot is the band that he and Sam are going to form just as soon as they settle on a band name, stage names, Album cover and title (oh, and also get some guitars and a drummer...and maybe learn how to play).

Then Tom finds a copy of Catcher in the Rye that was owned by his father, who died under mysterious circumstances when Tom was eight. Within the book is a coded message and that sends Tom off on a quest to find out more about his father. Things get decidedly strange from there.

Although the world of San Francisco high schools in the late 90's is quite different than my high school experience, my inner loser really appreciated the book and empathized with Tom (yeah, yeah, the same name helps a lot). Everyone and everything comes in for a lot of teen-age cynicism. There's a glossary of terms (as Tom defines them) and a list of the numerous bands Tom and Sam come up with during the book (and there are a lot), both of which are fun treats at the end. The only thing missing is a complete list of the books Tom's dad read as a teenager that Tom re-reads.

But yeah, the book is funny, has a decided teenage outlook that's really captured well and it's something I think a lot of kids would find more relevant today than, say Catcher in the Rye.

( minor spoilers and some thoughts on sex )

later
Tom

Book Review: King Dork

Hey,

So I just finished reading King Dork by Frank Portman. It had been getting a lot of pre-release buzz and so I picked it up.

The buzz is quite well-justified. It's a Young Adult book with no sci-fi, military or zeppelins, but I quite enjoyed it anyway. The book basically covers the life of one Tom "King Dork" Henderson. He goes to the prototypical American High School Hell and is among the lowest of the low. His only friend, Sam, is the guy who was ahead of him alphabetically in grade school. Life is a bleak, unending wasteland of misery and humiliation (the way it always is in high school). The only bright spot is the band that he and Sam are going to form just as soon as they settle on a band name, stage names, Album cover and title (oh, and also get some guitars and a drummer...and maybe learn how to play).

Then Tom finds a copy of Catcher in the Rye that was owned by his father, who died under mysterious circumstances when Tom was eight. Within the book is a coded message and that sends Tom off on a quest to find out more about his father. Things get decidedly strange from there.

Although the world of San Francisco high schools in the late 90's is quite different than my high school experience, my inner loser really appreciated the book and empathized with Tom (yeah, yeah, the same name helps a lot). Everyone and everything comes in for a lot of teen-age cynicism. There's a glossary of terms (as Tom defines them) and a list of the numerous bands Tom and Sam come up with during the book (and there are a lot), both of which are fun treats at the end. The only thing missing is a complete list of the books Tom's dad read as a teenager that Tom re-reads.

But yeah, the book is funny, has a decided teenage outlook that's really captured well and it's something I think a lot of kids would find more relevant today than, say Catcher in the Rye.

( minor spoilers and some thoughts on sex )

later
Tom