King Dork
by Frank Portman
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Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
Right after I finished KING DORK, the debut novel from author Frank Portman, I sat down to write my review--and stared at my computer for fifteen very long minutes wondering exactly how to explain this book. KING DORK will do that to you--leave you speechless, not quite sure of how to put what you feel into words. I guess if I could only use two words
to describe this book, I would choose "wonderfully odd." If Tom Henderson (aka King Dork) had t...more
Right after I finished KING DORK, the debut novel from author Frank Portman, I sat down to write my review--and stared at my computer for fifteen very long minutes wondering exactly how to explain this book. KING DORK will do that to you--leave you speechless, not quite sure of how to put what you feel into words. I guess if I could only use two words
to describe this book, I would choose "wonderfully odd." If Tom Henderson (aka King Dork) had t...more
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Read in April, 2008
I need to revise my remarks. A few hours ago, I added this and wrote simply, "I don't care if they call it YA. This is more smart, sophisticated, and engaging than the vast majority of novels not carrying that tag."
Upon reflection, though, despite my considerable enjoyment of the book, it doesn't feel true in an important way. The central conceit of the novel is that the narrator, Tom, occupies the lowest, most miserable social status in his high school, but, speaking as some...more
Upon reflection, though, despite my considerable enjoyment of the book, it doesn't feel true in an important way. The central conceit of the novel is that the narrator, Tom, occupies the lowest, most miserable social status in his high school, but, speaking as some...more
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Read in June, 2006
An excellent anti-Catcher, pro rock-and-roll novel that is hilarious.
It also contains such passages as this:
"I should mention that Catcher in the Rye is this book from the fifties. It is every teacher's favorite book. The main guy is a kind of misfit kid superhero neamed Holden Caulfield. For teacher he is the ultimate guy, a real dream boat. They love him to pieces. They all want to have sex with him and with the book's author, too, and they'd probably even try to do it with the bo...more
It also contains such passages as this:
"I should mention that Catcher in the Rye is this book from the fifties. It is every teacher's favorite book. The main guy is a kind of misfit kid superhero neamed Holden Caulfield. For teacher he is the ultimate guy, a real dream boat. They love him to pieces. They all want to have sex with him and with the book's author, too, and they'd probably even try to do it with the bo...more
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Read in May, 2007
I kept at this book because it was written by the lead singer of the Mr. T Experience. Only after 50 pages into it did I realize it was a YA (young adult) book. That definitely soured the experience a little because when I read, I like to think that it's somewhat of an intellectual act. I wanted to stop reading this book because the middle was a tad on the tedious side. There was a lot about the various band names the main character and his best friend chose for themselves, and the various album...more
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Read in March, 2008
I can't begin to describe how much I loved this book. I read a lot of YA novels and I have to say that although it is flawed in some ways, and confusing in some parts, for the description of the high school experience alone, this is one of the best I've ever read. For some reason I can't even pinpoint, it viscerally felt like high school for me. Even though I was not a dork boy. I really laughed hard at many points, and sometimes just read a paragraph over and over again. This book is a gem...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
people in pretend bands
Written by a guy from the Mr. T Experience. I lost my Mr. T Experience album long ago, but I recall the lyrics being saccharine sweet and stuck in a 9th grade mentality. Imagine extending a M.T.E. song into a whole book and you end up with King Dork, which is not your typical high school memoir because it doesn't suck.
This book is about Tom. Naming your rock band and designing album covers is the most important part of being in a band and Tom excels at this. He also tries to get to kno...more
This book is about Tom. Naming your rock band and designing album covers is the most important part of being in a band and Tom excels at this. He also tries to get to kno...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
Horny high school boys... and the grown-up nerds they become
I had mixed feelings about King Dork. Namely, I loved the concept, but wasn’t so hot on the execution. Tom is a funny, smart, self-deprecating narrator, and his cynical acceptance of his status as a loser is painfully true to life. With Tom's honest observations at its core, King Dork is novel in that it honors the central nerd by refusing to attribute easy YA conventions to him; for example, in any other book, Tom would find an ally in Holden Caulfield, rather than rolling his eyes at the &qu...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
coming of age fiction fans.
This book was reviewed in some places as a new generations "Cather in the Rye". The cover art is the original cover of Cather in the Rye, modified. I certainly don't think that Frank Portman harbored aspirations of writing an updated version of the classic, and I don't think that he succeeded in writing a modern day classic. What he did create was a nice character driven story that is one part coming of age tale and an equal part mystery.
The tale focuses on two nerdy high school bo...more
The tale focuses on two nerdy high school bo...more
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Read in March, 2008
Rip the lid of it, this book was so good.
Basically...it's about being in high school, which sucks anyways. The main character of the book (he has many nicknames, we're gonna' call him King Dork) is a misfit geeky punk kid who pals around with another geeky punk kid. They are desperately trying to start a band and are constantly coming up with names and albums for the band (a great running gag), but also they are just trying to survive in high school. Sound generic and some parts are, but ...more
Basically...it's about being in high school, which sucks anyways. The main character of the book (he has many nicknames, we're gonna' call him King Dork) is a misfit geeky punk kid who pals around with another geeky punk kid. They are desperately trying to start a band and are constantly coming up with names and albums for the band (a great running gag), but also they are just trying to survive in high school. Sound generic and some parts are, but ...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
actual teenagers
Man, I really wanted to like this book, it came highly recommended. However, the more I tried, the more I failed. Or maybe the author (sorry MrTX) failed. It strikes me that he had these really(?) great ideas but when it came to actually working them out on paper, they just didn't work. Or perhaps it's that his really great ideas didn't actually poke above the grass of teenage tedium until the final chapter or two, when you finally get the a-ha moment. It was abrupt and startling and I...more
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i liked a lot of this book. parts of it were very funny (particularly the french class conversation, that reminded me of conversations my friend and i had when we knew very little french, but were still trying to speak only french, or at least franglais and glossary at the back is almost worth a read on its own). i liked its anti-catcher in the rye stance a lot (i so do not get why that's supposed to be such a great book). it was definitely a book for boys, though. hmm, i'm writing these reviews...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
all the nerds in the world.. and their fantasy bands.
Though the title may seem a little odd, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It is about a boy named Tom Henderson who finds some of his deceased father's old books, one of them being Catcher in the Rye, and finds secret messages in some of them. He decides to try to decode them and find out more about his father. He is an outsider, and has to deal with the daily life of high school, from being bullied to being put on the Dud List by the popular girls. His only friend is Sam, whom which he creates f...more
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Read in June, 2007
i may be the only one, but i found this book alienating and insulting.
hey young dork dudes, be inspired! start a band and you'll get more blowjobs from bitchy sluts! yay!
young dork ladies: looking for an author that actually takes the time to write fleshed-out, multi-layered female characters that don't fall into one of three or four exhaustively exploited stereotypes? stay the fuck away.
it's been a while since i threw a book down in disgust. Frank Portman (OMG, he used to b...more
hey young dork dudes, be inspired! start a band and you'll get more blowjobs from bitchy sluts! yay!
young dork ladies: looking for an author that actually takes the time to write fleshed-out, multi-layered female characters that don't fall into one of three or four exhaustively exploited stereotypes? stay the fuck away.
it's been a while since i threw a book down in disgust. Frank Portman (OMG, he used to b...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
i probably wouldn't
i really wanted to like this book, but i just couldn't. overall it was a decent waste of time, but it's only saving grace was that it was well written and witty. the storyline is confusing and not very plausible. the conclusion didn't happen until the very last chapter, was somewhat abrupt, and left much to be desired, like the author was like "oh shit, i have to finish my story in the next ten pages". the main character is slightly irritating but still manages to be entertaining (much...more
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Read in March, 2008
This book is most likely to appeal to that sub-set of teenage boys who are painfully smart, horribly socially awkward, oppressed by the high school social hierarchy, who find refuge in rock and roll fantasies. Them, or the adult men who used to be them. The plot is flimsy at best and the obscure music references are likely to put off a lot of readers. However, Portman does manage to touch on some big themes of family and growing up without ever being sappy or offering easy answers. Unlike mo...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Anyone over the age of 12
When I first heard about this book, it was through a literary review written in "Entertainment Weekly." They kept saying, "This is the book of the year...very funny..." and I got interested. Now, since I work at a bookstore, I was completely taken aback by the fact that I had to order the book. But, after the 7 days of waiting, it arrived and it was totally worth it. If you are a person that has read J.D. Salinger or just knows what it is like to be in high school, this i...more
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Read in March, 2008
I remember enjoying the music of the Mr. T Experience and so I was curious when Frank Portman wrote this book. I was literally laughing out loud through so much of it. Guffawing might be a more appropriate way to put it. The way he describes being a sophomore and a misfit in this messed up high school is so perfect. It made me feel like somehow he had graduated from PVHS around the time I had. (Not the huge drama at the end but the more day to day stuff) It has a completely twisted sense of...more
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Read in February, 2008
OMG!!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOL!!!!!!!
Sometimes a little....... rated R...... but okay for the un-immature.
I LOVE CHI-MO!!!!!!
So basically about this kid, who has always been a loser. His nickname, though most don't remember why, is Chi-Mo, which is short for Child Molester. No, he is not a pedophile, he got "Clergy" on a 7th grade career test, which, as you find out, is associated to the Church by an conspiracy that has to do with the mysterious Tit. Book includes: dead people...more
Sometimes a little....... rated R...... but okay for the un-immature.
I LOVE CHI-MO!!!!!!
So basically about this kid, who has always been a loser. His nickname, though most don't remember why, is Chi-Mo, which is short for Child Molester. No, he is not a pedophile, he got "Clergy" on a 7th grade career test, which, as you find out, is associated to the Church by an conspiracy that has to do with the mysterious Tit. Book includes: dead people...more
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Read in January, 2006
Like a great hit single, King Dork is filled with catchy hooks, memorable lines, and lots of attitude. While the big overarching plot stretches credibility, it is the details that make King Dork one of the most enjoyable reads for/about teens. Tom Henderson is your basic high school grind who dreams of forming a band with his best friend, but is also dealing with the hard reality of life at home, at school, in his past, and in his lack of love life. The voice is perfect, with small details such ...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
10th grade & up
This is a fun and crazy story about a young man named Tom Henderson who doesn’t even go by his real name. He was nicknamed Chi Mo in the 7th grade and no one calls him anything else. Tom happens to find his recently deceased dad’s copy of the Catcher in the Rye and his life begins to change. He thinks that he sees little tips and signs of long forgotten code that maybe his dad left for someone to figure out. Tom discovers lots of exciting things like how much fun making out with a girl i...more
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