For fifteen-year-old, adopted Vietnamese orphan Dixie Nguyen, high school is one long string of hard-to-swallow humiliations. He shares a locke... read full description
reviews
Dec 15, 2008
Valerie
rated it: 
Horrid, horrid, really no words to describe it.
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Mar 15, 2009
Ethan
rated it: 
I have had the great experiance of growing up with Ben. This book seems a culmination of weird/odd things that go on in our little sleepy town. I was fortunate enough to read the book before it came out, in a rough draft form. I finished it in about 3 hours. Those three hours were awesome. Ben has a way of relating to what everyone is thinking, but no one is saying. Which makes for a hilarious dialogue between charecters. Bottom line this book is fun. Even if you hadn't dealt with the painful ex
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Jan 28, 2009
Teen
rated it: 
Dixie Nguyen, an adopted teen living with a whitebread American family, tries to write articles for the school paper while avoiding the bullying jocks, the nasty principal, and his menopausal journalism teacher. When he thinks he's on to a drug ring amongst the jocks, he looks for evidence to support his theory. Turns out, he's a lousy detective.
At first I thought this book was like Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo, more sad than funny, but it ended up not trying so hard to have deep mean More...
At first I thought this book was like Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo, more sad than funny, but it ended up not trying so hard to have deep mean More...
Jan 28, 2009
Wally
rated it:
Dixie Nguyen, an adopted teen living with a whitebread American family, tries to write articles for the school paper while avoiding the bullying jocks, the nasty principal, and his menopausal journalism teacher. When he thinks he's on to a drug ring amongst the jocks, he looks for evidence to support his theory. Turns out, he's a lousy detective.
At first I thought this book was like Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo, more sad than funny, but it ended up not trying so hard to have deep More...
At first I thought this book was like Girls for Breakfast by David Yoo, more sad than funny, but it ended up not trying so hard to have deep More...
Nov 14, 2009
Anne
rated it: 
Dixie (short for Dixon, and cruelly called Pixie Dick by his peers) is a Vietnamese boy who has been adopted by an American family. While working on his high school newspaper, he discovers what he believes means the whole football team is on steroids. In the spirit of good journalism, he undertakes to prove it.
However, many of the events that happen are unrealistic to any degree and this is compounded by an uninteresting writing style, so this book will have a very narrow avenue of ap More...
However, many of the events that happen are unrealistic to any degree and this is compounded by an uninteresting writing style, so this book will have a very narrow avenue of ap More...
Feb 25, 2009
Evan
rated it:
Finished it the day I bought it, Sophomore Undercover is a gripping blend of page-turning detective narrative and guilty-pleasure screwball comedy. Esch chronicles the exhilarating awkwardness of High School through an underdog protagonist that you can't help but root for throughout his mortifying misadventures. Funny and touching, Sophomore Undercover is a pleasure from cover to cover.
Jan 06, 2012
Nansi
rated it:
Absolutely hilarious. Seriously, this book is a gem - so rarely does one find an author who can be this unashamedly funny. I doff my hat to you, Mr Esch (and I sincerely hope you didn't write the part about the discomfort that results from wearing nothing but a paper banner while handcuffed in a jail cell from personal experience).
Mar 20, 2009
Cooper
rated it:
Frantically paced and written with a guy-friendly sense of gross-out humor, Sophomore Undercoveer should attract a lot of male readers aged 12-15. As befits a book about a sophomore boy, there is a lot of thinking about sex and erections, which might make the book unshelvable in some school libraries. At the PG-13-, or possibly even R-rated (for one scene), end of YA novels.
Feb 25, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
Everyone should read this book. I would have already read the book, but I have not yet learned how to read. Is there a book on tape planned? If so, when are the auditions to narrate it?
Aug 06, 2010
Nope. Tried and failed. Too vulgar, too stereotypical, and just not interesting enough for me. (Granted, I bailed after 30 pages, but that's all I could stomach.)
Mar 16, 2009
Ben contacted me about being in one of my readings in Novemeber and I just got a press copy the other day. Looking forward to reading it.
Jul 25, 2009
Daria
rated it:
I'd say this one is a 3.5. There's a lot of humor and Dixie Nguyen is a real smart-ass. Unfortunately for him, he sometimes lets his imagination get the better of him and that leads him into some pretty sticky and painful situations.
Jul 18, 2009
laaaaames
rated it:
Really funny, but I can't love books that don't seem to love their own characters. I wish Dixie hadn't been such a goober throughout. That said, I am a sucker for meth humor!
Oct 23, 2011
Eveline
rated it:
Funny, cute, very winning & upbeat voice although I felt like the protagonist probably ought to be a little more angsty considering all his problems.
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