King Dork by Frank Portman

*** 3 Stars
King Dork is the story of Tom Henderson, a 15-year-old loser who is exposed to daily hazing by his fellow classmates. Tom finds several books, including Catcher in the Rye, that were owned by his father, who died a few years ago. A mystery ensues and Tom finds himself in odd situations, meeting different characters, and growing up a little bit.This book is equal parts interesting and grating. Tom and his best friend have a band, and Tom spends the book giving the band many different names and designing many different album covers – all of this is hilarious and clever. In addition, every high school has a “Tom” – a skinny, loser-y sort of guy who’s the butt of lots of jokes. In that way, the book is an eye-opening view into the life of “Toms”. I also loved the Catcher in the Rye jokes (the “Catcher Cult”)!! However, the “mystery” of King Dork –revolving around a copy of Catcher in the Rye – is anti-climactic at best. Additionally, there isn’t a single decent adult in the book and the girls are so weak-minded and silly that King Dork borders on misogynistic. I would recommend this book to anyone that feels trod upon by the jocks and “normal” people at their school. I’d also recommend it to almost any teen in a band. But anyone else may have a hard time relating to Tom and his (mis)adventures. Review written by Laura, YA Branch Librarian