Book Review: King Dork

King Dork by Frank Portman

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REVIEW: Through no real fault of his own, Tom (aka Chi-Mo) has almost negative social status at his high school. And his bully protection schemes, such as making up fake after-school clubs and reading gun magazines, totally backfire with his hippie parents. The only things he has going for him are his friend Sam and their ongoing string of imaginary bands. But when the band becomes a reality and they enter the school talent show, Tom has no idea what forces they will unleash. Tom is a cynical, sarcastic narrator with opinions on everything from high school social rankings to The Catcher in the Rye to rock-n-roll. If you don't quite fit in with the "normals," you will appreciate Tom's causitic worldview, and if you are a pop-culture nerd, you will love all the references in this book. My favorite parts were the hilarious bands Tom and Sam created, as well as the glossary of terms, which was full of commentary on actual bands. And I learned a new verb: ramone. If you want to know what that means, you'll have to read the book!

RANDOM FACT: Frank Portman, the author of this book, is the leader of The Mr. T Experience, a punk band out of California. Visit his website! Also, visit Amazon.com (scroll down) to read about and hear some of the band's songs related to the book.