 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
King Dork
- By Frank Portman
- Genre: School
Common Sense Media says
Dark, funny coming-of-age with lots of mature content.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this funny, dark, coming-of-age book has mature content that makes it most appropriate for older teens. Though not overly graphic or explicit, it is filled with references to sex, drugs, and (have to say it) rock 'n' roll. The main teen character experiences oral sex several times, and has a couple of heavy make-out sessions. Tom is constantly running down the educational system -- and this book provides a pretty harsh look at high school -- but he is a smart kid who cares about his family and likes to learn things
that interest him. This book could lead to
some valuable discussions about the realism of the high school
portrayed here -- you may want to talk to your teen about their own
experiences at school and if anything resonates here. Tom's story may have special appeal to male teen readers.
What's the story?
Tom Henderson is a decent kid on the fringes of the high school from hell -- though it may, in fact, be just like most high schools. He's persistently tormented (by boys) and humiliated (by girls), and the teachers and administrators are little better. His father died years ago under mysterious circumstances, his mother is a distant self-medicator, and his stepfather a well-meaning but inane aging hippie. Tom's only solace is his one friend, Sam, and their pastime of making up imaginary rock bands. Then he finds a set of books, including Catcher in the Rye (which everyone in the world except Tom seems to love) left by his father. Could these books contain clues to both his life and death? Maybe -- or maybe not.
Is it any good?
This debut novel by East Bay punk rocker Dr. Frank has so much going for it that it may be the literary find of the year. First, it's laugh-out-loud, still-chuckling-10-minutes-later funny, the kind of clever, sardonic, intelligent humor that will have your teens calling up their friends to read passages out loud. The humor, though, is set in high relief by the story's depth, complexity, and sophistication. There's a realism here that goes far beyond most books, either for teens or for adults. All the characters, major and minor, are more than meet the eye, and the layers of their personalities don't always fit together as smoothly as they usually do in fiction. Their lives are as complex as their personalities.
Very few ends are neatly tied up, but unlike most books that try this, it isn't frustrating at all -- in fact it makes perfect sense. Interspersed with all the plot intricacies are Tom's, and the author's, musings, bits of philosophy, rants, and outsider observations, often wickedly funny and always interesting and thought-provoking. Together it all makes for a delightful read.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about coming-of-age stories. What does that term mean -- and what are some classic examples? How does King Dork compare to Catcher in the Rye, which features heavily in this book? Does either story resonate more with your own high school experience?
A movie is being made based on this book. Will you see that movie? Who would you cast in Tom's part? If you were making the movie, what would you change, if anything?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
I enjoyed it very much
I think it is pretty awesome. I enjoyed reading the book and I think that there is definitely worse language used in real life. Sure, the f-bomb has been dropped a few times in the book, but it's been dropped a lot more times in average high school life.
The book deals with very real issues!
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AGE
Excellently written and hilarious
This is a great novel, and I highly reccommend it to anyone who is in highschool or has been. I would also have anyone who is going to be in highschool too, but this has too many sexual situations that are ddescribed in good detail, and the fact that everyone gets high or drunk (or at least talks about it all the time), that I agree with the CSM age.
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AGE
One of My Favorite Books
This is the funniest account of high school I've read in a long time. Rarely does a book make me laugh out loud, but King Dork did several times throughout. I like how there are several interlocking conspiracies and mysteries. It makes you want to keep reading. However, there are sexual topics in this book. For example, the main character's derogatory nickname is Chi-Mo, which is short for child molester(but, for the record, he does not molest children, people just say that to make fun of him). There is also oral sex, teen sex, and an entire illegal teen porn operation run by a teacher . Despite all of that, this book is absolutely brilliant. I love that the main character is involved with rock and roll and has a band with his friend Sam Hellerman. Tom is somewhat of a hero in the end, which I also like. I don't think I'd give this book to anybody under 13, but for teenagers, this book is great!
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AGE
I love this book. It is so funny. Chi-mo (the main character) isnt always the best example for children but it is an honest discription of some kids are. It wonderfully describes all the hardships that teenagers to through. five starss!
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AGE
Great book. But full of dark humor.
Great book! One of the funniest books I have read in a while. Absolutely great. It is more dark humor though, so be for warned.
This book is great for mature teens. The is lots of language and sex. As well as some drug use.
The sex aspect is described in pretty much full detail. And the language can get pretty strong.
But still a great book.
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AGE
I found this book hard to understand
At times it was very comical, but there were so many inside jokes "King Dork" constantly brought up and extended to great length that if you missed a page you'd be like: HUH? It's totally surreal in the since of the school worshiping just one book, but it's ideals on bullying are not. This book is loaded with profanities and semi-graphic depections of sex. 15 and up is probably a good starting age to read this book.
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AGE
great
im in 6th grade and honestly, kids hear worse things on the playground.
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| Author: | Frank Portman |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | School |
| Publisher: | Delacorte Press |
| Publication date: | April 30, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 344 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 14 - 14 |
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