Frank Portman

The title of the book gives nothing about the plot away, nor does the book jacket. In fact, nothing in the book indicates what the book is about until about midway through and that is a long time to wait for young adult readers. On page 2 this paragraph can be found: “One dream, one card, an otherworldly instant message, and dozens of synchs involving swords, boxes, and the vexing case of Twice Holy Soror Daisy Wasserstrom: it had been an unusually weedgie week.” Huh? The reader does not figure out what these words mean until later in the book and by that time most readers would have given up on the tarot and occult arcana and lack of a discernible plot. Even someone with slight knowledge of tarot cards and the occult is confused. If a teen can get through the first hundred pages or so, he or she might be mildly amused by how hard-of-hearing Andromeda mishears things her parents and friends say, her bully of a friend Rosalie van Genuchten’s catchphrase “I’m just kidding,” and her Holy Guardian Angel, Huggie.… (más)

King Dork tells from the POV of Chi Mo founding his dad's copy of Cather in the Rye fill with notes. Along with a mystery Chi Mo also has to deal with being the low of the low in high school.
The story is interesting and the narrator is one of the best narrative I have heard. The high school is exactly like any high school with a little more violence then what I had experience. This book does take place in the 90s?

The story does move away from the main plot from time to time. Everything does get solve in the end. Over all it a good story that pokes fun of Cather in the Rye. The characters are fun and are likeable. I'm sure Frank Portman does improve in his other books.… (más)