Search - King Dork

King Dork was introduced to me by my younger brother, and has fast become one of my favorites. A book about the high school experience, the main character, Tom Henderson, better known as Chimo or just plain Mo, and his best friend Sam Hellerman have their own band. You would expect the book to then be about sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but you'd be surprised when you learn that Mo is also an avid reader. Comedy mixed in with coming of age experiences makes this one a book that I can read over and over again.

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Right after I finished KING DORK, the debut novel from author Frank Portman, I sat down to write my review--and stared at my computer for fifteen very long minutes wondering exactly how to explain this book. KING DORK will do that to you--leave you speechless, not quite sure of how to put what you feel into words. I guess if I could only use two words to describe this book, I would choose "wonderfully odd." If Tom Henderson (aka King Dork) had to describe it, it would probably go something like this...

"It's actually kind of a complicated story, involving at least half a dozen mysteries, plus dead people, naked people, fake people, teen sex, weird sex, drugs, ESP, Satanism, books, blood, Bubblegum, guitars, monks, faith, love, witchcraft, the Bible, girls, a war, a secret code, a head injury, the Crusades, some crimes, mispronunciation skills, a mystery woman, a devil-head, a blow job, and rock and roll."

And that, ladies and gentleman, pretty much sums it up. "And I'm not even exaggerating all that much. I swear to God."

If I met Tom Henderson in real life, and had a one-minute conversation with him, I would undoubtedly wonder 1) what the hell this guy was talking about, or 2) what the hell I was talking about when talking to him.

Yes, it's that kind of a book. A story that starts with the simple task of Tom trying to find any old copy of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE and instead finding a marked-up, footnoted, annotated, high-lighted version his dead father once owned. It all goes downhill--or over the proverbial edge--from there.

I've decided that there's simply no other way to accurately describe this book. I can't give you a plot outline without giving away the entire story, so you'll simply have to pick up a copy of KING DORK for yourself. I guarantee you won't be disappointed, and I can also guarantee that you'll never find better band names than Baby Batter, Ray Bradbury's Love-Camel, The Mordor Apes, or We Have Eaten All the Cake. Just as you'll never find a better one-liner than "Talk Won Ton to Me, You Crazy Asian Superstar."

And that's all I've got to say about that.

I liked it fine.