Tolog Review: King Dork

King Dork
by Frank Portman
reviewed by Claire Villegas

Tom Henderson, a quirky, brainy, oddball narrates King Dork and tells a story like no other. At the beginning of the book, Tom is just your average, dorky high schooler trying to make his way through his sophomore year with his only friend, Sam Hellerman by his side. The two friends live for their imaginary band and plethora of names they have come up with.

When Tom comes along a box of old books from his dead father, including his copy of The Catcher in the Rye, an abundant amount of mysteries are introduced. Tom’s father’s books are just the beginning. Whether it be a secret code in the books, meeting new girls, dealing with his hippie step father, being forced to go to therapy, or discussing theories with his only friend, Tom seems to find himself in the middle of interlocking mysteries, which he hopes can lead him to find the answer to his father’s death.

I really enjoyed King Dork for its witty characters, satire humor, and unpredictable plot line. Frank Portman really kept you awake with the amount of twists and turns this book contains. All of the mysteries made the story even more exciting, and it was hard to put the book down. I would have to say one of my favorite parts about this book were the characters. I absolutely loved the way Tom and Sam were so intelligent and analyzed every little situation and event in their lives so deeply. Furthermore, their humor, dependent on sarcasm and clever remarks, made the book absolutely hilarious and kept me laughing. Overall, I loved this book and everything about it, from the plot twists to the dorky characters.