Obsessed with the idea of being in a band (despite the absence of any particular plan to achieve their goal), teenager Tom Henderson and his best friend, Sam, spend a lot of time constantly reinventing their dream: new band name, new stage names, full album concept. Still, Tom is more self-ironic than slacker and he knows he is far from being a cool kid. But he is an acute observer of his life, and in Frank Portman’s hilarious debut novel, Tom offers an adolescent commentary on education, family, friendship, sex, and more as he details the bizarre series of events that “pretty much destroyed the world as I had known it up to that point. And I’m not even exaggerating all that much. I swear to God.” Those events center on the possible mystery surrounding the death of Tom’s father years before, but the plot is really just a device to deliver this outrageously funny and surprisingly sensitive take on being a teenage boy far down on the social food chain. Portman crafts Tom’s unique voice with fresh, inventive language, while his style creates an immediate sense of intimacy between Tom and the reader. Whether he is describing the ubiquitous presence of The Catcher in the Rye at school (proffered by those eager teachers who loved Catcher as teens and “solemnly resolved that, when they grew up, they would dedicate their lives to spreading The Word”) or explicitly detailing his sexual encounters, Tom displays a mix of sharp wit, forthright honesty, and tender vulnerability that makes him feel like a friend—one who has no qualms about sharing everything that is happening in his life. (Age 14 and older)

“King Dork will rock your world.” --John Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

When Tom Henderson finds his dead father’s copy of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, his world is turned upside down. Suddenly high school gets more complicated: Tom (aka King Dork) finds himself in the middle of mysteries involving dead people, naked people, fake people, a secret code, girls, and rock and roll. As he goes through sophomore year, he finds clues that may very well solve the puzzle of his father’s death and—oddly—reveal the secret to attracting semi-hot girls. (The secret might be being in a band, if he can find a drummer who can count to four.)
 
This unruly cult classic features song lyrics throughout and now includes a glossary and a bandography. And look for the sequel, King Dork Approximtely, available now.

Praise for King Dork:

“Basically, if you are a human being with even a vague grasp of the English language, King Dork will rock your world.”—John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars
 
“[No account of high school] has made me laugh more than King Dork. . . . Grade A.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“Impossibly brilliant.”—Time

“Provides a window into what it would be like if Holden Caulfield read The Catcher in the Rye.”—New York Post

“Loaded with sharp and offbeat humor.”—USA Today
 
“Original, heartfelt, and sparkling with wit and intelligence. This novel will linger long in readers’ memories.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review
 
“A biting and witty high-school satire.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
“Tom’s narration is piercingly satirical and acidly witty.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review
 
“King Dork is smart, funny, occasionally raunchy and refreshingly clear about what it’s like to be in high school.”—San Francisco Chronicle
 
“King Dork: Best Punk Rock Book Ever.”—The Village Voice
 
“I love this book as much as I hated high school, and that’s some of the highest praise I can possibly give.”—Bookslut.com