Young Adult Literature without Apology
Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.
Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery
Garfinkle, Debra (2005). Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl. NY: Putnam Juvenile. ISBN: 0399242848. 184 pages.
Mike is a high school freshman with a secret crush on his good friend and next door neighbor, Gina. Although the two friends were inseparable in elementary school and junior high--both preferred challenging each other to games of Scrabble to hanging out with their peers--Gina enters the world of high school popularity during freshman year and neglects to bring Mike along. Nicknamed "Storky", for his gangly physique, Mike details his unrequited passion in his journal, along with dirt about school and the uncontrollable nature of his penis (nicknamed "Rex"). We learn, way before Mike realizes it, that Gina is an opportunist, a fair weather friend and a user; half the fun of reading this book is waiting for Mike to figure it out. When he does, however, he also realizes that a potential girlfriend with much more personality and pizzaz has been lurking on the periphery for a LONG time. This is a really funny and irreverent read that takes a number of cues from Ron Koertge's hysterical novels of young manhood.Because Mike's journal entries are so short and so funny, a brief read-aloud would be a good way to introduce this title.
