Starred review from May 2, 2005
Garfinkle's debut novel introduces memorable narrator Michael "Storky" Pomerantz. With his "Brillo-pad hair," long, skinny legs and wry outlook, Michael is a lovable hero to whom almost everyone can relate on some level. His "realistic" aspirations for high school—"1. Gina doesn't totally blow me off./ 2. Dad lets me sit in the front seat of his car./ 3. I don't get thrown into a Dumpster"—listed on the first page of his journal, reveal a lot about the 14-year-old's personality and the issues that plague him. First there is the issue of his unrequited love for smart, pretty Gina. Next, the conflict with his swinging single father, who nearly always has a "bimbo" at his side (Michael calls one "The Thighmaster, because she's always groping Dad's leg"). Then there's the problem of being the nerdy younger brother of Amanda, the "Queen of Popularville." Starting off the school year without his best friend (who has just moved away), Michael suffers through ordeals ranging from getting wedgies to losing the girl of his dreams to a football player nicknamed Hunk. However, he also cultivates unlikely friendships with a classmate who lies, his 250-pound dentist (who's dating his mother) and an elderly man who shares Michael's passion for Scrabble. As Michael (sometimes awkwardly) hurdles obstacles, readers will cheer him on, relishing the rewards that await him at the end of his first trying year of high school. Ages 12-up.