Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Fingertips of Duncan DorfmanThe Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this one. You totally can't judge it on what the "fingertips" of Duncan might or might not be able to do because that part is a little weird.



And it's not just about Duncan. Several other characters add to the story.



Really ... it's all about middle school kids (but could be read by like 4th and up) finding their way. Being able to make their own choices, accepting their own choices, and discovering that others sometimes don't make the best choices. And sometimes you still accept them.



The Scrabble tips were sort of a fun plus. Says this Words With Friends player who loses. A lot. :/





Almost forgot ... a couple of quotes I liked:



"Another time, when they were walking home from school in the fall and kept stopping to step on particularly crunchy-looking leaves, Lucy asked, 'How come humans love the sound of leaves crunching? We go out of our way to hear it, to feel it. Why is it so insanely satisfying?'" (p 33 ... and really does not have much to do with the storyline but that's one reason I liked it!)



"Why couldn't her family understand the thrill of Scrabble, the excitement when you won a game, or even when you made an amazingly interesting word?" (p 83)



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2 comments:

  1. I’ve been meaning to read this one. Thanks for the reminder. I just requested it from the library. Glad to hear it’s so good!

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  2. I almost wish Duncan hadn't had magical fingertips at all (and the guy in the crocdile suit was a little weird, too), because the Scrabble bits were so good!

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