The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Med Wolitzer-OPTIONAL

Wolitzer, Meg, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Dutton Children’s Books, 2011. Pgs. 294. Language: PG (2 swear, no “f”s), Violence: PG, Sexual Content: G

Duncan, April, and Nate just don’t fit in with their peers for obvious reasons. Duncan, a.k.a Lunch Meat, can read letters with his hands and has a father who died of “Panosis.” Nate has a father who is living vicariously through him by homeschooling him in Scrabble. And, finally, April. Just can’t convince her jock family that Scrabble is a sport. This

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book chronicles the journey of these three characters to the Youth Scrabble Tournament. There, they will cpmpete for $10,000 and the answer to all their problems.

The characters all have significant character growth (even the parents) as they solve their life problems. The plot is average and pacing is sometimes slow. The lists of Scrabble words and anagrams will only interest avid Scrabble fans. But, the characters are heart-warming and you will want to know what happens to each of them. El(4-6), MS. OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Jessica Moody, Library Media Specialist, Olympus Jr. High.