Meg Wolitzer. (2011). The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Penguin Young Readers Group.

Meg Wolitzer. 2011. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Penguin Young Readers Group.

Meg Wolitzer, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2011.

Meg Wolitzer. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2011.

OverDrive Product Record

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1. • value: bullies
2. • value: Bullying
3. • value: kindness
4. • value: Magic
5. • value: fantasy
6. • value: school
7. • value: chapter books for kids age 8-10
8. • value: realistic fiction
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11. • value: 5th grade books
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13. • value: kids books ages 9-12
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16. • value: books for 8 year old boys
17. • value: books for 9 year old boys
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19. • value: books for 8 year old girls
20. • value: fantasy books for kids age 9 12
21. • value: chapter books for kids age 9-12
22. • value: books for 10 year old girls
23. • value: books for 10 year old boys
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2011-09-20T00:00:00-04:00

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title

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

fullDescription

Friendship, family, and high-stakes Scrabble come together in this compelling novel from a bestselling author
Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano don't seem to have much in common. Duncan is trying to manage his newfound ability to "read" with his fingers. April is striving to be accepted by her family of jocks. And Nate is struggling to meet his father's high expectations. But when a Scrabble Tournament brings them together, their stories intertwine. Driven by competition, drama, and just a touch of magic, the story will have readers flying through the pages, anxious to discover who will be the real winners . . .

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1. • value: Grade 3
2. • value: Grade 4

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     Starred review from August 1, 2011
     The lives, families, and story lines of three 12-year-olds intersect at the annual Youth Scrabble Tournament in adult author Wolitzer's (The Uncoupling) entertaining middle-grade debut. Possessing a supernatural power that gives him an unfair advantage in Scrabble, the title character wrestles with his conscience and a desire for increased social status offered by his conniving partner. Meanwhile, Nate's obsessed father homeschools him in Scrabble only, hoping his son will win the tournament he lost in his youth, and April's sports-fixated family cannot comprehend word games. Themes of competition, passion bordering on mania, and teamwork weave through the narrative, as the protagonists face the consequences of parental choices and flaws—which provide plentiful humorous moments—and contend with ethical struggles of their own. The tournament proves a great equalizer as families wealthy and poor, blended and nuclear, enthusiastic and indifferent support their children's ambitions, and quirky players meet kindred souls from many different corners of the country. Readers don't have to be Scrabble enthusiasts to enjoy this novel, though a passion for it may well develop by the end. Ages 8–12.

2. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     August 15, 2011
     

     Wolitzer turns to writing for young readers with an ever-so-slightly magical tale of friendship and what it takes to be a winner.

     Just before starting in a new school, 12-year-old Duncan Dorfman discovers he can read through the fingertips of his left hand. His single mother makes him promise not to tell anyone. When he just can't take being a nobody any longer, though, he shows his table mate at lunch and draws the attention of Carl Slater, who is determined to win the national Youth Scrabble Tournament by any means necessary. In Portland, Ore., April Blunt and her Scrabble partner practice regularly and search for a boy April met and lost touch with. In New York, Nate Saviano is struggling under the yolk of homeschooling (which is just his father's way of making him study 24/7 to win the tournament; Mr. Saviano lost when he was 12). The teams bond over Scrabble boards, helping each other win in ways that surprise even them. The novel is shot through with Scrabble words and rules in a way that is reminiscent of Louis Sachar's The Cardturner (2010). Readers will identify with and root for the characters as their tales intertwine to a satisfying if slightly too cheery close.

     Word wizards aren't the only ones who will enjoy this readable rumination on ethics, competition and identity. (Fiction. 9-14)

     (COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

3. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     September 1, 2011
     

     Gr 4-7-Three kids meet at a youth Scrabble tournament and help one another work through various issues. Nate has an overly competitive father, while April wants to get noticed by her sports-obsessed family. Duncan's situation is more complicated: he has the power to see things with his fingers, a potential secret weapon in Scrabble games. This fantastic element fits awkwardly into an otherwise realistic novel, and the fact that Duncan barely uses his talent for anything but Scrabble seems odd. The boy's eventual principled actions are offset by a dishonest ruse he uses, behind his mother's back, to get into the tournament. The narrative switches smoothly to capture the points of view and experiences of the three protagonists, although personalities and feelings are frequently spelled out rather than shown through action or dialogue. An anticlimactic attempt by a former player to sabotage the tournament fails to add much drama. Though Duncan is the only character with much depth, the other kids are likable and appealing, and the Scrabble background is neatly rendered in a way that even nonplaying kids can enjoy. The inclusion of tricky game strategies and insider terms like "vowel dumps" and "coffeehousing" bring the tournament scene to life, and the players all have different, believable reasons for their connection to the game. Consider for fans of "puzzle novels" Eric Berlin's "Winston Breen" books (Putnam) and Jody Feldman's The Gollywhopper Games (Greenwillow, 2008).-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR

     Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

4. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     September 15, 2011
     Grades 5-8 Duncan Dorfman is adjusting to life in a new Michigan town with his struggling single mom, who lands a job at a local big-box store run by a rarely-seen millionaire. After moving, Duncan finds that he can discern letters with the fingertips of his left hand, which helps him choose needed tiles after he joins the school Scrabble club. Eventually, Duncan's skills bring him to the national Scrabble tournament in Florida, where he meets two other young Scrabble players: a boy from New York City, who has a fraught relationship with his father, and a girl who tries to prove her worth in a family of athletes. As the kids get to know each other, they take a side trip to a crumbling, sinister amusement park, which launches them into an unexpected adventure. At the novel's end, the focus returns back to Duncan, who discovers a surprise about a family secret. The overpacked plot drags a bit, but readers who stick with it will be rewarded with portraits of winning, well-drawn kids struggling to succeed in a complicated world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

5. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     January 1, 2012
     Twelve-year-old Duncan's unexplained ability to read printed material by touch makes him good at cheating while picking Scrabble tiles. When he meets April and Nate at a Scrabble tournament, they all discover there is more at stake than their need to win. This story of unique friendships, with its mild supernatural bent, is entertaining and engaging.

     (Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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Friendship, family, and high-stakes Scrabble come together in this compelling novel from a bestselling author
Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano don't seem to have much in common. Duncan is trying to manage his newfound ability to "read" with his fingers. April is striving to be accepted by her family of jocks. And Nate is struggling to meet his father's high expectations. But when a Scrabble Tournament brings them together, their stories intertwine. Driven by competition, drama, and just a touch of magic, the story will have readers flying through the pages, anxious to discover who will be the real winners . . .

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   • value: Notable Children's Books

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   • description: JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
3. • code: JUV039230
   • description: Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Bullying