Pack of dorks

Lucy knows that kissing Tom Lemmings behind the ball shed will make her a legend. But she doesn't count on that quick clap of lips propelling her from coolest to lamest fourth grader overnight. Suddenly Lucy finds herself trapped in Dorkdom, where a diamond ring turns your finger green, where the boy you kiss hates you three days later, where your best friend laughs as you cry, where parents seem to stop liking you, and where baby sisters are born different.

Now Lucy has a choice: she can be like her former best friend Becky, who would do anything to claim her seat at the cool table in the cafeteria, or Lucy can pull up a chair among the solo eaters--also known as the dorks. Still unsure, Lucy partners with super quiet Sam Righter on a research project about wolves. Lucy connects her own school hierarchy with what she learns about animal pack life--where some wolves pin down weaker ones just because they can, and others risk everything to fight their given place in the pack. Soon Lucy finds her third option: creating a pack of her own, even if it is simply a pack of dorks.

Weaving tough issues, including bullying, loyalty, and disability, with a thread of snarky humor, family bonds, and fresh perspective, Pack of Dorks paints characters coming-of-age and coming-to-terms. Beth Vrabel's stellar debut contemporary middle grade novel is sure to please fans of Jack Gantos, Elizabeth Atkinson, and Judy Blume.

Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers--picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Fourth-grader Lucys life is unraveling before her eyes, and it all started with a kiss. One day she is given a plastic dollar-store ring by classmate Tom Lemming after kissing him on the playground. The next, she misplaces the ring, and Tom turns on her. Lucys best friend Becky, terrified of losing her social status, wont stand up for Lucy, even though outside of school she assures Lucy shes still her friend. Then, Lucys sister, Molly, is born with Down syndrome, and her parents behavior changes too (I wasnt sure she and Dad had room to worry about my problems any more now that they had a whole syndrome to manage). A class project with a quiet boy named Sam and the company of exuberant, nose-picking classmate April place Lucy in the dangerous territory of Dorkdom, but these new friends are loyal and make Lucy smile. Lucys growth and smart, funny observations entertain and empower in Vrabels debut, a story about the benefits of embracing ones true self and treating others with respect. Ages 8-12. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

It's a big day for Lucy. She and her best friend, Becky, are going to kiss the boys they like at recess. She can't wait to tell her dad about it when she gets home, but it will have to wait because her pregnant mom has gone into labor! After a couple of days off to welcome baby Molly, she returns to school to find herself suddenly friendless and despised. Becky has turned on her, and Lucy learns what it's like to be an outcast, like dinosaur-obsessed Sheldon, painfully shy Sam, and sneezy April, who picks her nose in public. Her parents, preoccupied with Molly, who has Down syndrome, are no help. Humiliations and cruelties abound as Lucy gradually finds a new pack. Though she has less of a careful hand with Lucy's parents, Vrabel displays a canny understanding of middle-school vulnerability. Like Gennifer Choldenko's Al Capone Does My Shirts (2004) and Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Mystery (2008), this is a solid pick for siblings of children with special needs.--Willey, Paula Copyright 2014 Booklist

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Lucy is the second most popular girl in fourth grade. She maintains her social standing by obsequiously following her "best friend," queen bee Becky-even when that means succumbing to peer pressure and giving Tom Lemmings a quick kiss during recess. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself being made the butt of jokes and is no longer in her exalted position as a popular kid. When groveling doesn't work, Lucy opens up to spending time with other kids she had previously overlooked and finds herself making some real friends in the process. This book doesn't soft-peddle the strange cruelty that kids inflict on one another, nor does it underestimate the impact. At the same time, it does not wallow unnecessarily. Instead, Lucy finds joy in her new little sister and helps her family gain perspective as they struggle to come to terms with the baby's special needs. The challenging subject matter is handled in a gentle, age-appropriate way with humor and genuine affection. Lucy is likable even when she's not behaving well; just like a real kid. When things work out in the end, it feels as natural as two like-minded kids learning to trust one another.-Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Debut author Vrabel takes three knotty, seemingly disparate problemsbullying, the plight of wolves and coping with disabilityand with tact and grace knits them into an engrossing whole of despair and redemption. Popular fourth-grader Lucy and her best friend, Becky, kiss Tom and Henry behind the shed during recess as their class looks on, Lucy's brief, reluctant peck paling against Becky's smoldering "suction cup" smooch. When Lucy gets home, her mother's in labor; Molly is born later that day with Down syndrome. Back at school on Tuesday, everything has changed. Now disingenuous Becky is with Tom, and Lucy's being shunned by most of the class. Only then does she begin to understand life as an outsider and take a closer look at other bullying victims, each nicely depicted, both negative and positive characteristics colorfully drawn. Assigned to do a project about wolves with fellow victim Sam, Lucy gradually becomes friends with him, and they discover fascinating truths about wolf packs that give them insight into the behavior of their classmates. Simultaneously, Lucy and her parents slowly, believably come to grips with Molly's uncertain future. Useful tips for dealing with bullying are neatly incorporated into the tale but with a refreshing lack of didacticism. Lucy's perfectly feisty narration, the emotionally resonant situations and the importance of the topic all elevate this effort well above the pack. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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