Dinky Hocker

by M.E. Kerr

Book Overview

M. E. Kerr's first novel--hailed by the New York Times as a "timely, compelling," and "brilliantly funny" look at adolescence and friendship It was bad enough that they had to move to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440920302
• ISBN13: 9780440920304
• Release Date: August 1973
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf Library
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Will touch your soul

I read this book when I was in junior high school. That was over 30 years ago and I still remember it and how well I could relate to the struggles of teen life. If you are a teenager considering this book or a parent considering buying it for your child, do not hesitate. After all, though I am a pretty smart and well educated person, this is the only book (I'm serious here) that left a lasting impression on me from the K-12 years. It's gotta be special.

Social Aquarium

This book starts out as being the story of Tucker Woolf, self-apointed expert on libraries, and cronicler of strange existences. But it soon turns out that it is actually the story of four young teenagers, and, on a broader scale, their parents and their entire society.Tucker has to deal with having a faher who cares too much about apearances, and drills Tucker into only revealing parts of the truth when dealing with strangers. Tucker is feels somewhat out of place wherever he is, and when he finds a stray cat he imediately bonds with it. When his dad turns out to be allergic, he has to give the cat away. It is this cat who, directly and inderectly, brings him into contact with the other characters. It is adopted by Dinky Hocker, a tragically overweight girl, whose parents completely ignore their daughters problems, in favour of helping drug-addicts and othe worthy causes. Her cousin Natalie, and a boy who shares Dinkys rather enormous problem, together form the core of the story.The book is funny, the characters quirky and the situations somwhat absurd, but the real fascination of this book comes from seeing how the parents of these children forget them in favour of either their own problems or the problems of strangers. The thing that struck me most is that Dinkys charity-mom is actually one of the most selfish people in the world. I would recomend this book to anyone, even though it is technically a YA-novel. Its a good read, all the same.

Defines the Genre

Like all great young adult literature, Kerr undermines our expectations throughout. Full of twists, complications and contradictions that make it one of the most compelling books I've ever read. In the league of the I Am The Cheese or Catcher in the Rye.

A must-read for teen-agers and parents.

This book is great! It should be required reading for all children who are about to become teen-agers, and for all parents whose children are about to become teen-agers.

What character depth!

Wow. I was really impressed by the intelligence and actuality of these characters. I love the conversation that occurs between Tucker and Natailia (did I spell that right?) about relationships, or the lack of... Brilliantly played out. Bravo!