Dunk

by David Lubar

Overview

Chad finds a whole new summer occupation—he wants to be the Bozo, the clown who sits inside the dunk tank and goads people into taking a shot. What could be better than using his razor-sharp wit against a random stranger? But Chad soon discovers he’s entered a strange and twisted world where humor packs a loaded punch.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618439096
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/07/2004
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.74(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

David Lubar grew up in New Jersey and now lives next door in Pennsylvania. Armed with a degree in philosophy from Rutgers University and no marketable job skills, he spent several years as a starving writer before accidentally discovering that he knew how to program computers. He is now a full-time writer and the author of eleven books for teens and young readers, including Dunk (Clarion Books), Flip (Tor), and Wizards of the Game (Philomel). David Lubar lives with his wife; they have one highly intelligent daughter and three idiosyncratic cats.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1 His voice ripped the air like a chain saw. The harsh cry sliced straight through my guts the first time I heard it. The sound cut deep, but the words cut deeper. He shredded any fool who wandered near the cage. He drove people wild. He drove them crazy. Best of all, he drove them to blow wads of cash for a chance to plunge his sorry butt into a tank of slimy water.
This was just about the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Which made it that much more amazing, since I lived in one of the coolest places on the planet and I’d seen some of the freakiest things man or nature had ever created.
I was on my way down the boardwalk to get a slice of pizza at Salvatore’s. Today was the start of the tourist season. The crowds were thin because the ocean water was still chilly. That wouldn’t last. In a few weeks the place would be mobbed. It would stay that way until the end of summer— wall-to-wall tourists frantically packing as much activity as possible into their vacation at the Jersey shore. I hoped someone special would also return. But if I thought about her too much right now, I knew I’d go crazy.

Editorial Reviews

"A solid novel about the anger and agression that often fuels humor—and the compassion that can enhance it." Horn Book

4Q/4P "Dunk confirms Lubar's growing stature as an author of distinctive, intriguing, and highly original young adult fiction." VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

Lubar ably charts a watershed summer between boyhood and manhood, just one of the attractions of [his] engrossing novel." Publishers Weekly

"Lubar tells an engaging story with believable and interesting characters and witty dialogue. . . . Readers will be pleased." KLIATT

"Chad is the prototype of the hard-luck teen. The Bozo, too, is classic…With painful truth, Lubar create[s] complex characters." Booklist, ALA

"...genuinely original. Readers will relish [that] blend of hope and cynicism that gives [the boardwalk] its rich and gamey flavor." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"well-realized characters in a solid novel about the anger that often fuels humor - and the compassion that enhances it." The HORN BOOK GUIDE, pointer review Horn Book Guide, Pointer —

From the Publisher

Lubar's (Hidden Talents, 1999, etc.) latest is somewhat weaker than the sum of its parts. The characters are strong, the setting is interesting enough, but somehow the plot just does not ring true. Chad lives on the Jersey shore, an odd place to live, especially in the off season. Chad and his single mother try to scrape together enough money to pay the mortgage, she by working and renting their second floor to boarders, Chad by scamming side jobs on the boardwalk. When Malcolm, a college professor with a unique summer job, becomes their new tenant, Chad's summer is irrevocably changed. Malcolm works as a "Bozo" at the dunk tank, the smart-mouthed jokester who jeers passers-by into spending their money to dunk him. Chad is so taken by Malcolm's ability to come up with the perfect wisecrack every time that he vows to study him and become a Bozo himself. Added to this unlikely career choice is Chad's struggle to work up the courage to talk to his dream girl, the collapse of his best friend due to a rare autoimmune disease, and Malcolm's slow revelations about his past that led him to this vocation. Chad is an appealing enough teen, nice to his mother, hangs out with his friends, worries about his social life, yet somehow is just not likable enough. Lubar seems to throw in a lot of filler-Chad's friend's disease, his struggles to talk to a girl he likes-which doesn't necessarily add to the story. One substantial plot device involves Malcolm introducing Chad to classics in humor (the Marx brothers, Charlie Chaplin) and discussing how laughter and humor can be healing. Chad uses this idea to help his friend feel better as they await news of his disease, but these parts are few and far between.Not a bad effort, just not quite there. Will appeal to junior-high boys who aren't looking for a challenging read. (Fiction. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews