Book Review: The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman 

Written by Meg Wolitzer 

Published September 20, 2011 by Dutton Juvenile

Ages: 8+

304 pages 

Topics: Realistic Fiction, Competition, Friendship, Moral Choices

 

Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano don’t appear to have much in common. Duncan Dorfman is the new kid in town who is trying to keep his mysterious power that he can read with his fingertips a secret. Duncan no longer wants to be nobody in middle school, so he shows his talent but a student overlooks and plans to use his power dishonestly in the Scrabble game. April Blunt wants to prove to her sports family that Scrabble is also a game. She desperately wants to locate a boy she met three years ago, but she doesn’t even know his name. Nate Saviano is home-schooled, but would rather be skateboarding. He plays Scrabble, but doesn’t love the game. His father expects him to be the best and win.

Duncan, April, and Nate live throughout the United States, but they arrive with their game partners to compete in the national Youth Scrabble Tournament in Florida. We meet and learn about each character separately then watch them use their Scrabble talents. It is much more than just a Scrabble game as they learn about themselves and make the right choices. It’s a very humorous book loaded with Scrabble information, such as two letter words and tricks to get high scores. The book will keep your interest until you discover the Scrabble Tournament outcome. So, I challenge you to analyze all possible anagrams and make as many bingos as possible, but please no coffee-housing or brailing. I’ve never been a fan of the classic word game, but after reading The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman I may need to play soon. The book had a similar writing style compared to E.L. Konigsburg. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman was an enjoyable read.

Scrabble Glossary (What is coffee-housing?)

The Story Behind Scrabble