Korman, Gordon. Born to Rock.KORMAN, Gordon. Born to rock. Hyperion. 261 p. c2006. 0-7868-0920-5. $15.99. JS * Another wild, funny adventure from Korman, who knows how to please his YA audience. The protagonist, Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. , finds out that his biological father is a punk rock star, and when Leo has graduated from high school he seeks him out: King Maggot maggot: see blowfly; fly; larva. , lead singer for Purge. King has been in retirement for a long time, but this summer he and his band are on a revival tour, and Leo goes along as a roadie road·ie n. A person engaged to load, unload, and set up equipment and to perform errands for rock musicians on tour. roadie Noun Brit, Austral & NZ informal , hoping to get to know his biological father, and hoping to use the connection to get his Harvard University Harvard University, mainly at Cambridge, Mass., including Harvard College, the oldest American college. Harvard College Harvard College, originally for men, was founded in 1636 with a grant from the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. tuition paid. Leo is a Young Republican, a conservative in every way, so you can imagine his horror at the antics he sees on this tour. Yet, for the first time in his life, he is living his own life, not a carefully programmed script for his future financial success, and that counts for a lot. King Maggot doesn't turn out to be anything like we might expect. It's obvious that Korman knows a lot about punk rock and what it stands for, and it seems he enjoys having Leo finally come to appreciate its authentic rage--we're not really talking about music here, more a cultural phenomenon. Leo's best friend is Melinda and the two go back to when they were toddlers. She is a Goth and a vegan vegan /veg·an/ (ve´gan) (vej´an) a vegetarian whose diet excludes all food of animal origin. ve·gan n. who idolizes Purge and is disgusted with Leo's interest in money and Republicans. She comes on the road, following the tour, camping out, and eventually she and Leo find a way to connect around their differences. The excesses of the band are seen with disgust through the eyes of Leo, so while there is outrageous behavior (cocaine, casual sex) in the background, it is roundly round·ly adv. 1. In the form of a circle or sphere. 2. With full force or vigor; thoroughly: applauded roundly; was roundly criticized. condemned. Leo has his own code of honor and he sticks to it, being completely honest even when it costs him his scholarship to Harvard. A wonderful ending ensues, which I won't give away. Claire Rosser, KLIATT |
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