Dork in Disguise

Dork

by Carol Gorman

Last year, Jerry Flack was a dork. So this year, at a new school in a new town, he's decided to start a new life altogether--as a Cool Kid. He's been preparing all summer: studying teen magazines, acquiring hair gel, and distressing his jeans. Things get off to a good start, and before you know it, Jerry's in, Rollerblading with the pros. But soon, Jerry finds himself tangled up in a complicated web of lies; and what's more, he's battling a terrible urge to put his glasses back on, join the science team, build a hovercraft, and, worst of all, date Brenda, a 100% geek. Does he really want to be a dork in disguise forever?

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Contemporary

164 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 1999

About the author

Carol Gorman is an Iowa-born writer of over 40 published books. She spent 17 years teaching in middle-school, high-school, and college classes. Her writing time has been devoted to creating mystery and suspense novels for children.

She originally aspired to be an actress, and while studying at the University of Iowa, was cast in the lead of both West Side Story and Peter Pan. In the 1980s, Carol married writer Edward Gorman, who inspired her to write. She conducts writers’ workshops at elementarys, middle schools and high schools, and enjoys talking to students about writing and publishing.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ay yi yi... This was cringingly awkward. I guess for middle-schoolers, this might be a good lesson in learning to be yourself and recognizing good people from shitty shallow people, but man... it was so painful to read because I just wanted to shake some sense into the main character the entire time.

It wasn't poorly written or anything, though the dialogue could use some work, and it was clear as day where it was going (though with a title like that, you don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what will happen).

Anyway, it was OK. This is the kind of book I would really have liked when I was 7 or 8.

[Arch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, because it has a strong message in it.

This book is about a dork named Jerry. He and his family moved to a new city and he started a new school. Because, of him being called a dork at his old school, he didn't want to be labeled as a dork at his new school, so he wanted to change his image. He wanted to become a cool dude. He even went as far as to taking off his glasses and walking around in danger field b.k.a. can't hardly see.

On his first day of school, he was called out by a fellow dork named Brenda. She lets him know that she knew he was a fellow dork. Brenda's a very sweet girl and very helpful. She helps Jerry fit in with the cool kids and no matter what, she stayed true to herself and stayed friends with Jerry. Jerry needed a person like her in his life. He needed to see that just because you are a dork, it doesn't mean you aren't cool and in Brenda's circle, she was cool. Jerry needed to be true to himself as well and not try to be someone he wasn't.

Jerry wanted to impress the coolest girl in school - Cinnamon. He does some stupid things to get her attention.

Cinnamon had another 6th grader that liked her as well. His name is Gabe. He was suppose to be the coolest guy. Cinnamon thought so. For some reason, he appeared to be older to me. He just seem like one of those guys that failed a couple of time. But, he was in the right grade.

I love the lesson that this book taught and the lesson that Jerry learned. It's easier being yourself, then pretending to be someone that you are not.

This is a cute, fast pace book.

[Sara ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book about a kid who's going into the 6th grade and is moving to a new town, so he decides to revamp his image. Goodbye DORK, hello Cool Kid!

I thought it was really adorable—Jerry was funny and smart and cute, though it takes him a WHILE to realize that your best bet is to just BE YOURSELF! Always a lovely message, ESPECIALLY for kids that age! :)

[Stacy Natal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexia and I read this one together. She was enraptured with Jerry's quest for cooldom and figured out partway through that Brenda liked him for who he was, and therefore was the better friend.

Alexia:

It's a hilarious book. It's about friends and about being yourself.

Papi says: I don't want my daughter reading about boyfriends and girlfriends yet!

[Kathrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Local author, cute (but kinda predictable) story about being true to yourself. And, there's kissing.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute- reminded me of the 6th grade version of that 80s flick "Some Kind of Wonderful"

[Diego Herrera]

this book is about a kid named jerry and he is a genius and he's going to a new school but he wants to be cool .

[Shirley Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read. It's about Jerry Flack who has moved to a new town and is beginning middle school. During in years of elementary school, Jerry was known as a dork. He wasn't popular. He was teased and bullied by the popular kids. Now Jerry has a plan to become one of the cool kids! He wants to be popular. He stops wearing his glasses. He changes his clothes. He cracks funny jokes to make the other kids laugh. He becomes one of the popular kids. However, Jerry soon discovers being popular isn't as fun as it seems. Why do the popular kids break the rules? Why don't the popular kids do their homework? Why do the popular kids make fun of the kids Jerry likes when he's not trying to be cool? Jerry has some decisions to make. Stay cool or be himself. This book guides you through Jerry's journey from the dork side, to the cool side, to the REAL side.

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it is funny and halarius. It is about a boy who wants to be cool for once with help of a friend named Brenda. He tries to not show how smart he is to the "cool kids" or loose his cool with them. later in the book, he realizes that he has hurt his friend on ditching her. He realizes that Friendship is better than anything.

The thing I like what the author did in the story was when Jerry (the main character) was trying to teach his dog, sassy, to go fetch the newspaper for his dad.
The thing I did not like what the author did was when Jerry kept on ditching his friend for the cool kids.

The reason I gave it 4 stars was because there was times when it got kinda boring. But it is still a good book.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope this story line is obsolete, but if there are still young people who are afraid to be smart or who aren't in the "in crowd," this book will speak to them. The protagonist is a boy who loves science but hates being a nerd and wants to be "cool." He ultimately has to follow his heart and joins the science club, while at the same time discovering that the cool kids are either shallow or mean. This is a staple for school and classroom libraries.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.49 stars. Many books on the theme have the kid just want to be invisible so as not to be teased, but Jerry actively tries to be truly cool. I'm so glad it took him only a few months to learn the lesson. I really like the character of Tony... if he were to become a key character in the sequel(s) I'd keep reading on.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about the importance of accepting who you are and that “cool” is very much a matter of perspective. Feels like it could have influenced Mean Girls and other films of the early 2000s. My only real critique is that the characters felt more like high schoolers than 6th graders, with both the way they talked and some of their motivations.

[Evelyn]

i really did like it. I thought t was a little kids book, but I was bored so i read it. it gives me a feeling of wanting to be popular. (even though thats not a thing in y middle school) but I kinda wished he ended u with cinammion.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being totally honest here, I'm not quite sure what a dork is, the way they describe it here makes me think it's a nerd. But why wouldn't they just say nerd?

[Graham Barrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

The things you read when you're a bored middle schooler. I remember thinking it had a good lesson but even in 7th grade saw the predictable story beats coming a mile away.

[Anilyn Rossi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad. It just wasn't for me.

[Joy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on The Bookshelf Intruder:

Dork in Disguise is for the dorks, geeks, and nerds in all of us. But really, what's the difference?

According to HelloGiggles:

Geek (n.)- Someone who spends a lot of time and energy in a certain area, not necessarily computers or technology; An outwardly normal person who has taken the time to learn technical skills. They are generally not athletic and enjoy video games, comic books, being on the internet, etc.

Nerd (n.)- A socially awkward person who has learned technical skills due to the spare time they enjoy from being generally neglected; one whose IQ exceeds his weight.

Dork (n.)- Someone who has odd interests and is often silly at times. A dork is also someone who can be themselves and not care what anyone thinks. Dorks are typically more noted for their quirky personality.

In short:
Geek- Smart but not awkward
Nerd- Smart and awkward
Dork- Smart in less useful areas, awkward but proud regardless

If I'm going to be technical about this, I can tell you that Jerry is not a dork. He's more like a nerd - smart and awkward. But these terms are used interchangeably nowadays so I'm okay either way.

Jerry is good at every subject in school, especially science (he even makes his own experiments) but he attempts to hide this for fear of embarrassment and rejection. He wants to be a cool guy with a swagger, a happy-go-lucky attitude, and rollerblading skills.

As he attempts to be cool, Jerry does things that are super stupid for me like not wearing his glasses even though he's nearsighted. As someone who has poor vision like Jerry, this felt like torture for me. I mean, eyeglasses are worn for vision, not fashion. And then he tries to act stupid by not answering teachers' questions even though he knows the answers. He plays dumb (Come on, who'd want to be dumb?!) and gets himself in danger.

The worst thing about this though is the amount of lies he'd had to tell people just so he can pull off this cool guy persona. This book reminded me a lot of The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney because of this.

This book had science, nerdy parts which I skipped but in general, I enjoyed it. It was a simple, quick read and although the plot and its lessons were not completely new, it still worked. The humor, I think, was what saved this book. Brenda, Jerry's friend, delivers most of the good lines. Like this:

Can you believe it? The guy's almost brain dead, and look at the attention he gets.

And since this is Middle Grade fiction, I didn't really expect anything that resembles romance so I was surprised with the ending.

Over all, Dork in Disguise, both despite and because of its simplicity, is worth reading. Pick it up in between your heavy, serious reads and you'll enjoy it.

[Widad Hussein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, Dork in Disguise was really fun to read. Even though its lexile level is 510, this is definitely a book for upper elementary kids between 3-5th grade. The main characters are Jerry and his friend Brenda. The setting takes place between his school and home. This is a 4rd point of view, from the reader's view. This book is about 6th grade Jerry who is seen as a nerdy dork. When his family decided to move, Jerry took the opportunity to disguise himself as someone cool so he can fit in at his new school. In the beginning, his disguise didn't work too well until he met this girl Brenda who helped him. Jerry knew who the popular boys were and who the pretty girls were so he tried different ways to impress them. Brenda helped him by making rips in his jeans, teaches him how to strut, and more. However, as he does his, he realizes that he has to make up lies to cover up some of his identity. He was having a hard time balancing his cool image and his real image. At times the lies were too much. He kept going at it especially because he wanted to impress one of the girls he liked. Throughout the story, we see how image he was trying to portray eventually works with the girl and the guys as well. But he's starting to realize that he misses being himself. Jerry loves science and being smart so for him to keep that at a limit was hard. When he was with Brenda, he would always have a great time especially because she knew the real him. But with the cool people, not so much. In the end, he realized that going through all this trouble was not worth it and then he developed feelings for Brenda. He left the cool people behind and joined hi real friends who he got along with really well.

The main ideas are to never lie and be happy with who you are. In this book, we saw how Jerry was struggling keeping all the lies together. This is a lesson not to do that because it can backfire on us. The other main idea, to be happy with who are, is really the overall theme. As kids grow up, they want to fit in where people find them cool and acceptable. But by doing so, you're not happy with the things you have to do. Staying true to who you are is honestly the best part. It's for these reasons that I would recommend this book because for kids who are struggling with fitting in, they can learn a lot from this book. They will see that there's no reason to change who you are and to be proud.

I thought this was a really great book because it shows realistic parts that many go through. The wits, humor, and identity is what makes this book great.

Always be proud of who you are.

[Dalton Hunt]

is ok

[Kristine Kouba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot Summary - Jerry Flack is the new kid in town. At his old school, he was considered a dork, but at his new school, he wants to be cool. He has spent a lot of time studying magazines, TV shows, gelling his hair and trying to be cool. At his new school, he knows he needs to be on guard at all times and not give away his cool guy disguise. He knows he needs to talk cool, dress cool, look cool and talk to cool people. He tries to get attention from Cinnamon, a popular girl. Brenda introduces herself to Jerry the first day, she isn’t popular, and she says she can tell Jerry is pretending to be cool.. she says her and her friends will help him become cool. Jerry writes a song for Cinnamon, she starts to like him, but when she calls Brenda a nerd towards the end of the story, Jerry decides he doesn’t want to be friends with the popular kids anymore...


Main characters – Jerry Flack – used to be a dork in his old school, is at a new school now. Isn’t wearing his glasses because he doesn’t want to look like a dork. Watches what he says and wears. He sees Gabe, the popular boy, and how Gabe makes rude/sarcastic jokes to get attention. Rips jeans to look cool, tries to walk differently to look cool, tries to make it sound like he’s a good at roller skating, but he’s not good, makes sports references in attempt to look cool. In class, he said “I don’t know” to answers he did know. Craig shares a locker with him – Craig is a trouble maker, but calls Jerry cool. Wanted to participate on the science team in secret because it was what he liked, but didn’t want the cool kids to find out.

Main issues – popularity, self-esteem, friendships, science

Other interesting information - if you liked this book by Carol Gorman, you might enjoy other books by her, such as: Dork on the Run, Stumptown Kid, and Games

[Lauren Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An underdog story that keeps you smiling. Jerry Flask has recently moved and has decided that this year for school he is going to be "cool." Previously knowing that he was a dork in his old school, Jerry does all of his research and observations on what it means to be cool, and he pulls it off. Jerry starts stumbling in the beginning of the school year, trying to remember everything that would make him look cool. Eventually, however, Jerry actually does get the cool kids at his school to take a look at him and become a part of their group. Because of this, he has trouble in playing his part and still wanting to be the dork that is inside him.

Jerry's character can relate to many young adults, in trying to be cool at some point or another. At that age, popularity is everything. What Jerry comes to realize, however, is that trying to fit in is a lot of work. Instead, being true to himself pays off and gives him true happiness and joy.

What gives Jerry his troubles is that he lies about things to make him sound cool. Lie after lie he continues, and eventually it becomes too much. Jerry also has to uphold two identities during the year; one as being cool while he is at school and one while he is at home. In balancing his life with multiple things to remember, Jerry has trouble handling it all.

I gave this book a 3 out of 5 because I felt like the story was well overtold and I could almost see what was going to happen. However, it was funny and quirky. It was a quick and enjoyable read.

[Darnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received from the NetGalley in return of the honest review

Being cool is everything, especially for nowadays pre-teen. And the cool thing usually identic with the Beautiful People and sports. Maturity, in the other hand, think that smart person is the cool one. Those are this book told about. Jerry Flack didn't want to get a "dork" mark in his new school, so he pretended that he was a cool ones. He hide his cleverness, his glasses and learnt to act like cool people (based on the cool magazine). He also had crush with Cinnamon O'Brien, the prettiest girl in sixth grader, it means that he had to competed with Gabe Marshall, the most popular lad in school. With the help of Brenda, Jerry tried very hard to be a dork in disguise.

From the first read, I already guessed how this story will end. And it has strong message, especially for the young readers. That being yourself is everything. We don't have to push ourself for being someone that we didn't like it, just for being in popular group.

My fave character in this book is Tony. I have no particular reason, but I think he was cool in his way (and he proved that he didn't brain-dead :D). And Cinnamon was an annoying character, pretty but has no brain.

So what if she said aspiration instead of inspiration? At least she hadn't said prespiration!

Ugh!

Note: the good thing of this ebook, Open Road Media also provided the first three chapters from Dork on The Run, the sequel of this book.

[Mackenzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of my book is Dork in disguise and it has #176 pages. The author is Carol Gorman and the genre is realistic fiction.

Jerry Flack just wants to be a cool kid and he just moved to a new school for a new beginning. He normally wears glasses but does not want to ruin his reputation. The first person that he met at his new school was Brenda. She was not a cool kid but she was nice and didn’t care how cool he was. The cool kids were Cinnamon, Robbin, Gabe, Tony and Craig. Jerry’s locker mate was Craig. Craig and Tony got in trouble on the first day for tearing up the classroom. In this book many events happened with Brenda and Jerry trying to make Jerry cool like ripping holes in his jeans. Jerry also likes Cinnamon. He tells a lot of lies like he writes music and rollerblades. Jerry also had to write a love song for Cinnamon. Jerry eventually ended up doing both of these things but not very good. Cinnamon kinda liked him but not very much. He went to the Fall Carnival with Cinnamon. He also built a hovercraft. He joined the science team and they won the championship. In the end being cool to Jerry was not a big deal and he and Brenda got together more.

I liked this book because it has a lesson about be who you want to be.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute middle school book about a boy who tries to reinvent his image into someone cool and struggles with how to keep up with his interests (science and other things he fears the cool kids will think are dorky) while still appearing cool to the girl whose looks he admires. In the end, he discovers he has more fun with the people who share his interests than he does with those he needs to pretend with.

I liked that the main character stood up for the girl who had first befriended him when the popular girl called her a nerd. I also like that the author shows that it's hard to keep track of the lies you have to tell when you try to be someone you're not, and that being true to yourself doesn't necessarily mean you'll end up alone.

I don't like that the main character told so many lies to appear cool. I don't like that the cool girl was using the main character to make another guy jealous--at the same time leading on the main character to think that they might have something together--though it could be that the main character was just too besotted or too naive to see the writing on the wall.

I like that in the end, the main character shocked the cool kids by choosing to hang out with the smart kids.

[Devin D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dork! What would you do if every day of your life you would hear that word? Well Jerry the main character makes a plan when he goes to a new school, to be a cool guy. Carol Gorman did an outstanding job on his book Dork in Disguise. He has been studying up for the first day of school reading magazines, watching music videos, and even reading web pages. His problem is he is a dork and he can't change that. On the first day of school he meets the love of his life the most popular girl Cinnamon but at the same time he makes the dorkiest friend Brenda. One of them figures out his secret but whom?
Gabe the most popular kid and Jerry try to impress Cinnamon every chance they get. Brenda sees how smart Jerry is and persuades him to join the science team. At the finals, Cinnamon figures out what he truly is. That is a dork. This book is realistic fiction because every day people try to change themselves by their personality or appearance. At the end though Cinnamon was just using Jerry to make Gabe jealous. The thing is Jerry didn't care he truly loves someone else and that someone is Brenda.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Book ... is an ok Book i didn't really enjoy that much this book wasn't my taste in books.It didn't really make any emotions for me some parts were funny some parts were just dumb.But some parts of this book reminded me of myself. When i used to try to be the cool kid but ended up still being up the stupid one.I would recommend this book to kids who like dumb and funny books.


The main character is Jerry Flack he moved from a different school.He was Disguised as a "Cool Guy" at Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School.He had Orange Curly hair.He had glasses but he took them off because he said that cool guys don't wear glasses.On his First day of his new life he was disguised as a cool guy.He Got his mom to buy him a cool vikings shirt so he didn't have to wear his "WORLDS BEST GRANDSON" t-shirt. even though he was trying to be a cool guys he ended being himself.In the end Jerry made a lot of friends and live dorkly
forever

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’re moving to a new school and you are going to try to do everything to change your image – I mean, at your old school everyone called you a dork – why?

Because you’re smart and you’re interested in science and like to hang out with the smart kids – you know – maybe you’ve done it yourself.

But the first person he meets is another smart kid – a girl – and she says she will help you become cool.

But it’s tough, and you start telling a lot of lies – like – what a great inline skater you are – and that you’re in a band – but you slowly become accepted by some of the cool kids, including the gorgeous girl.

You begin to see, though, that maybe this beautiful girl is just using you to make her real boyfriend jealous – and you haven’t been doing the stuff you like to do – and you’re missing being with the sharp kids….so what are you going to do?

Read this cool tale and find out – you know? I don’t’ care who you are – EVERYBODY should read this one – it tells it true!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jerry Flack is not cool. He is a nerd who likes science and wears glasses. When he moves to a new town he thinks he has a shot at changing his image and becoming cool. He puts away his glasses and gets lessons on being cool from his friend Brenda. Soon he is hanging out with the cool kids and thinks beautiful Cinnamon likes him. But he also misses hanging out with Brenda and the other kids on the science team. And he still likes science and other uncool things. This is a book all about accepting who you are and what is important to you. Is it more important to be cool and do things you don't enjoy or approve of or is it better to hang out with people you like and do things you enjoy? Jerry has to learn this lesson that we have all learned. No one wants to be uncool or unpopular, but sometimes you realize that being cool isn't all it is cracked up to be.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

[Zach Naegele · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story Jerry Flack is starting a new school, and a new self image. At his old school Jerry was a science dork, and in truth, he still is. Now Jerry’s goal is to be a cool kid at his new school. Jerry’s first new friend is Brenda, and while she isn’t considered cool, she helps to make Jerry into what he so desires. To become cool, Jerry tells lies, gets into trouble, destroys his clothes, and even gets hurt in the process. Jerry’s love for science overwhelms him and he joins the science team. Now Jerry must keep the science team a secret so he can reach his goal. When Jerry finally reaches his cool status, with cool friends and the girl of his dreams, he realizes it isn’t all he thought it would be.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Jerry, hurmaava hikke" (WSOY, 2001) kertoo uudessa koulussa aloittavasta Jerrystä, joka haluaisi jättää nörttivuodet taakseen ja hengailla sen sijaan coolien ja suosittujen oppilaiden kanssa - etenkin kun kaunis, joskin sanavarastoltaan hieman rajoittunut Cinnamon kuuluu heidän joukkoonsa. Tiikerin on kuitenkin vaikea päästä juovistaan, mutta onneksi Jerryn "lajitoveri", tiedekerhoon kuuluva ja aina yhtä ystävällinen Brenda lupautuu auttamaan siirtymäriitissä. Siitä huolimatta Jerry tuntee liikkuvansa heikoilla jäillä ja sotkeutuvansa valheiden verkkoon...

Carol Gorman on kirjoittanut mukavan nuortenkirjan, joka varioi sympaattisella tavalla perusteemaa itsensä hyväksymisestä ja ja siitä, ettei aidan toisella puolella kasvava ruoho välttämättä ole sen vihreämpää.