The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

This middle grades novel is told from three different points of view: Duncan, a 12-year-old from Pennsylvania; April, from Oregon; and Nate, from New York. All three have learned to play Scrabble extremely well: so well that they participate in the national Youth Scrabble Tournament in Florida. Each plays with a partner. Each plays for a different reason. April plays because she absolutely loves the game . . . and, she wants her sports-loving family to accept her talent as something worth cheering about. Nate plays because his father, Larry, forces him to. Twenty-six years earlier, Larry had also participated in the Youth Scrabble Tournament: he and his partner lost the championship round by one point. Now Larry acts as if his entire happiness depends on only one thing: Nate winning the championship.Duncan, a new kid in his school, plays for another reason altogether. First, he thinks he's playing so that the other kids won't consider him a loser. A nobody. Then he thinks he's playing so that he can give his share of the winning team's money ($10,000 total) to his mother. But really, Duncan learns he's playing in order to do the right thing, not the wrong thing. And in order to learn who he really is.This is a wonderful story, with strong, interesting 12-year-old heroes. The writing is also wonderful: smooth and funny. The story and writing remind me very much of the writing of E.L. Konigsburg. In addition to the superb story and commendable writing, there's a bonus: the reader picks up many tips for playing Scrabble. Highly recommended

As a tournament scrabble player, I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Wolitzer captures the tension and excitement of playing in a big event perfectly, and there aren't any of the cringeworthy mistakes that often plague descriptions of actual scrabble play or scrabble players. It's wonderful to see a book that has done its research properly.There is also the obligatory set of neatly-wrapped-up, mildly improbable happy endings for everyone, which may bother some people - personally, I enjoy that sort of thing, especially in genre fiction.

I really liked this book. It's great for the 8-12 year old set. It reminded me of a View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg, not just because it's the same idea of kids forming a friendship while preparing for a competition, but because the friendships are more important than the competition. I recommend it to parents to read with their kids or for kids who want to read about other kids or learn more about Scrabble.

As a language arts teacher I was looking forward to a book that was written for students on a subject that encouraged reading. I found it dull and uninspiring, and don't think any of my students would enjoy reading it. It seemed very young, but I had imagined it being written for junior high aged students since the characters in the book were that age. The accounts of some of the tournament play seemed to coincide with what my friend (an avid Scrabble player) has told me about, but it was not particularly realistic and seemed to work itself out in a predictable and uninspired way. I would not recommend it for junior high aged readers. Perhaps 4th or 5th grade?

I am a Scrabble fanatic and this was the first fiction book I have come across. It is a book written for children ages 10+, but as a middle-aged mom, I found it very entertaining. The story line is original. Not only did the book have a happy ending, it helped remind readers to do the right thing! Very enjoyable!

My son chose this book. He really enjoyed the story. The book held his interest throughout. The storyboard funny moments as well as moments that made him think. This was a good choice for him for his summer reading book.

Interesting story for an easy read. Not all liked it in our group. Some thought it was only for kids. Rest of us liked it.

This was a gift.RM