A review by megaden
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! by M.E. Kerr

2.0

I didn't like this book at all. Tucker's father has lost his job and developed an allergy to their cat, which leads to him meeting Dinky Hocker, a neighborhood girl with a bad attitude. He doesn't particularly like her, but is intrigued by her live-in cousin so he goes back to visit the cousin, Natalia, and his ex-cat. In order to date Natalia, he has to find a date for Dinky as well which leads to him introducing Dinky to P. John, who's even more annoying than she is. Dinky develops feelings for P. John and is crushed when he thinks of her as more of a weight-loss buddy. Dinky's mother doesn't approve of either boy and P. John ends up getting shipped off to boarding school. He comes back some months later thin and a socialist whereas Dinky has gotten even larger and become obsessed with her aquarium fish. When Dinky's mother wins a humanitarian award, Dinky spray-paints rumors about herself up and down the street as a cry for attention.

One of my main problems with this book was the lack of plot – nothing really happens. I really liked the beginning of the book and thought that Tucker could have been an interesting character, but it never amounted to much. I didn't like Dinky. I didn't like P. John. Natalia's character wasn't very well-developed, so she seemed almost transparent. Her character seemed the most intriguing to me and I would have liked to know more. It seems like I'm one of the few people who didn't love this book, but I just don't get it. If I hadn't been assigned to read it for a class, I probably wouldn't have finished it.