Born to Rock

Leo, member of the young Republicans and Ivy League-bound, finds out that his biological father is actually a punk rocker known as "King Maggot" and spends the summer before college touring around the country with him.

This book was a ride. For starters, I was used to Korman's middle grade readers so when this one opened by talking about cavity searches, I was surprised. The book takes several turns (a couple of them predictable, but interesting nonetheless) and ends up telling a compelling story as a result. Things tie up a little too neatly perhaps, but this was a satisfying read for some light escapism with a touch of heartfelt moments.

The audiobook version included some effects such as guitar music between chapters, distorted voices show more to indicate a PA system or a telephone conversation, etc. Hammond was a great reader for distinguishing the large cast with a variety of voices. show less

Leo is a good kid. He is a Young Republican, and has early acceptance to Harvard. He has always had a rebellious side that he calls McMurphy after his biological father. Little did he know... that his bio dad is King Maggot the front man for the angriest band in America. The story follows Leo's adventures in getting to know his father along the band's comeback tour.

I got a kick out of this book. It was funny seeing an everyday guy's reaction to the world of Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll.

Leo Caraway is not the type of character you'd usually expect to see in a novel for teens. He's a member of the Young Republicans, has earned early admission to Harvard complete with a much-needed scholarship, and has a best friend named Melinda who is a full-on Goth who thinks of punk music like a religion. When Leo agrees to do a favor for Melinda, the result is an accusation of cheating that loses Leo his scholarship and dreams of Harvard. His discovery that his biological father is actually King Maggot, a punk superstar, starts the rest of the unlikely but hysterical plot. Leo is self-confident and genuine, with a sly sense of humor, and the supporting cast of characters is endlessly entertaining. This funny book is never a chore to show more read, and it has some great things to say about friendship, family, knowing who you are, and accepting others for who they are. Don't let that scare you, though. Mostly it's just really, really funny. show less

Narrated by Billy Hammond. Leo Caraway, a Harvard-bound young Republican has known since he was 10 that his dad is not his biological father. What he did not expect to learn as a graduating senior is that famed ‘80s punk rocker King Maggot is his bio-dad. A job with the band during a summer concert tour is an opportunity for Leo to get to know King, real name Marion X. McMurphy. And perhaps to get King to fund his Harvard education, given that Leo has just lost a major scholarship in a cheating incident at school. The tour experience is somewhat disillusioning: King doesn’t seem interested in getting to know Leo and Leo is fed up by the self-destructive behavior of the crew. Additionally, Leo learns that King isn’t his father, show more it’s Bernie, King’s lecherous manager. But the experience opens Leo’s eyes to new worlds and shifts his perspective; in the end King does save Leo’s Harvard education.

Another winner from Gordon Korman. The audiobook is particularly enjoyable, and the mini rock-music interludes are fun, if not exactly edgy enough to reflect the punk scene portrayed in the book (and I'm no punk fan!). show less

YA, not juvenile.
Just as funny and even more coarse than the Korman I've read so far. More implausible, too. But also heartwarming. Read it as a fantasy so I could suspend disbelief. Quick read... I guess his audience has told him what all the boring stuff is to skip, like for example why this kid was a Young Republican in the first place.

I will continue to read Korman, but I don't think this is the one to recommend to others to start with.

This is another teen novel that I heard great things about and simply had to read. Korman is one of my favorite authors, and I was not let down by this one. It may be one of his very best to date.

Leo is a member of the Young Republicans, has a 4.0 grade point average and has an early acceptance to Harvard. His life is mapped out and he is ready for it. But when he stands up against a principal who is trying to ruin the record of another student, Leo instead finds himself the target. Accused of cheating, his flawless record now has a black mark, and he is kicked out of not only the Young Republicans but also his Harvard scholarship. In a fluke, Leo discovers that his biological father is the infamous punk rock star, King Maggot. Leo show more decides that King is the way to get his Harvard tuition, so he joins King in his punk-rock tour of the United States until they receive the results of the official paternity test. On the tour, Leo discovers that he has a lot more in common with King that he had expected.

Korman's writing is always effortless in its skill. He incorporates a great sense of humor into his books, and many parts of this novel will have readers chuckling along. I enjoyed the pairing of a conservative teen with a rock and roll elder, and the situations that it created. This entire book was great fun, cover to cover.

Recommend this one to boys and girls alike who enjoy music of any kind. I think it would make a great pairing with Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, another music-based novel from this year. show less

Leo’s a good guy, for the most part. Sure, he’s basically just trying to get close to his biological father so he can ask him to pay for college, but he’s just trying to clean up the mess that is his life. A mess, I might add, that is only there because he’s principled enough not to help his assistant principal kick out a student just because he finds that student to be grating. Plus there’s the fact that he’s always mindful of the fact that his friend Melinda not only lost her father, but essentially watched him die, so Leo doesn’t want to do anything to hurt her, even though she seems invincible.
I do have one problem with Leo, though, which is this: not once did he Google his biological father’s name. He’s show more “spying” on Melinda online, but in the seven years he’s known the name of this person banging around inside him like a pinball, not once did he type it into a search engine. I’m not sure if the reasoning behind that decision was that he was in denial or maybe he was supposed to be honoring his mother’s desire not to talk or think about it, but his guy’s got more willpower than me. However, even though I didn’t think this was all that believable, I was able to let it go and enjoy the story.
As Leo takes off on tour with Purge, he’s basically alone in the world. His Young Republican friends kicked him out, citing bad behavior, Melinda isn’t speaking to him because of the news he dropped on the world about King Maggot, his roadie roommate thinks he’s a spoiled brat, and the father he came on tour to get to know is basically ignoring him. The only person he’s really able to turn to is King Maggot’s cousin and band manager, Bernie, and even he is generally too busy hooking up with groupies to care about Leo. But when a situation arises and the only person Leo can call is King Maggot, he finally gets the chance to spend some time with him one-on-one.
King Maggot himself is a confusing character, but in the best way. It’s never clear how much of his personality is a show he put on for the world and how much is truly Marion X. McMurphy. By the end of the book, though, it’s evident that he cares about his family and will go to any lengths to protect them.
I will say that there’s a surprise in the book that, even though I should have figured it out, I didn’t connect the dots. This twist, though I do have a small problem with its plausibility, actually made me like some of the characters even more. Even though there were aspects of the book I questioned, the story itself was entertaining enough to make me forget these and enjoy my reading. show less