From School Library Journal Grade 9 Up–Mike Pomerantz is dubbed "Storky" due to his height/weight proportions and is sweating out typical adolescent ups and downs in his first year of high school. He also contends with his parents' divorce and a disinterested， mid-life crisis father. Then there's "The Girl，" Gina， whom he has known for years and has fallen in love with. He actually began keeping a journal (this book) in the hopes that she would view him as the "sensitive" type and fall madly in love with him. Not surprisingly， he's in for a rude awakening on that front. Speaking of awakenings， much space is allotted to the ups and downs of Mike's active， at times uncontrollable penis， "Rex，" which provides humor and utmost embarrassment for the teen. Things work out pretty smoothly for Mike: he does indeed find a girl， overcomes his disgust toward his mother's soon-to-be husband， comes to terms with his father's selfishness， and gradually develops confidence. The conclusion is a little pat， but nonetheless this is an enjoyable read about the social development， psyche， and sexuality of one teenage male in that first overwhelming year of heaven and hell in the halls of high school.–Tracy Karbel， Glenside Public Library District， Glendale Heights， IL From Booklist Gr. 8-11. High-school freshman Mike Pomerantz is tall and too skinny， with bird legs and wiry hair. He has an unrequited crush on fellow smart-kid--beautiful， popular Gina--who scorns him. Mike confides his troubles to his computer journal， with wry humor and deliciously bitter caricatures. As the school year progresses， Mike makes new friends (including an ancient Scrabble genius at a retirement home)， grows in self-confidence， and， yes， wins the girl--though not the one he originally thought he wanted. Laugh-out-loud embarrassing situations leaven what could have been just another problem novel. Garfinkle perfectly captures teen boys' preoccupation with sex; Mike has dubbed his penis "Rex，" and an ill-timed erection in Spanish class ("Down， Rex! Down!") is one of the funniest scenes in the book. This first novel shows a real flair for comedy and dialogue and genuine empathy for the awkward teen in all of us. Debbie CartonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved See all Editorial Reviews