Born to Rock

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Well-known for his humour and adventure stories for middle-school
readers, Korman makes occasional forays into writing for older
audiences. While not nearly as funny as his Son of the Mob books, Born
to Rock, set solidly in the United States, is a good read that starts
strongly, lags somewhat in the middle portions, but finishes well with
plot surprises and the anticipated Korman “explosive” episode.

When he was 10, Leo Caraway accidentally discovered that the man he
called Dad was not his biological father; however, Leo’s mother would
not reveal anything about Marion X. McMurphy, the person whose name
appears on Leo’s birth certificate. Now a graduating high-school
senior, Leo encounters the name Marion X. McMurphy while reading a term
paper his Goth friend, Melinda Rapaport, had written on the history of
punk music. In the mid-1980s, McMurphy (“King Maggot”) had been the
front man for Purge, the “angriest band in America.” When shown this
information, Leo’s mother reluctantly acknowledges that Leo was the
result of her having partied once with Purge, alcohol and drugs being
involved. Dissolved in 1990, Purge has just reformed to participate in a
world tour of alternative bands. Leo confronts King Maggot concerning
his paternity, and, while awaiting the results of a DNA test, Leo
accepts King’s offer to work as a roadie for the tour’s U.S.
portion.

Leo’s secondary motivation in contacting King is to secure a tuition,
housing, and living expenses loan for Harvard—Leo’s sudden money
need resulting from a subplot involving Melinda’s gay friend, Owen
Stevenson. Recommended.