Customer Reviews

Dunk

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4 star:		(4)
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Dunk by David Lubar is a book that grasps your attention from the first chapter and sustains it to the very end. Due to the realistic experiences faced by all of the characters, this book should not be categorized as an adolescent book but a book for all ages. I could relate to each character due to the real life challenges they were faced with. Chad is a teenager so consumed by fear of being a failure like his father that he's not taking the time to enjoy the life of a teenager. He wants to be an adult before his time by being a father and son to his mother and having a job. Chad's mother is a typical single mother. She is trying her best to provide the best for her son by working as waitress and pursuing her education. Malcolm, the tenant and dunk master, becomes a father figure for Chad and teaches him life lessons. Due to this Chad finds hope for not only himself but for his mother and his best friend Jason. The life lessons Malcolm teaches Chad are lessons we should all learn: patience is a virtue, don't just learn the tricks of the trade but learn the trade, laughter eases pain, constant doubt will lead to disappointment, sometimes one has to fail to succeed, and to teach is to learn and to learn is to teach. If you are in search of a book that will make you laugh and at the same time help you realize that life is not always as bad as it may seem, read this book!

Ah, it is summer again, a time and place when the best things can happen to you. No school, no teachers and best of all, a time to do what you want. The best? Not for quiet, witty, and friendly Chad. His life seems like it is deep under water in David Lubar's Dunk. Do not be fooled by the name or the blurb of the story because once you get into Dunk, It will feel as if the book was almost super glued to the hands your reading with. Chad's sarcasm and plain old wit will make you laugh so hard you will start to have pains in your sides. Most humorous books do not have much of a true message. This book has a much better message than other thoughtful tales.

Chad's life is all washed up in the story when Malcolm, the man who has the job he wants, moves into his house. One of Chad's closest and only friends, Jason, has a terrible disease that is killing him. To top it off the love of his life, Gwen, who he finally had the guts to ask out is dating a drug dealer. Dunk is an emotional roller coaster you do not want to miss.

Dunk's sense of what life is about is what makes this book so incredible. It really tells the reader know how life is definitely not a walk in the park. There are similar qualities between Dunk and Be more chill. Both books explore the real thoughts of a teen and how the things that happen can get the best of us. If you thought Be more chill was amazing, then you will be drenched with on going thoughts while enjoying Dunk. Dunk's message is, no matter how cruddy or bad your life is, appreciate the things you have, and remember only you can change it. It's really all in your own hands.

With laughs, love and a meaning of life, Dunk will flood you with loving thoughts.

I loved the book Dunk by David Lubar. It was an exciting story about a boy named Chad and what he did over his summer. It tells about how he wanted to be a Bozo at a dunk tank. When he asked about a job at the tank the owner said yes and Chad was happy. When he got there he found out that he wasn't getting to work as a Bozo but as a ball boy. This wasn't the end of his problems. His friend got very sick and the girl he liked started going out with someone else. But that isn't all. Read this book and see what happens to Chad and his friends.

This book gives an amazing insight into the mind of a 15 year old boy. Perhaps not the most typical boy, but as the mother of a less-than-typical boy myself, I enjoyed it thoroughly. My seventh grade daughter also enjoyed it, and I think my son will enjoy it too, if he gets enough of a break from schoolwork to read it.

I enjoyed Lubar's book Hidden Talents quite a bit, but when I picked up Dunk I was skeptical. Chad is mesmerised by the bozo in the dunk tank and longs to be a bozo too. This scenario did not seem able to carry a novel-length story. However, Lubar uses the bozo as a metaphor for finding out your own strengths, weakenesses, and personality in general.

Chad's experiences are heart-wrenching and Lubar's writing allows the reader to feel the anguish along with him. It's not until he is able to listen to Malcolm and see him as a human being that Chad can step up and be the man he's supposed to be--for his mother, his sick friend, and the girl he loves.

A good read with strong characters and a great message that isn't preachy. Another hit from Lubar.

The greatest book I've ever read is Dunk! This book kept me guessing and reading. This book takes place where the fun begins and ends (right along the boardwalk). I'm so glad that my friend Zach recommended it to me!
Dunk is about a boy named Chad. He only has his mom because his dad left them for another girl. When Chad finally finds the perfect girl, she has to go back to Montana.The last words he heard from her were "I'll be back next year, Chad".
The next year finally came. Chad checked the game that Gwen ran when they met. Even though Chad wanted Gwen the most he also wanted a job for the summer. But,his mom didn't him to work because when his dad said he was working he really wasn't. On the day that Gwen arrived, his best friend Jason started acting weird so the cops took Jason to the hospital and Chad to the jail cell. They accused them of using illegal drugs. The person that saved him was his upstair neighbor. Even though Chad hated Malcolm, he was thankful that he was there.
The next time that he saw Gwen she was with his old friend Anthony. After that, he found out that his best friend Jason had a disease that affected his immune system. The next day he tried out for the bozo job.
Will Chad get Gwen back,get his job,and make friends with Malcolm? Also, will Jason get better? To find out, read the greatest book ever, Dunk!

By:Mickey

I first learned of this book when a former student of mine e-mailed me one day last year and asked if I had read DUNK. I hadn't, but he suggested it to me because, in reading it, he had come to the realization that the character of Malcolm reminded him very much of me.

Malcolm, the Bozo in the dunk tank on the Boardwalk at the Jersey shore, was a comedy-loving drama teacher who made some money in the summer with an odd, but challenging acting job. I am a comedy-loving drama (and English) teacher who sometimes makes money from the occasional acting job, as well. I even share a physical resemblance to Malcolm.

Though Malcolm is not the protagonist of David Lubar's book, he figures prominently in DUNK as the motivator for Chad, a 15-year-old who needs to find his focus in life.

A love-letter to the art and value of comedy, DUNK clearly understands its marks (to use an appropriate word from the book) -- young adults who can relate to the problems, desires and angst of a 15-year-old like Chad.

Having just finished the book, I can report that it serves its customers well, but, like the dunk tank at the core of this story, it's not for everyone. I really wished that Lubar had not chosen to tell this not from the first-person viewpoint of Chad, but rather from the omniscient third-person. I think that Chad's lack of ability to properly articulate his feelings, surroundings and conditions prevents DUNK from being a beautiful piece that reveals gorgeous, poetic details of the Americana of boardwalk life, as well as being able to use more elegant language to bring every aspect of this book to life.

I also found that by putting Comedy (with a capital "C") on a pedestal, Lubar's humor would have been funnier. I found his appreciation of the art form admirable, but his actual use of it limited.

As is the nature of YA books, plotting sometimes becomes predictable and stereotypical, and DUNK does not escape this problem. The seriously ill friend, the local teenage "wiseguy," the over-burdened mom, and the red-headed object of Chad's eye end up exactly where you expect them to -- and you can probably guess what that is, even with my simple descriptions. There are no surprises here; everything is pretty much what you'd expect.

With so many excellent YA novels out there, as palatable as DUNK is, it doesn't quite win the big prize.

Robert Dias Mod 2
Book Review

Dunk is about Chad who is a kid that wants to be the bozo in the dunk tank on the Boardwalk. The real bozo is a guy named Malcolm who helps Chad threw out the book even though Chad hates him. Towards the end of the book Malcolm and Chad become good friends, and Chad gets to be the bozo.
My favorite part of the book is when Chad becomes the bozo. He finally gets his chance to get in the tank and let loose at all of the people. When he gets into the tank he freezes and doesn't say anything. Then Malcolm tells him to be bozo and not his self. Then he starts to be a good bozo and attracts a lot of people and he has a lot of fun.
I recommend this book for many reasons. This is more of a guy book. I would also recommend it to people who like suspense. Also I would recommend this to people who like comedy. Overall Dunk was a very good book for the most part. In some parts of this book it started to boring, but keep reading because it just gets better.

Robert Dias Mod 2
Book Review

Dunk is about Chad who is a kid that wants to be the bozo in the dunk tank on the Boardwalk. The real bozo is a guy named Malcolm who helps Chad threw out the book even though Chad hates him. Towards the end of the book Malcolm and Chad become good friends, and Chad gets to be the bozo.
My favorite part of the book is when Chad becomes the bozo. He finally gets his chance to get in the tank and let loose at all of the people. When he gets into the tank he freezes and doesn't say anything. Then Malcolm tells him to be bozo and not his self. Then he starts to be a good bozo and attracts a lot of people and he has a lot of fun.
I recommend this book for many reasons. This is more of a guy book. I would also recommend it to people who like suspense. Also I would recommend this to people who like comedy. Overall Dunk was a very good book for the most part. In some parts of this book it started to boring, but keep reading because it just gets better.

I listened to this book performed by Full-Cast Audio. The actors were fantastic, especially Malcolm!