Dr. Frank's What's-it

Very kind review...

...of Andromeda Klein in Booklist:

Portman’s follow-up to King Dork (2006) will leave some readers turning to less demanding fare, like, say, advanced calculus. Yet it’s a must-read simply because of how rare it is to see any topic tackled with such manic specificity. Andromeda is a high-school junior obsessed with magic. (How many teens do you know who have a favorite occultist?) With the help of a well-worn Tarot deck, copious rituals, and a vast array of tomes with titles like Babylonian Liver Omens, Andromeda scrutinizes her world in search of “synchs” that will help elucidate why she is flat-chested, how to navigate a mean-girl environment, and what to make of the leukemia death of Daisy, her former partner-in-astral-journeys. Though clearly Andromeda hides behind her rituals, Portman’s handling of the subject is nonjudgmental and lots of fun. Laughs are guaranteed, particularly as Andromeda’s poor hearing leads to constant misinterpretations, which she dutifully incorporates into her “lexicon” (example: bagel worm agony stands for naked girl magazine). With impish prose and ridiculously researched detail, Portman fully fleshes a one-of-a-kind character whose idea of the perfect pick-up line is “Want to see my Necronomicon?”