You Will Call Me Drog

You Will Call Me Drog  follows a boy named Parker who gets a sarcastic puppet named stuck Drog on his hand.  Parker is going through many problems in his life and Drog just makes his life more difficult.  His relationship with his father hasn't been strong since his parents got divorced and Drog's sarcastic comments complicate things.  Because of Drog Parker is forced to confront many issues in his life and find new interests and friends.

I really enjoyed this book.  I initially thought it was going to be a silly little children's book but it was far more than that.  This is a well crafted book about a boy in pain over his parents divorce.  Throughout the book Parker grows from a needy little boy to a young adult who sticks up for what he believes in and isn't afraid to speak honestly but kindly to his father and other adults in his life.  The book has several fantastic adult characters that help Parker on his journey including his teacher, his Akido instructor, his therapist and his mother.  Many social issue novels read like after school specials but this one integrates the problem into Parker's struggle with his sarcastic puppet making it a book that kids will want to read. 


Appropriateness:  Drog tries to get Parker to show him dancing girls, he does some searches on the computer to get pictures.  He makes a visit to a strip club (to which Parker is immediately stopped from entering), both of which are seen as crazy activities.  I would recommend this book to boys from 9-13 and it would be helpful for kids dealing with a divorce or custody disputes.