Mr. Docker Is Off His Rocker! by Dan Gutman is a chapter book all about science.  The book focuses on a boy named AJ who thinks science is for nerds.  When AJ gets a new science teacher named Mr. Docker and sees all the amazing things that relate to science, AJ realizes that science can be fun and interesting and that science answers many questions of how the world works.  Mr. Docker Is Off His Rocker! emphasizes the importance of students having inquiries and testing theories out.  In the book, there are mentions of prisms, pendulums, and energy from potatoes.  With Mr. Docker Is Off His Rocker, teachers could introduce many science topics and try some of the experiments included in this book, like combining water with the chemicals citric acid and sodium bicarbonate and seeing what happens.  Mr. Docker Is Off His Rocker has a Lexile Reading Level of 580L (Grades 2-3).    

3.5 Stars.

Adorable and FUNNY story.

For me this book was highly original and delved into areas most would shy from. I think most can relate to the emotional roller coaster the main character, Will, felt. He’s not getting what he wants from sex, and he thinks he would enjoy it more if there was some pain involved. Thanks to his brother’s coaxing, he explores his desires. Who hasn’t wanted to try something that they think most would judge them for? If it isn’t normal, it’s wrong, right?

I think that’s why this book works. We can relate to Will. He is straight, but can’t afford a woman dom. So he ends up with a gay dom who is willing to whip him for a few hours, in exchange for yard work. Then Will starts to fall for his gay dom, which I think is natural, since he’s satisfying his dark needs.

The twist at the end of the book is, there is no happily ever after. They don’t end up as a couple. To me, this makes the book all the more real. How often does a sexual relationship end up in a happily ever after? Not often. Instead these characters grow and learn from each other, then move on.

Gifs from here.