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Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less See less
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Sophomore Undercover Hardcover – February 24, 2009

by Ben Esch (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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For fifteen-year-old, adopted Vietnamese orphan Dixie Nguyen, high school is one long string of hard-to-swallow humiliations. He shares a locker with a nudist linebacker, his teachers are incompetent, and he’s stuck doing fluff pieces for the school newspaper. But Dixie's luck takes a turn when he stumbles across one of the jocks using drugs in the locker room; not only does he finally have something newsworthy to write, but the chance to strike a blow against his tormentors at the school as well.

However, when his editor insists he drop the story and cover homecoming events instead, Dixie sets off on his own unconventional—and often misguided—investigation. He soon discovers that the scandal extends beyond the football team to something far bigger and more sinister than he ever thought possible. Once he follows the guidelines of his hero, Mel Nichols (journalism professor at Fresno State University and author of the textbook Elementary Journalism) this high school reporter just might save the world. That is, of course, if Dixie can stay out of juvenile hall, the hospital, and new age therapy long enough to piece it all together.

Part social satire, part teen-mystery parody, and wholly hilarious, Sophomore Undercover is a dazzling debut that will make headlines with teens everywhere.
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  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Print length
    256 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 and up
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 8.25 inches
  6. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  7. Publication date
    February 24, 2009
  8. ISBN-10
    1423113039
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1423113034
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Dixie Nguyen, the star (and only) reporter on his school paper, thinks he has stumbled onto a Pulitzer Prize–worthy story after witnessing jocks shooting up what appear to be drugs in the locker room. The perennial target of brutal bullying, Dixie (known as Pixie Dick to the sadistic football players), relishes the idea of exposing his tormentors, and pervasive suspicions that he, too, is a drug-user further motivate him to find the truth. Narrated in Dixie’s relentlessly sarcastic, self-deprecating, raw voice, Esch’s novel is a bumpy first effort from a promising author. Wildly unrealistic dialogue between Dixie and his teachers (including a journalism advisor, who invites him to a dance, with a caveat: no erections) contrast with the book’s most disturbingly realistic passages: the cruel beatings that Dixie endures from the jocks. The unsettling, graphic dialogue and violence jar against the farcical plot and tone, weakening the whole. It is the spot-on details of high-school life that signal Esch’s talent, and readers will hope that he hones his insight in a better-constructed future offering. Grades 9-12. --Gillian Engberg

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (February 24, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1423113039
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1423113034
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Benjamin Esch

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4.3 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Tina Ferraro
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Dixie Nyugen comes alive in this sometimes painful/sometimes poignant/always funny first novel by Ben Esch. With bathroom and bar room scenes that had me laughing out loud, witty reflections on issues such as high school hierarchy, germs and new age therapies, and one of the most clever author bios I've ever read, I wholeheartedly recommend this young adult novel to teens and adults alike.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Katie
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2023
    I could really picture the landscape of the school and the characters. Dixie Nguyen is adorably awkward. I thought this was a relatable story.
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  • Phil Stark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2023
    Really enjoyed this book, great characters and a sense of humor more developed than you might think from teen age kids. Also nice to see a book with a focus on male leads, and with lots of twists and turns in a complex plot that kept me turning pages.
    One person found this helpful
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  • J. A. Harnick
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not quality material.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2009
    I have very little 'nice' to say about this book. It's character's are utterly unsympathetic due to severe underdevelopment. There isn't a single responsible adult to be found, including the sheriff, Dixie's adoptive father. The plot is ludicrous. The characters never grow and certainly seem to learn nothing from their escapades. The antics are out of a Three Stooges act gone horribly wrong (and that's not a slap at Misters Howard, Howard, and Fine; I LOVE the Three Stooges). I was almost routing for the protagonist to loose. The humor was sophomoric at best, no pun intended. Obviously, I'm not the target audience for this book; this may thoroughly appeal to a nebbish adolescent male somewhere...
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Patel
    3.0 out of 5 stars Too over-the-top for me.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2009
    Fifteen-year-old adopted Vietnamese boy, Dixie Nguyen is the sole reporter of his high school's newspaper. Unfortunately, instead of reporting on controversial stories, Dixie is stuck writing about football heroes. These football "heroes" torment Dixie and like to call him "Pixie Dick." Then, one day in gym class, Dixie sees a football player doing drugs in the bathroom. This is Dixie's chance to uncover a scandal that seems to involve the entire football team! That is, if he can survive first...

    Sophomore Undercover was a disappointing read for me. Because I'm not a hormonal teenage boy, I'm not really the book's target audience, but I still thought I would enjoy Sophomore Undercover more. After all I did like King Dork by Frank Portman. After reading Sophomore Undercover, I only had mixed feelings. The situations that Dixie found himself in were just too ridiculous for me. However, my biggest problem was what high school would have a class with only one student. High schools don't exactly have the largest budget. Having said that, I realize Sophomore Undercover is not the type of book that aims to be 100% accurate or politically correct, for that matter. Instead, it's the type of book that aims to tell an outrageous story, while making readers laugh the entire ride.

    So, was Sophomore Undercover an outrageous story that gives laughs? It's definitely outrageous, although, for me, that's not really a good thing. However, others may enjoy the crazy scenes. Now the other question: did Sophomore Undercover make me laugh? To be honest, sometimes. There were several times throughout the novel that literally made me laugh out loud. I rarely laugh out loud reading, so that says a lot. Unfortunately, most of time, I found myself rolling my eyes at the parts that were meant to be funny. The outrageous scenes only made Esch's writing seem pretentious.

    If you are looking for a novel for reluctant male readers, than I would suggest this. I don't think many female readers would enjoy this.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Nick DB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a hilarious YA book for guys
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2009
    Ben Esch has a voice unlike anything I've read before. Every sentence he writes is packed with humor, sometimes subtle and sometimes ridiculously, laugh-out-loud hilarious. His writing most reminds me of Frank Portman's in King Dork, because both Esch and Portman write really funny YA novels aimed squarely at young guys--a welcome contrast to the boatloads of sappy YA fiction for girls out there. Seriously, where are all the young guy writers? So if you like yawn-a-minute stuff like Twilight and Gossip Girl, this book probably isn't for you. But if you like Jud Apatow movies like Superbad and Pineapple Express, you'll love Sophomore Undercover.

    It's the story of Dixie Nguyen, the only Vietnamese kid in his high school and the star (i.e. only) reporter for the school newspaper. Dixie stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he witnesses a couple of meatheads shooting up in the locker room. It's up to Dixie to uncover the truth (and bring down his jock tormentors in the process).

    Sophomore Undercover is a great, contemporary take on the high school experience. It seems like most YA books are written with a moralizing tone by authors who have long forgotten what it was actually like to be a teenager. Not this one. Ben Esch clearly knows his audience and his written a book that any young guy with a sense of humor will identify with and love. Good stuff.
    4 people found this helpful
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