Andromeda Klein

July 27, 2009
Portman's second novel (after King Dork
) offers the story of Andromeda Klein, a tarot and occult–obsessed loner contending with typical teenage challenges—a cruel social order, being summarily dumped by her crush—as well as with the recent death of her best friend, Daisy; the possibility that her occult practices are having real-world consequences; and her library's decision to purge its shelves of little-read books that happen to be her favorites. Andromeda is also hard of hearing, and her ongoing misinterpretations give the book its appealing, idiosyncratic voice and unique lexicon (discombobulated becomes “action-populated,” and “bacon” means pagan). Portman's depiction of Andromeda's struggles in her claustrophobic world is skilled and affectionate; despite her strangeness, readers will identify with her feelings of isolation. The frequent references to the occult make for a slow, intricate and arcane journey and are likely to limit the book's audience. However, those up for the challenge will find plenty of food for thought. As Portman writes, “Most magical writing is deliberately obscure, designed to hide crucial matters from the uninitiated yet reveal them to those who know how to read the texts properly.” Ages 14–up.

November 1, 2009
Gr 10 Up-Since her occult partner, Daisy, died, Andromeda Klein's "weedgie-ness" has been more active than ever: she sees tarot signs everywhere, speaks with the mystical King of Sacramento, and is visited by her holy guardian angel. Between hunting for Daisy's tarot deck and saving the public library's occult collection, Andromeda is also dealing with her failed relationship with mysterious, older St. Steve, though there's a new boy vying for her affections. She also has people after her to tell their futures even as her mother is texting her constant critiques of her behavior. Unfortunately, readers who are not deeply immersed or interested in occultism will become bored with the author's laborious documentation of pagan ritual and practices; these huge swaths of text strangle the narrative's forward momentum. Portman creates an inwardly focused narrative, creating a disjointed yet vivid portrait of Andromeda: his focus on her leaves the secondary characters languishing for attention. The narrative thread is difficult to follow, as the teen addresses a variety of issues, from censorship to friendship to parental involvement. Andromeda's creative lexicon, a product of both her medical condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, and T9 keypad texting mistakes, is initially confusing, then momentarily interesting, and final grows tiresome."Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Portmans follow-up to King Dork (2006) will leave some readers turning to less demanding fare, like, say, advanced calculus. Yet its 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, Portmans handling of the subject is nonjudgmental and lots of fun. Laughs are guaranteed, particularly as Andromedas 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?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Andromeda, steeped in the occult and obsessed with tarot card reading, believes she is receiving text messages from her friend Daisy--who died. Portman's portrait of an awkward teen is dense with information about the mystical arts. Readers for whom this is an interest will be mesmerized; others will be utterly mystified by Andromeda's interpretation of events.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)