MARGAUX WITH AN X by Ron Koertge
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 8/8/06
Publisher: Candlewick
Reviewed by: Mark Frye, author and reviewer
Rating: 5 Stars
If STONER AND SPAZ pushed the envelope, then MARGAUX WITH AN X set the envelope on fire and tossed
it from a window. This engaging and fun read by Ron Koertge presents two more likeable, quirky, and sardonic
main characters who don't fit in and stop trying to.
But it's not an edgy or controversial book full of salacious and scandalous details about Margaux and Danny,
two teen misfits. This book is impossible to put down due to Koertge's omniscient narrator, who guides the
reader through the lives of two teens who are scarred by their parents. The narrator's voice is snarky and
intelligent (Dictionary, anyone? What DOES persiflage mean, anyway?) and it's blended with Margaux's and
Danny's, lending the novel a feeling of wholeness. Koertge clearly knows what it's like to be an outsider. In less
capable hands, the blending of voices used in MARGAUX WITH AN X would fall flat and appear amateurish.
But Koertge succeeds masterfully; the impression left on the reader is that Danny and Margaux are two parts
of the same puzzle, and the narrator knows how to fit them in place because he's worked the puzzle before.
The main characters do not “complete” each other. There is no romantic sizzle. Instead, theirs is a relationship
necessary to start their lives over again, without the shallow expectations of their peers in their SoCal high
school environment. Danny's friendly but his awkwardness or disinterest in Margaux sexually makes him
appealing to her. Although he may seem contrived to some oversexed readers, it is an unstated fact that his
father's abusive nurturing has affected him in a variety of ways, both good and bad. Margaux's good looks
draw men to her, a fact she resents due to her own sad past. By keeping these two on a platonic but loving
level, Koertge lays the groundwork for a believable, happy ending to a compelling novel.
Highly recommended. Five stars and Gold Award.
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 8/8/06
Publisher: Candlewick
Reviewed by: Mark Frye, author and reviewer
Rating: 5 Stars
If STONER AND SPAZ pushed the envelope, then MARGAUX WITH AN X set the envelope on fire and tossed
it from a window. This engaging and fun read by Ron Koertge presents two more likeable, quirky, and sardonic
main characters who don't fit in and stop trying to.
But it's not an edgy or controversial book full of salacious and scandalous details about Margaux and Danny,
two teen misfits. This book is impossible to put down due to Koertge's omniscient narrator, who guides the
reader through the lives of two teens who are scarred by their parents. The narrator's voice is snarky and
intelligent (Dictionary, anyone? What DOES persiflage mean, anyway?) and it's blended with Margaux's and
Danny's, lending the novel a feeling of wholeness. Koertge clearly knows what it's like to be an outsider. In less
capable hands, the blending of voices used in MARGAUX WITH AN X would fall flat and appear amateurish.
But Koertge succeeds masterfully; the impression left on the reader is that Danny and Margaux are two parts
of the same puzzle, and the narrator knows how to fit them in place because he's worked the puzzle before.
The main characters do not “complete” each other. There is no romantic sizzle. Instead, theirs is a relationship
necessary to start their lives over again, without the shallow expectations of their peers in their SoCal high
school environment. Danny's friendly but his awkwardness or disinterest in Margaux sexually makes him
appealing to her. Although he may seem contrived to some oversexed readers, it is an unstated fact that his
father's abusive nurturing has affected him in a variety of ways, both good and bad. Margaux's good looks
draw men to her, a fact she resents due to her own sad past. By keeping these two on a platonic but loving
level, Koertge lays the groundwork for a believable, happy ending to a compelling novel.
Highly recommended. Five stars and Gold Award.
Margaux with an X
by Ron Koertge
by Ron Koertge
