Born to Rock

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(as of Oct 27, 2025 17:54:05 UTC – Details)

A conservative teen’s life changes when he discovers his biological father is a punk rock legend in this “laugh-out-loud funny” YA novel (Kirkus).

“This one . . . has the goods to go platinum.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Leo Caraway—high school senior, president of the Young Republicans club, 4.0 GPA, future Harvard student—had his entire future perfectly planned out. That was, until the X factor. As in Marion X. McMurphy, aka King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the most popular, most destructive band punk rock has ever seen. He’s also Leo’s biological father.
When Leo discovers that his real father is a punk rock legend, he is disgusted. Not only is Leo not a punk rock fan, but he believes the X factor (the Maggot blood that is running through his veins) is a dangerous time bomb just waiting to explode. And sure enough it does—Leo stubbornly defends the unlikeliest of people, thereby getting himself falsely accused of cheating on a test.
Because of the blemish on his record, the once star pupil finds his scholarship to Harvard taken away. So he hatches the crazy plan of going on tour with King Maggot for Purge’s summer revival tour, all the while secretly hoping to convince Maggot to pay for his tuition. But life on the road is even crazier than Leo ever bargained for, and before the summer is out, he will finally discover the surprising truth about his dad, his friends, and most important, himself.

“Korman’s story has an appealing narrative voice, sharp dialogue, and vivid characterization.” —School Library Journal

“Sharply observed, original.” —Booklist  

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4.5 out of 5 stars 374

4.3 out of 5 stars 169

4.4 out of 5 stars 76

4.6 out of 5 stars 266

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More from acclaimed author Gordon Korman
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His father just happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Jake is the mysterious new student at F. Scott Fitzgerald High in a modernization of The Great Gatsby, giving a new look at old truths. It’s the punk rock road trip of a lifetime when Leo discovers his father is the lead singer of a wildly popular, and destructive, band. Three boys serving time are given a second chance when a former juvenile delinquent opens an experimental halfway house in NYC.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00B8EC2WG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 24, 2024
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1.1 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 241 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1423141280
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 – 12
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 – 18 years
Best Sellers Rank: #150,812 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #19 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Being a Teen (Kindle Store) #29 in Teen & Young Adult Music Fiction #45 in Teen & Young Adult Humorous eBooks
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 76 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });