Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor

Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker (Penguin) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9780241668610

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Dexter Procter was a genius from the moment he was born. In fact, he spoke to the midwives who delivered him and he cut his own umbilical cord! Dexter finished school by the time he was five and could not wait to go to university so that his brain would not explode from boredom. However, all the professors he met with advised him that universities would not accept students until they were seventeen years old. Instead, Dexter sought out medical school where the age restriction didn’t exist and became a doctor at the age of ten. Dexter found his calling as a pediatrician, which pleased him immensely, but it was not all smooth sailing. It seems that Dr Drake, a jealous doctor, and Toby Tanner, his nemesis from primary school, are there to make his life miserable.

Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor is a fun and entertaining 400-page novel that would appeal to readers aged 8 years and older who enjoy a good vs evil story line and plenty of toilet humour. The writing is broken up with monochrome cartoon illustrations throughout as well as annotated notes in the margins from Dexter himself, commenting on the interpretation of his life and the author’s word choices.

If readers like this book they may also enjoy Kay’s Anatomy: A Complete (and completely disgusting) Guide to the Human Body by the same author.