Susan Nussbaum's debut novel, winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, is, as Rosellen Brown says, "a celebration of...
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Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14: Debate Club. Her father's "bunny rabbit." A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15: A knockout figure. A sharp tongue. A chip on her shoulder. And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Landau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer. Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society. Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places. Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them. When she knows Matthew's lying to her. And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16: Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way.
Review:
Frances ("Frankie") Landau-Banks takes on the next generation of the old boys network in this smart, snappy novel, another National Book Award finalist. Frustrated to find herself marginalized as "cute" and "adorable" at the prestigious prep school where she is a sophomore, Frankie infiltrates the rather disorganized all-male secret society to which her boyfriend belongs. Her anonymous e-mails soon... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) have the boys playing pranks that, while funny, also question the school's traditions and prescribed gender roles. When her identity is discovered, Frankie must contend with the fallout (possible expulsion from school, lost friendships, angry parents) that comes with shaking up the status quo. But as one abashed senior confesses to her: "I significantly underestimated you. I don't actually think it is possible to overestimate you." Children's author Mary Quattlebaum teaches classes in writing for children, blogs on nature-themed kids' books for the National Wildlife Federation and reviews regularly for The Washington Post Book World. Reviewed by Mary Quattlebaum, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group) (hide most of this review)
Review:
"An empowered female hero like Frankie is a rare and refreshing find. She is the ultimate feminist role model for teens: a girl with guts and imagination." School Library Journal
Review:
"Readers are left to make up their own minds about this unique, multifaceted individual while giving her the space — and the attention — she so craves." Horn Book Magazine
Review:
"A funny feminist manifesto that will delight the anti-Gossip Girl gang." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"Lockhart creates a unique, indelible character in Frankie, whose oddities only make her more realistic, and teens will be galvanized by her brazen action and her passionate, immediate questions about gender and power, individuals and institutions, and how to fall in love without losing herself." Booklist
Synopsis:
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Landau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:Possibly a criminal mastermind.
E. Lockhart is the author of The Boyfriend List, Fly on the Wall, and The Boy Book. She once portrayed both Peter Quince and a tree in a drama school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, wearing an electric-blue unitard. Her theatrical career ended soon after.
bookgirl94, June 12, 2011 (view all comments by bookgirl94)
I loved this book, Frankie was a funny and creative character. Also this book had an unusual plot from other books, I was pleasantly surprised.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Jena, December 28, 2008 (view all comments by Jena)
Frankie is a fun, intelligent character. I found something delightful every time I turned the page.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (7 of 14 readers found this comment helpful)
whee-ba-lee, July 15, 2008 (view all comments by whee-ba-lee)
This book was fabulous not only for having a new and creative plot but also for the heroine, who is smart enough to analyze the sillier rules of society and brave enough to break them. Its nice to have a character who is intelligent enough to know exactly what she is doing, why she shouldn't do it and why she is doing it anyway. Analytical, cynical and just a little bit diabolical, Frankie is my new favorite character and her story is one that inspires me to bend the rules...just a little.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (10 of 15 readers found this comment helpful)
"Review"
by School Library Journal,
"An empowered female hero like Frankie is a rare and refreshing find. She is the ultimate feminist role model for teens: a girl with guts and imagination."
"Review"
by Horn Book Magazine,
"Readers are left to make up their own minds about this unique, multifaceted individual while giving her the space — and the attention — she so craves."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"A funny feminist manifesto that will delight the anti-Gossip Girl gang."
"Review"
by Booklist,
"Lockhart creates a unique, indelible character in Frankie, whose oddities only make her more realistic, and teens will be galvanized by her brazen action and her passionate, immediate questions about gender and power, individuals and institutions, and how to fall in love without losing herself."
"Synopsis"
by Harper Collins,
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Landau-Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:Possibly a criminal mastermind.
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