When Frankie starts dating the coolest guy in school, she's thrilled--at first. But it soon becomes clear that Matthew and his friends share a bond that Frankie will never be part of--they're all members of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, and all-male secret society that's existed for half a century. Frankie longs to be part of this guys-only world, but when she's repeatedly locked out, she takes matters into her own hands.
This was a reread for me (my book club picked it for this month), but it's one that I was happy to revisit. Frankie is a criminal mastermind, plain and simple, and watching her work is one of the best parts of this book. Of course, there's a lot of other stuff on feminism and power games, but at its heart, this story is about a young woman coming to realize that the world isn't fair, and that sometime you need to make waves to affect change. The ending isn't as neat and tidy as a lot of other books, but I would love to check back with Frankie in four years (Frankie: The College Years!) and see what she's up to. Highly recommended! And for those who have read it and are looking for similar fare, I have to suggest the Plain Janes series (okay, it's two books, but whatever) by Cecil Castellucci. I listened to Frankie on CD, and the narrator does a great job of capturing the characters.
I loved Frankie. I think on Lockhart's website it says she is not planning a sequel. You should try some of her other stuff too. The Ruby Oliver series is pretty smart, and she even has some adult titles of feminism.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions! I keep meaning to go back and read more of Lockhart's other work, but I haven't so far. Maybe I can make that a summer project...
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a pretty good book. I'll have to check this one out.
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