Starred review from January 7, 2008
Big ideas are an essential part of the fun in this sparkling tour de force. Back at her elite boarding school after a summer vacation in which she has grown from duckling to swan, sophomore Frankie starts dating cool, gorgeous senior Matthew and instantly becomes a part of his charmed social circle. Hanging with Matthew and his crowd is a thrill, but Frankie begins to chafe as she realizes that the boys are all members of the secret society to which her own father belonged, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound, and that not only will they never let her join, Matthew will not even tell her about it. Lockhart (Dramarama
; The Boyfriend List
) dexterously juggles a number of smart and tantalizing themes—class and privilege, feminism and romance, wordplay and thought, friendship and loyalty—and combines the pacing of a mystery with writing that realizes settings and characters, large and small, with an artist’s sure hand. Inspired by a class called Cities, Art and Protest, Frankie concocts a brilliant plan to infiltrate the Bassets and has them carry out a series of pranks that wittily challenge the politics of the school. Girls especially will be interested in this unusual portrait of a heroine who falls in love without blurring her sense of self, even if none of her friends understands her, and in Lockhart’s fresh approach to gender politics. An exuberant, mischievous story, it scores its points memorably and lastingly. Ages 12-up.
Starred review from March 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-Frankie Landau-Banks has always been underestimated. After spending her childhood as a bright but sheltered ugly duckling, she begins sophomore year at her elite boarding school as a swan, catching the attention of senior Matthew Livingston. Frankie is ecstatic, particularly when she learns that he is the leader of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, an all-male secret society. She spends most of her time with Matthew and his friends but soon realizes that no matter how smart or funny she may be, she will never truly be a part of the group, simply because she is a girl. This frustrates her to no end. In a remarkable turn of events, Frankie takes control and begins to direct the Bassets, through email, in a series of elaborate school pranks, revitalizing the Order and the student body as well. These ingenious pranks embody the vigor of Frankie's personality, making social commentary on everything from the school's lack of female leadership to its disgusting cafeteria salad bar. Lockhart has created a layered and engrossing story that is as smart and quick as Frankie, combining the thrilling prospect of how she will get caught with her earnest attempts to understand what it means to be an outsider, an underdog, and in love. 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 who's brave enough to take on the "old boy's club.""Emily Anne Valente, New York Public Library"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from January 1, 2008
In the summer between her freshman and sophomore years, Frankie Landau-Banks transforms from a scrawny, awkward child with frizzy hair to a curvy beauty, all while sitting quietly in a suburban hammock, reading the short stories of Dorothy Parker and drinking lemonade. On her return to Alabaster Prep, her elite boarding school, she attracts the attention of gorgeous Matthew, who draws her into his circle of popular seniors. Then Frankie learns that Matthew is a member of the Loyal Orderof the Basset Hounds, an all-male Alabaster secret society to which Frankies dad had once belonged. Excluded from belonging to or even discussing the Bassets, Frankie engineersher ownguerilla membership by assuming a false online identity. Frankie is a fan of P. G. Wodehousesbooks, and Lockharts wholly engaging narrative, filled with wordplay, often reads like a clever satire about the capersof the entitled, interwoven with elements of a mystery. But the storys expertly timed comedy also has deep undercurrents. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)
July 28, 2008
Lockhart's (Dramarama
) witty novel about boarding school high jinks of a most cerebral order receives winning treatment from Sirois—her slightly nasal voice for the heroine, 16-year-old Frankie, seems in character and is somehow endearing. Frankie starts her sophomore year with elevated social status thanks to having become the main squeeze of Big Man on Campus Matthew Livingston, but confides her conflicted feelings about being “arm candy” to roommate Trish, who responds with sweet but Valley Girl–esque befuddlement befitting someone who stays home making fruit crumbles while the boys go out partying. Sirois goes to a deeper register for heartthrob Matthew, leader of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, an all-male secret society Frankie plots to infiltrate, and affects a surfer-dude patois for Alpha, Matthew's sidekick. Sirois preserves the fun in Lockhart's talky novel, largely fueled by the intelligent repartee among its principals. Ages 12-up. Simultaneous release with the Hyperion hardcover (Reviews, Jan 7).
May 1, 2008
Alabaster Preparatory Academy sophomore Frankie Landau-Banks is cute, clever, and dating one of the most popular boys in school -- who also happens to be the co-leader of an all-male secret society on campus called the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. At first Frankie is content just to be Matthew Livingston's arm candy, but the more he keeps secrets from her -- seriously underestimating her intelligence -- the more restless she becomes. By impersonating Matthew's co-leader over e-mail, Frankie takes control of the Bassets, secretly engineering campus-wide pranks such as fastening bras on paintings of the school's founding fathers. Over the course of the story, Frankie transforms from being her family's "Bunny Rabbit" into "a person who liked to be notorious" -- a change that comes as a shock to her friends, family, school administration, and, most of all, to Frankie herself. Throughout the story, a clinical-sounding narrator addresses readers directly, giving the book a case-study vibe and presenting Frankie's struggles in a dispassionate way ("How does a person become the person she is?"; "she might, in fact, go crazy, as has happened to a lot of people who break rules"). 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.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2008
Frankie's boyfriend, Matthew, is the co-leader of an all-male secret society. By impersonating Matthew's co-leader over e-mail, Frankie takes control of the society, secretly engineering campus-wide pranks. A clinical-sounding narrator addresses readers directly, giving the book a case-study vibe and presenting Frankie's exploits in a dispassionate way. Readers are left to make up their own minds about this unique, multifaceted individual.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)