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Reading age
10+
Genre
Realistic fiction
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
September 5, 2023
A girl tries to fix the misfortunes of her life.
Frances Bishop, or Franny, hasn’t had an easy life, given her mother was on drugs (now she is clean) and had to work multiple jobs to pay the bills. But disaster strikes when her mother gets minor injuries in a car accident. With the threat of hospital bills, Franny must take care of her mother, bring home money, and make friends with the unlikeliest people.
This book tackles some complicated subjects: a single mom with financial problems and fear of her mom’s drug relapse, but the book explains it smoothly.
The plot could have been faster, though. The main character, Franny, had to grow up so quickly is well-developed. Franny is a determined and intelligent girl. Franny also loves math (the horror). I felt sorry for her for having to clean houses instead of studying. Her mother is kind and a bit tragic, given her circumstances. Mimi (the owner of the laundromat who was an alcoholic) was fierce and yet kind.
The book mentioned a movie I had watched with my family called Legally Blond, which I enjoyed and thought was amusing.
Give this book to anyone who needs to find hope and the drive to get to their goals.
My rating
