Thursday, November 06, 2008

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart


Most of us don't get the chance to go to an elite East Coast prep school with future power brokers and secret societies, but that's Frankie's life. She's a formerly geeky sophomore in high school who blossomed over the summer and suddenly caught the eye of the most desirable senior boy in the school, Matthew. He's generally a good guy and Frankie loves many things about him. What she doesn't love is that he doesn't really take her intellect very seriously. When he snubs Frankie to go to secret meetings of the Order of the Bassett Hounds, Frankie's latent criminal mind kicks into high gear and she comes up with a scheme to manipulate all the boys in the secret society and play some good pranks at the boarding school. She thinks she will earn the respect of the boys she is manipulating, but that is not what happens. This intelligent book has a strong vocabulary and some clever uses of the English language. Frankie is a complicated character—likable but definitely struggling to find her own personality and voice. A curious, smart, independent-minded reader will find a kindred spirit in Frankie Landau-Banks. 

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