Playful, fun; a must-read for all teenage girls

books:


	• Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The E. Lockhart Hyperion Book CH, 2008 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Yay!

This is my new favorite book.

I picked it up at the library along with a stack of others without really looking at any of them in too much detail. I just needed something to read during the summer. And it looked mildly interesting.

But this book is much more than MILDLY interesting.
its amazing!

First of all, all of the characters were very original, especially Frankie herself. Frankie was smart and funny and a heroine that you can really let yourself like. And not hate. Alpha was another great character. Matthew, well, he was one of the more boring people. But then there were people like Trish, Porter, and Star who erased that. Characters get a ten out of ten.

Then, the plot itself. I loved everything about it. I love boarding school stories, I'll just start with that. Also, the idea of Frankie completely taking over her boyfriend's secret society--without him even knowing it? Brilliant! Frankie is not just another teenage girl, that's for sure. Plot gets a ten out of ten :)

Then, the writing style itself. I loved E. Lockhart's prose, it just flowed very well and I fell in love with it at once.

This book is a must-read!

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Amazing!

Definitely one of the best books I've had the fortune of reading. Very reminiscent of Jaclyn Moriarty's "The Spell Book of Listen Taylor" (also similar due to their sudden shift from girly books to girl-power mysteries). I love the funniness, the cliche and the totally NOT. The basset hounds and the guppy and the whole idea of a secret society. Love love love Frankie's whole thing with making up words (it totally makes sense!). Love the "black-tiles only" thing (saw that at the museum in Canada as an obedience experiment, it's really interesting!). Love the reference to GMail XD Love the fact that the characters...they're marauder-esque. I just wish we found out what happened after, what became of Frankie's brilliance. The only real big problem I have with this book is that Frankie doesn't end up with Alpha. I'm very glad she broke up with Matthew, but I think she and Alpha had real chemistry and meshing [mischievous] personalities. *sigh* Amazing book. I don't think I'll get to read one like it in a looong time. Congrats, E.Lockhart, on this latest success!

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Playful, fun; a must-read for all teenage girls

Something happened to Frankie Landau-Banks the summer between her freshman and sophomore years at Alabaster Preparatory, one of the nation's most elite boarding schools. Before, she was pretty enough, but lanky, a little awkward, the kind of girl you might not notice, known in her family as "Bunny Rabbit." Almost overnight, however, she turned into a full-blown swan. With a gorgeous face and a knockout body to match, Frankie is suddenly getting a lot of attention, particularly from senior heartthrob Matthew Livingston.

At first, Matthew seems like Frankie's ideal boyfriend. Smart, ambitious, with a gift for writing and a mind almost as critical as Frankie's own, Matthew appears to be Frankie's perfect match. But even though Frankie's body might have altered drastically, her whip-smart mind hasn't changed a bit. So when Matthew and his senior friends start excluding Frankie from the exclusive meetings of their top-secret club, the Order of the Basset Hounds (an invitation-only organization to which Frankie's own father belonged during his days at Alabaster), Frankie begins to question Matthew's other patronizing behavior toward her. Is she really his girlfriend, or just a cute new toy? "Being with him made Frankie feel squashed into a box --- a box where she was expected to be sweet and sensitive (but not oversensitive); a box for young and pretty girls who were not as bright or powerful as their boyfriends. A box for people who were not forces to be reckoned with."

Then and there, Frankie decides she'll never be called "harmless" again. Using a brilliant combination of tactics, she is soon turning not only the Bassets but also all of Alabaster Prep right on their tradition-steeped heads. As a brilliant (and beautiful) criminal mastermind, Frankie has finally found her niche --- even if it means risking everything she has gained as a result of that sudden beauty.

E. Lockhart has been writing smart, funny novels for young adults for a while now. With THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, she should gain even more respect as one of the cleverest writers for teens. Not only a terrific coming-of-age novel, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY is also a consideration of traditional prep-school culture, gender conventions and even cultural criticism, all tied up in a deftly plotted package.

Readers may be surprised to discover that the pranks Frankie researches (and later uses as her own inspiration) are actually real, historically-verified college practical jokes. Parents of teens may be concerned that readers might use these ideas as their own inspiration. It's more likely, however, that teens will come away from Frankie's story with a healthy skepticism of harmful traditions, an appreciation for creative thinking, and a reluctance to accept the status quo without a fight (or at least without some serious questioning). Frankie's "disreputable history" is also an affirming story of a girl who refuses to see herself as others see her, who instead defines herself according to her own set of rules.

Playful, quirky and idiosyncratic, E. Lockhart's latest work of fiction should be a must-read for any teen trying to figure out her own rules to live by.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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Intrigue, power, and basset hounds

The story is set in a prestigious east coast boarding school that has yet to shake off its boys school roots and features a clever, thoughtful, ambitious heroine who refuses to accept the status quo. The first 50 pages didn't fully hook me, but Frankie's obsession with her boyfriend's all-male secret society eventually drew me in and forced me to stay up late to finish it.

I don't know what it's being marketed as, but it read like a YA novel aimed primarily at adults, not teens. The biggest problems for me were my inability to like most of the characters, the neglected positives (clever but grating after the first few), and the supposedly entertaining conversations between the group of guys Frankie admires. And while the novel and especially the ending are gutsy, I'm not entirely sure they make up for the first half's skimpy plot. I'm glad I read it, but I don't know that I'll want to reread it.

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Terrific YA

THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS features what I've come to expect from E. Lockhart - comedy, characterization, and competent writing. However, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY is no fluff book. Frankie struggles to be recognized as an equal by her male peers and her family. She does this by orchestrating grand pranks at the Alabaster Preparatory Academy using the manpower of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Frankie is clever, ambitious, strong, and feminine. But E. Lockhart does not paint her as perfect.

She pushes things to the limit. She enjoys power. Her plans, while well-executed, do not have the expected effect on the populace. She's high-minded, reckless, and many of her actions should not be emulated. For all that, she's a wonderful heroine. She doesn't play nice, but she plays for the right things. Girls should be frustrated with being condescended to, and they shouldn't be underestimated due to a lack of a Y chromosome. (Actually, one of the book's few flaws came after the climax, so I don't feel right discussing it in the review, but it has to do with this concept.)

I also like that the boys who make Frankie so frustrated in THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY aren't bad people. They're just average boys. They make mistakes, but they aren't simply evil male chauvinist pigs.

Lockhart also plays with the way she tells the story. She begins with a framing letter and anecdotes, building an excitement for what Frankie will become despite a rather innocuous beginning. The tone is playful, but ominous. Lockhart plays with language not only through the structure, but with the dialogue. Both Frankie and her boyfriend Matthew enjoy wordplay. Frankie's is inspired by P. G. Wodehouse; Matt's comes from his inner copyeditor. Lockhart's choices come together to create a unique voice that helps THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY rise above her other novels just as much as the unconventional Frankie.

I highly recommend this novel. It's not perfect, but it has a spark to it. It sticks out in my mind from the other novels I've read recently. There's hijinks, anger, love, and plenty of food for thought. Frankie has good ideas and bad ideas, but many are ideas that should be heard and then pondered further.

Excerpted from In Bed With Books

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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