Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman: Review & Giveaway

Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman
Published by Aladdin on October 12, 2021
Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Pages: 288
Source: Blog Tour, The Publisher
Cover Artist: Angeles Ruiz
My rating:

In the debut middle grade novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman comes a poignant and powerful coming-of-age story that follows a young girl and her new friend as they learn about family, friendship, allyship, and finding your way in a complicated world.

It’s the summer of 1987, and all ten-year-old Bug wants to do is go to the beach with her older brother and hang out with the locals on the boardwalk. But Danny wants to be with his own friends, and Bug’s mom is too busy, so Bug is stuck with their neighbor Philip’s nephew, Frankie.

Bug’s not too excited about hanging out with a kid she’s never met, but they soon find some common ground. And as the summer unfolds, they find themselves learning some important lessons about each other, and the world.
Like what it means to be your true self and how to be a good ally for others. That family can be the people you’re related to, but also the people you choose to have around you. And that even though life isn’t always fair, we can all do our part to make it more just.

Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

For any kid just beginning to understand the ways the world can let you down and how we can lift ourselves and others up against adversity. Frankie & Bug is set in Venice Beach in 1987, at a time when prejudices and outright hostility against LGBT people and people of color were commonplace (I suppose the same could still be said today, but I do think we’ve made progress). But Bug is only 10, and she’s just starting to understand the complexities of the world outside of her comfortable bubble. This year, things are changing. At first, it’s just that her brother seems to be outgrowing her, and her typical summer at the beach is ruined when he wants to do his own thing instead of hanging out with her. When her neighbor’s nephew comes to town, Bug sees him as a bit of a consolation for her lost summer, but friendship doesn’t come immediately (or easily). But when Frankie reveals he’s trying to solve a string of murders, the two form an unlikely bond over the investigation. Bug is sure that they can figure out the mystery and become town heroes. It turns out that the murders might be the least important mystery in Bug’s life, though, as she starts to learn hidden truths about her family and friends. Suddenly Bug starts to realize that there are injustices in the world that can be just as scary as a murder and almost harder to understand.

Kids might not relate to every aspect of life in the ancient year of 1987, but the themes of this book are still very relevant today. Most tweens have been in the midst of relationships that feel like they’re growing and changing without them. And many kids in this age group are probably just starting to understand the injustices of the world and the ways that certain groups of people are treated unfairly or with outright scorn. Sometimes seeing these issues in a past setting can help kids frame their current experiences. Forman handles difficult topics in a way that kids will understand and be able to relate to. Plus, the mysteries will keep them turning the pages!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher so that I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

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