Book Review-The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

By E. Lockhart

2008

342 Pages

Summary taken from Goodreads:

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:

Debate Club.

Her father’s “bunny rabbit.”
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Laundau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take “no” for an answer.
Especially when “no” means she’s excluded from her boyfriend’s all-male secret society.
Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she’s smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew’s lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way.
My thoughts:
Have you ever been excluded from a game, locked out of a tree fort or left behind because you were a girl? In elementary school I didn't want to play with dolls, hang on the money bars, or swing. I wanted to run with the boys, catch the football, and shoot the bad guys with my finger gun. Maybe that is why I completely fell in love with this book.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is BRILLIANT! The story takes place over the span of two years. We see Frankie go from shy and uncertain to someone who could quite possibly take over the world.
Frankie starts a new school year having gone through some major physical changes over the summer. She immediately gets the attention of popular senior, Matthew.
As their relationship progresses she finds out that Matthew belongs to an all-boy secret society at her boarding school. This secret society-The Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds has a long history of pulling legendary pranks. Frankie wants to be a part of it but can't simply because she's a girl. But Frankie is not the type of girl to accept no for an answer.
Frankie is impossible not to fall in love with and root for. A main character with brains, beauty and wit quick enough to make your head spin.
I bought this book used from Amazon.com and donated it to my local middle school.