Shelly's Book Blog

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart, was absolutely amazing. I totally loved this book! Frankie is a sophomore at a prestigious private high school called Alabaster Preparatory Academy. She starts dating a popular senior named Matthew, who is a member of a secret, all-male society called the Loyoal Order of the Basset Hounds. When Frankie discovers this, she wants to join the club but knows that she can't because she is female. Rather than meekly accepting her exclusion from a part of her boyfriend's life, she secretly takes charge and creates havoc on the Alabaster campus.
For me, this book exists on a higher plane than others I have read, not only because the story is clever and meaningful, but also because the text is just plain smart -- intellectual, even. Case in point: Frankie likes to use "neglected postives"--that is, words (some made up and others that are actually in the dictionary) that can be made by dropping a prefix. Example: someone who is grunteld is happy and content, as opposed to someone who is disgruntled. One who dulges someone reacts to him or her in a negative way, as opposed to one who indulges. She does research that includes ideas taken from the philosopher Michel Foucault and chooses P.G. Wodehouse for recreational reading. Frankie is not your everyday YA heroine, and I grew to admire not only her intelligence but also her courage and her maturity. I highly recommend this book!