Love Frankie

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I've been reading Jacqueline Wilson books since I was much younger (ahem), and her 1992 title 'The Suitcase Kid' was one of the first I remember reading. I definitely identified with the main character in that, as I was going through similar circumstances at the time. With this new book, although I'm a bit older than Frankie, I can empathise with her situation and actually, it's written so well that I'm now at an age where I can see the perspective from the adults' point of view.

Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt | Waterstones Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt | Waterstones

Love Frankie was such a delight. This was Wilson’s second LGBT novel - this time focusing on ‘nearly 14 year old’ Frankie who falls for a girl in her class. I felt so nostalgic reading this - it reminded me of the Girls in Love series, as well as Kiss.

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Jacqueline Wilson has been one of my favourite authors for the longest time and I have loved every book I have read by her. Her characters are usually going through some challenging times, and though there is never a magical "and they all lived happily ever after" tone to them, they always cheer me up. Maybe because as an author she doesn't make false promises, but she does make it clear that situations can improve. Despite this, about a quarter of the way through the book I was engrossed in the will they/won't they relationship of Sally & Frankie and I think many facets of young love and living with someone with a disability alongside a divorce were treated delicately and respectfully. I also really enjoyed the realistic portrayal of relationships, no "will you go out with me?", the characters fall in and out of them and that is so true of teen life! Admittedly at almost 23 years old I am much older than the intended target audience of Jacqueline Wilson. However, as a child she was my favourite author and I have fond memories of my grandma buying both myself and my older cousin a copy of every new book which she released. I would read these books way past my bedtime hidden under the covers and finish them in one or two sittings. The writing and storyline was unmistakably Jacqueline Wilson as she has a very distinctive style. The main character lives with her single mother and siblings. Her mother has MS which makes looking after the children difficult. This difficulty in raising children (due to a multitude of reasons) and single motherhood are each commonly recurring theme in many of JW’s books. Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.

Love Frankie | BookTrust Love Frankie | BookTrust

A powerful and important love story, this book explores coming of age and coming out. I hope it will give girls everywhere the courage and freedom to follow their hearts - Good Housekeeping I think the biggest gripe I have is that Frankie doesn’t really seem to have any journey when it comes to figuring herself out. Throughout the first third or so of the book she describes herself in ways that I can only describe as stereotypical for a young lesbian (i.e. not interested in clothes or makeup, mostly friends with boys, etc). She talks about this with seemingly no introspection, then jumps right into ‘oh I’m in love with a girl’. It didn’t feel authentic to me.

If I read this book when I was a young teen, I think I’d be rooting for Sally and Frankie as a couple. As an adult (much like Frankie’s mum/older sister) I felt very wary of Sally and thought she was two-dimensional and narcissistic. The supporting characters, however, were fantastic - I loved Sammy and Coral and Ivneet and thought they were so endearing and well-developed. I absolutely adored Frankie, her family, her friends. I was less taken with Sally, but I was able to understand her appeal. I liked that both Frankie and her sister Zara were in a similar situations with their infatuations on rather self-involved people who treat others pretty poorly. Zara's points about Sally are all absolutely correct, but they also apply to the boy she likes. Frankie's disdain for this boy is fair, but she doesn't want to see that Sally presents the same issues. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - In 2020, award-winning dame Jacqueline Wilson's book 'Love Frankie' was published and released, and many readers fell in love with it. I am one of those readers, and hopefully, I can pass that love on to you.