Frankie! [Hardcover]

Wilanne Schneider Belden (Author), Stewart Daniels (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1987 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

The O’Riley’s are the last truly magical family in the Real World. Bridgit is an apprentice witch and an aspiring writer. Daddy is a magician. Pat is a wizard-to-be. And then there’s Frankie, the new baby, who turns into a griffin seven hours after birth. Bridgit and Frankie are always in the thick of the family’s adventures, which range from a small-town Halloween carnival to the rescue of Pat from an unexpected trip to the moon. Stewart Daniel’s imaginative illustrations conjure up the griffins , wizards, magicians, and witches that populate a small Midwestern town and a place called Magic. A wholesome, fun-filled story of a closely-knit family that puts magic to good use, Frankie! will satisfy the adventurous urges of any middle-grade reader.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 A light-hearted romp through four years in the life of a magical family. Told as a series of short stories by Bridgit O'Riley, the oldest child, it focuses mainly on younger brother Frankie, who just happens to be a griffin. There are some delightful sequences, such as when the rides for the Halloween carnival fail to arrive and Frankie recruits his friends from Magic (griffins, pegasi, Chinese dragons, etc.) to substitute at the last minute. Life is not all froth and fun, however. The strongest magic in the family is possessed by one of the younger boys, whose tantrums cause a lot of worry before he learns to control himself. And the entire family is attacked by the evil Morgan le Fay, leaving it to the non-magical Mike to save them all. The O'Rileys are a loving, closely-knit family, and there are some marvelous supporting characters, including the veterinarian who treats Frankie and the airport official who gives Frankie his licensing exam. The characterizations fall down a bit with the children, who seem older than they're supposed to be. This is especially evident in Mike, who often speaks and behaves more like a teenager than someone who's a year or two behind Bridgit. Still, this is a light, enjoyable book. Susan M. Harding, Mesquite Public Library, Tex.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

... a vivid world ...with an exhilarating combination of high-flying adventure and cozy family life. -- Publishers Weekly, Dec. 1987
Publishers Weekly, Dec. 1987

...humorous, adventurous fun to read....enjoyed by younger fantasy lovers. -- Voice of Youth Advocate, April, 1988

a book for all children who love make-believe, the impossible and the power of magic. -- Children's Book Review Service, Inc., Feb. 1988

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 163 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (December 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152293809
• ISBN-13: 978-0152293802
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing up Baby (baby griffin, that is), May 25, 2005

By 

Joseph Ekaitis "author of Collinsfort Village" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Frankie! (Hardcover)

Griffins get short shrift in middle reader novels. Search Amazon .com with the word "dragons" in the "Subject:" box and "9-12 years" in the "Reader age:" drop-down. Over 250 results come back. Substitute the word "griffins" for "dragons" and you get a measly four.

When a griffin does make an appearance, it's often as a shrieking, livestock-stealing pest vanquished by a youthful protagonist with a dull rusty dagger while tending the family herd or, even more humiliating, as dragon food after being roasted in a blast of fiery breath. One would think the combination of eagle (keen of vision, master of the sky) with lion (nobility personified, master of the earth) would be an abundant well from which authors would draw inspiration. But, no. Dragons get all the glory and griffins usually get plucked.

"Frankie!" by Wilanne Schneider Belden is told in episodic chapters through the eyes of Bridgit O'Riley, eldest child in a family of Magicals. The birth and first four years in the life of younger brother Frankie provide Bridgit with fodder for a series of short stories that add up to a pleasantly riveting novel.

Frankie, named for his griffin Uncle Francis, is intelligent, kind to all living creatures (with a notable and necessary exception) and one of the neatest ways to travel by air. He possesses all of the powers common to griffins and a few shared by most of the rest of the O'Rileys. Clever plot twists abound and culminate in a "never-saw-THAT-coming" climax to a battle with the devastatingly (in more ways than one) beautiful Morgan le Fay who has plans for a strapping young griffin like Frankie.

On its own or as a break between those heavy-as-a-doorstop fantasy tomes, "Frankie!" soars.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful children's book, June 12, 2005

By 

Jennifer Godwin (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frankie! (Hardcover)

I met Belden at a book convention in 1988 (I was 11), and I don't know why I picked this book of all the ones there, but I simply loved it, and cherish it as one of the best reads of my childhood. Just a delight.

5.0 out of 5 stars I remember this story, August 20, 2000

By 

providian (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frankie! (Hardcover)

Mrs.Belden was my 4th grade teacher at Bird Rock. I remember her reading us many great stories. I can recall being read one of her own books. I am not sure if it is this book or her first, but it was a great book. Her incorporation of literature in the class was very influential. Now that I am a third grade teacher, I am really looking forward to reading her story in my own class. Mrs.Belden where are you?