The Naked Mole-Rat Letters [Hardcover]

Mary Amato (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

When her father begins a long-distance romance with a zookeeper from Washington, D.C., twelve-year-old Frankie sends fabricated e-mails to the zookeeper in an attempt to sabotage the relationship. But when the zookeeper responds, with wise and witty letters about protecting territory, shunning outsiders, and rebuilding a home, Frankie begins an honest and prickly correspondence that touches on family, friendship, and growing up.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7–Frankie Wallop is shocked when she reads an e-mail sent to her widowed father by a woman he met recently. Not only does it sound as though the two have spent time together, but also that there was a kiss involved. Immediately taking the situation in hand, the 12-year-old responds to Ayanna with the sound advice to never write her dad again–he is much too busy with his family, especially Frankie's two younger brothers who have some sort of horrible disease. Now that she has sorted that out, she can turn her attention to the upcoming audition for the school play, convinced that the lead will be hers. Frankie is about to find out that life does not always follow one's plans. Not only does Ayanna keep writing back, asking Frankie about her life and describing her own job as the keeper of the naked mole-rats at the National Zoo, but unhappy thoughts that her father might remarry also keep creeping into her mind. Not getting the part in the play is also a deep blow, and she does not know how to cope. The straight-A student finds herself ditching school, lying to her teachers, shutting out her best friend, and ignoring the needs of her younger brothers. Through the e-mails to Ayanna and her own diary entries, readers follow Frankie's struggles with disappointment, anger, loss, and growing up. Only after a family crisis does she finally talk with her father and begin to work things out. A fairly predictable story, but one with solid relationships and refreshing characterizations.–Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Frankie is shocked when she intercepts an e-mail from a woman, Ayanna (nicknamed Ratlady), who apparently met and kissed Frankie's widowed father during a recent business trip. She begins an e-mail exchange with Ayanna in an attempt to discourage the budding romantic relationship. Ayanna, keeper of the naked mole rats at the Washington, D.C., National Zoo, attempts to maintain an honest dialogue, but Frankie's desperate and comic replies escalate out of control. In a believable way, Frankie begins to act out of character in reaction to the changes in her life, unsettling her best friend, her teachers, and also her father. Ayanna's supportive e-mails (including analogies to the behavior of her small mammals) eventually help Frankie deal with her disappointment at not getting the lead in the school's play and prompt her to talk to her father about their latent grief over the death of Frankie's mother. Told in e-mails and diary entries, this is a humorous look at honesty and privacy that will have special relevance for readers whose parents are back in the dating pool. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (June 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823419274
• ISBN-13: 978-0823419272
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Amato is an award-winning children's book author, poet, playwright, and songwriter. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, produced onstage, and nominated for the children's choice awards in many states.www.maryamato.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Naked Mole Rat Letters, April 4, 2006

By 

Booklover (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Mole-Rat Letters (Hardcover)

One of the best books I've read all year - and I'm 41 years old! I read this book to my children (9 & 11, but I confess I sneaked ahead on my own too. Amato writes very engagingly and is quite funny. The voice and frustrations of Frankie, the 12 year old lead character who is afraid of her widowed father's interest in dating a new woman are right on the mark. Frankie finds an email from this women (called Ratlady, due to her job as the keeper of naked mole rats in the National Zoo, and starts inventing wild lies sent by email to try to nip the relationship in the bud. Hence the title of the book. The entire story is revealed through emails and diary entries. (The diary entries are often too long and full of details to be taken for the actual writings that a 12 year old girl would really write, however the descriptions are necessary and well done in order to put you more into her story, and wouldn't it be great if she really did write like that!) The relationship with Ratlady evolves through email from antagonistic (and funnily so; we laughed out loud), to very sweet and quite helpful as Ratlady always responds with kindness and just the right touch to Frankie's obviously false emails. Her approach is a good lesson for all adults, and Frankie ends up seeing many parallels between her emails with Ratlady, her relationship with her own family, her school and friend situation and the society of Naked Mole Rats, about which Ratlady explains in her emails back to Frankie. The author does a fantastic job of tying up story lines by bringing in previous aspects, but doesn't shove them in your face moralistically, thanks to the diary/email format. In fact, some younger readers would not necessarily even see the way the author brought everything full circle.
In short, this book will stay on my shelf for a while, and I highly recommend you give it a try.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A character who grows on you, November 29, 2005

By 

Maryland reader (maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Mole-Rat Letters (Hardcover)

Frankie is a middle school girl who stumbles on an email to her father from a strange woman. Her attempts to make sure they never get together lead to more and more lies and trouble at school. Funny and touching and a believable family. Mary Amato has the voice just right.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RAVE REVIEW, February 18, 2007

By 

Shannon (Salem, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Naked Mole-Rat Letters (Hardcover)

This book is a must read. I absolutely LOVED it. I picked it up and couldn't put it down, and then I gave it to my 12 year old daughter, and she couldn't put it down either. Prepare to laugh out loud, and prepare to cry a few tears (in a good way!).

I can't wait to read more Mary Amato books. Keep them coming!