Frankie’s World

Description

Frankie’s World

A little bit brave. Sometimes bold. Totally me.

Aoife Dooley

(Scholastic)

Frankie’s World can be loud. It seems as though she has a knack for saying ‘the wrong thing at the worst time’. Then again, Frankie is able to keep quiet about some things, like her secret visits to hospital. There’s also her hunt for her father.

What’s more, Frankie has her demons. For example though she tries to blend in with her class, who are either ‘girly’ or ‘sporty‘ somehow it doesn’t work. It might be to do with enjoying different music for finding the noise and threat of Miss Crackle quite overbearing. Although she tries to stay out of the gaze of Nadine and Shauna, it seems that Frankie is a target. Yet, doesn’t she have enough to deal with? After all, there are the questions from Doctor Moran, and then the meetings between her mum and Principal Daly.

Aoife Dooley is a multi-talented animator, designer and comedian. Furthermore, she is diagnosed autistic. However, it’s not only this fact, that is common to Frankie. It feels as though we are part of Frankie’s World, watching her negotiate school and family and then working to behave appropriately in social situations. Altogether, this graphic novel, rather like Esther’s Notebooks, is a strong, emotional and thoroughly engaging story.