Love Frankie
Summary:
Frankie is a 13-year-old girl who is having a tough time. Her parents are divorced, and her mother has MS, which is becoming more difficult to control, meaning Frankie has to face many problems of the adult world. Frankie is also grappling with bullies at her school and with not quite fitting in. When Frankie begins to develop a close relationship with Sally, one of the school bullies, Frankie’s life begins to get even more complicated.
Edited by: Dublin City University
Comment:
Jacqueline Wilson’s 112th novel is her first with a gay character and explores Frankie’s coming-of-age story and her developing sexuality with sensitivity and nuance. As Frankie and Sally come to terms with their sexuality, the novel sensitively portrays the development of a bully character through Sally, as well as the victim of bullying and does not shy away from the difficult relationship dynamic that this creates between Frankie and Sally. There is empathy for Sally too, even as the narrative creates doubts about her intentions with Frankie. When Frankie tells her family about her relationship with Sally, there is no shock or questioning of her sexuality, but a concern for her in this complex relationship. Differences in gender expressions are explored throughout too: Frankie is characterised as a ‘tomboy’, and as she develops into her mid-teenage years she finds expression and comfort in androgyny, while her sister expresses her gender along traditionally feminine lines. Frankie’s commitment to writing helps her explore and express her feelings about Sally, first in diary form, and later in the rewriting of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty.