Freaky Fast Frankie Joe

Gr 4–6—With his mom in jail for drug possession, Frankie Joe goes to live in Illinois with his father, whom he barely remembers, and his father's new wife and four sons. None of the boys is happy with this arrangement. To make matters worse, the 12-year-old is placed in fourth grade instead of sixth because he missed too much school the previous year. Eager to escape from this life, Frankie Joe starts a bicycle delivery business to try to save enough money to return to his friends in his Texas trailer park. When his mother gets out of jail and agrees to let his new family adopt him, Frankie Joe has to rethink his plans and come to grips with the fact that she has another life and doesn't want him with her. Definitions of words the protagonist looks up to educate himself are interspersed throughout this first novel that tugs at readers' heartstrings. Although Frankie Joe's amazing adaptation to a stable environment is almost too good to be true, children in blended families, including reluctant readers, will relate to this story.—Kathy Lyday, William Lenoir Middle School, Lenoir, NC