Framed [Paperback]

If there's a novel I loved this year more than Frank Cottrell Boyce's "Framed," then I don't know what it is. "Framed" is a stunning, original work--a work infused with love, innocence, and deep wit.

Dylan is the last boy left in Manod, a small town in Snowdonia, Wales. Being the last boy has its problems, most notably Dylan has no one to play football with. Oh, and the nastiest girl in school, Terrible, now has a clear bearth to torment him. Otherwise, Dylan's life is pretty good. His parents own the town's garage, he has a genius little sister (Minnie), a cute baby brother (Max), and an even-tempered older sister (Marie). His dad doesn't even get mad at him when he mixes up oil and anti-freeze when working in the garage. Dad assigns him to the logs instead, which turn into a hilarious diary noting the weather (always damp and rainy) and which villager has been in the garage each day.

Then things start to go wrong. Or, at least differently. Dylan remains ever optimistic, so he doesn't register the gravity of events around him. First and foremost, the weather has changed. It rains every single day in Manod now, and people don't enjoy the beauty of the village any longer. There have been floods in London, and nearly every man in the village has left with family in tow to work on a new barrier. And the garage is in trouble. Dylan's parents can no longer afford to buy petrol ahead of time. Their Mini Cooper disappears and all sources of income dry up. New mysterious people arrive to town and take up residence in the quarries of Manod's mountain.

Dylan's father leaves the family and Dylan's mother, with her four children and a nearly defunct garage, is despondent. The kids dream up ways to earn extra cash. When they discover the mysterious men on the mountain are guarding the collection of the National Gallery in the quarry, saving the works of art from the ravages of the flood, they dream up a menu of cakes with names like "Titian Tart." They have a connection to the men too. Lester, the man in charge of the collection, overhears Dylan calling the family chickens by name--Donatello and Michelangelo. Understandably, Lester thinks Dylan is interested in art and is impressed. He doesn't know that Dylan named the chickens after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Lester takes an interest in Dylan, showing him masterpieces worth millions. Lester is supposed to protect his masterpieces, but he can't help looking at them and, most of all, lecturing about them. As Manod is a small town, others want to go up the mountain with Dylan and see what's up there. A secret is never a secret in Manod. The first up the hill is Daft Tom, a local lad who once tried to rob the garage. Dylan's Dad offered him a job instead and he's been there ever since. The first picture Tom sees is a still life and it inspires him to create still lifes of his own in the town's store windows. A viewing of Renoir's Umbrellas cures Dylan's mom of her depression. Over time, the National Gallery's collection improves Manod and its inhabitants for the better.

But, when Dylan's father does not return, and petrol can still not be purchased, Dylan's mom puts the garage on the market. That's when Minnie concocts her elaborate scheme to seal Van Gogh's Sunflowers, insured for 25 million. The children complete a paint-by-number piece and make a substitution. I won't tell you what happens next, but I will tell you that "Framed" is a must-read novel for children and adults ages eight and up.

There is so much beauty in "Framed"--from the transformative power of Art to the pure innocence and good intentions of Dylan. He's not a reliable narrator--the reader understands much more than he does--but he sees the best in his world. Spend a few hours viewing the world from his point of view, and you'll see everything differently.

Framed is a great book about art and crime. It took me a long time to read it, but it was worth it. It's about a normal nine-year-old boy. This boy is the only boy in the small town of Manod in the United Kingdom.This boy (named Dillon) lives with his mam, dad, older sister Marie,younger sister Minnie, and the baby Max. But strange things happen when a man comes down Manod Mountain.

British screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce won a host of fans and a mantel of prizes with his first book for young readers, Millions, and he'll likely do the same with Framed, a funny, heartwarming story of family and the impact of art on people.

Nine-year-old Dylan is the only boy in town. While that sounds lonely and austere, Manod is a very small community so being the only boy isn't extremely odd, and he does have two best friends - his pet chickens, Michelangelo and Donatello. Named after Renaissance artists? No. After the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

His parents are the sole proprietors of the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel garage, an enterprise that doesn't quite make ends meet for his family. Dylan's task is to tend to the petrol log, thus he's very aware of the cars and the people who come and go in Manod. That isn't a terribly daunting task because not too many come or go in this little Welch town. So, when two lorries suddenly appear and head for an abandoned mine, it sets Dylan's fertile young mind to wondering.

Author Boyce indicates that Framed was inspired by a story he'd read referring to the collection of valuable paintings from the National Gallery that were hidden in a slate mine during World War II. How, he wondered, did the presence of those masterpieces affect those who lived nearby when one was brought out for them to see.

There's no wondering about the voice performance delivered by actor Jason Hughes. He finely captures narrator Dylan as the boy fondly remembers a father who warmed the sea for swimming by pouring in a tea kettle of hot water. For this listener, Hughes is especially effective when Dylan is describing his family and the town in which he lives.

For young listeners ages 8 - 14. (Parents will enjoy it as well).

- Gail Cooke

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