I Miss Franklin P. Shuckles [Hardcover]

Kindergarten-Grade 3ABecause nobody else is around during the summer, Molly befriends Franklin P. Shuckles, the new boy next door. The trouble is, Franklin wants to continue that friendship once school starts. However, Molly now finds it embarrassing to be associated with a boy who has skinny legs and wears glasses, and when all other efforts to discourage him fail, she writes a note telling him she doesn't like him. This works all too well, and Molly, realizing she really misses him, sets out to win him back. The text has a distinct rhythm, and repetition in just the right places. Franson's watercolor cartoons are small, often several to a page, and follow the youngsters' seesaw relationship. There are some interesting extensions such as the imaginary animals that appear when the text describes Franklin's wonderful storytelling skills or his solitary reading. Insects, especially ladybugs, appear throughout the book. Their larvae eat, spin cocoons in a jar, and are exuberantly released by the children just as their friendship finally blossoms. Classmates' taunts disappear a bit more quickly than could realistically be expected, and the illustrations are too small for large group viewing-a pity, since children who experience similar rejection or are the cause of it would gain a great deal from a class discussion of the story. These objections aside, however, this is a fine vehicle for one-on-one sharing, and the repetition will enable youngsters to join in the reading.AMarianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Honest, Sweet, and Entertaining

"This touching story of friendship -- how easy it is to lose and how hard to regain - will touch a chord with many children."
(News-Press)

In I Miss Franklin P. Shuckles, author Ulana Snihura explores the difficult themes of childhood friendship in conflict with the pressures of popularity and group acceptance.

Never heavy-handed, this story, following the friendship of a little girl, Molly Pepper, and her "geeky", gifted, new neighbor, Franklin P. Shuckles, is both funny and very moving.

When Franklin moves in next door to Molly over the summer, she has no one else to play with. So, Molly befriends him, despite the fact that "he has skinny legs and wears funny glasses". Although he can't catch, he is great at telling stories, and their summer together is wonderful.

When school begins, everything changes: Molly is embarrassed by her "awkward" friend and alienates him. Soon, though, she finds that she misses him -- badly. So, after trying very hard, they're friends again ... forever.

A heart-warming story, I Miss Franklin P. Shuckles teaches a valuable lesson in a light and laughable way.

Ulana Snihura has an M.A. in Special Education and Elementary Education from Boston University. She loves putting puzzles together and playing the piano and canoeing.

Leanne Franson, the illustrator, studied Fine Arts at Concordia University, Montreal. She loves to travel, read lots of books, eat chocolate, draw pictures, and play with her St. Bernard, Muesli.