The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart

A private school. A secret society. A brilliant girl who will never be a legacy, manages to become legendary!

Why do parents select the schools they choose for their students? Is it by default due to location? It is because the price is right? The programs offered? Or is it because of a much deeper history that is both personal and reminiscent of days gone by? Francis Landau-Banks, otherwise known as Frankie, is the daughter of an alum and the younger sister of a former student who begins her sophomore year at Alabaster with no identify of her own. Although her family still sees her as the little Bunny, Frankie ends her sophomore year with her own notoriety that will never, ever, ever be forgotten.

When I was trying to decide which book to read and review this week, I decided to pick this book simply out of curiosity. This may not have been a book I would typically read for myself, but I can see using it in the middle school classroom. This age group has the greatest potential to connect with the characters even though they are slightly younger. The story itself leans towards lessons for inferencing, social dilemmas, social justice, and playing with words. Middle schoolers are exercising their independence, much like Frankie, and may cleverly be amused by her decisions to augment words to fit her own purposes. The vocabulary enriching activities would be strongly suited for both high achieving and students who need reinforcement of language skills. Students who read this book could be encouraged to identify an area of social injustice, and develop a proactive plan to correct the injustice – or – argue why a perceived injustice is not really an injustice at all.

Although it took a little longer to get to the meat of this story, it is the building suspense that makes this story ideal for use in the classroom. Unless the book is read, there is no way to understand the frustration Frankie feels or why she is so determined to be recognized by members of the exclusive boys club that she knows more about than the members themselves. She finally takes matters into her own hands with increasingly daring stunts that bring on huge consequences she never imagined. What exactly did Frankie do? Read for yourself, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

Ideas for Classroom Incorporation of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks:ELA: inferencing, vocabulary, character study, theme

• WRITING: opinion, defend your position, preparing a debate

• Social/Character ED: social justice, behavior/consequences, right and wrong, exclusion vs. inclusion, equal rights, are some rules made to be broken? Is it ever okay to break the rules to make a point?