Fleabrain Loves Franny

by Joanne Rocklin Narrated by Julie Marcus

Overview

This gem of a novel takes place in Pittsburgh in 1952. Franny Katzenback, while recovering from polio, reads and falls in love with the brand-new book Charlotte's Web. Bored and lonely and yearning for a Charlotte of her own, Franny starts up a correspondence with an eloquent flea named Fleabrain who lives on her dog's tail. While Franny struggles with physical therapy and feeling left out of her formerly active neighborhood life, Fleabrain is there to take her on adventures based on his extensive reading. It's a touching, funny story set in the recent past, told with Rocklin's signature wit and thoughtfulness.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

06/16/2014
Rocklin pays homage to Charlotte’s Web, explores Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, and mildly evokes Elise Broach’s Masterpiece in this historical fiction/fantasy novel about fifth-grader Franny Katzenback, a victim of the polio epidemic that swept the United States in the early 1950s. Franny—a compassionate, thoughtful and sympathetic protagonist—is believably erratic in her emotions and reflections on her illness and its effects on her previously carefree life. Captivated by E.B. White’s just-published book, Franny longs for a Charlotte in her life. Enter Fleabrain, a well-read flea in love with his own intellect. Rocklin’s (The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook) rich depiction of 1950s Pittsburgh turns into a touching, imaginative whimsy, eventually becoming a full-fledged fantasy that fits somewhat awkwardly into the otherwise solid world she has constructed. Fleabrain and Franny’s fantastic adventures and secret noble deeds distract from Franny’s real story, which is satisfying in itself; she has the inner resources and loving support to come to the inspiring resolution without the flea’s help. An extensive author’s note details the history of polio and the fight to prevent it. Ages 8–12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Tablet Magazine - Marjorie Ingall

"This book is smart, funny, and very odd; it’s a love letter to reading and to the life-saving power of imagination."

Library Media Connection - Teri Hennessy

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
"Strong characterization will make this story a favorite, and the smart, funny writing will attract readers."

The Horn Book Magazine - Elissa Gershowitz

"With keen insight into human (and insect) relations, Rocklin creates believable, three-dimensional characters—Franny’s goody-two-shoes older sister, for example, and Franny’s old gang of friends, fearful of contagion—that help anchor the off-the-wall-fantastical elements."

Booklist Online - Kathleen Isaacs

"Convincingly set in Pittsburgh in the early 1950s, when scientists were working on a polio vaccine, and attitudes toward people with disabilities were quite different from today’s, Rocklin’s story is a conscious homage to Charlotte’s Web, many a voracious reader’s favorite book."

Wall Street Journal

"With 'Fleabrain Loves Franny,' Joanne Rocklin has brought into being perhaps the tiniest and most accomplished hero yet: a dashing, erudite, multilingual flea"

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A good choice for kids who like their history with a sprinkling of whimsy."

Wall Street Journal

"With 'Fleabrain Loves Franny,' Joanne Rocklin has brought into being perhaps the tiniest and most accomplished hero yet: a dashing, erudite, multilingual flea"

School Library Journal

08/01/2014
Gr 4–6—Franny has polio in the summer of 1952. Her Jewish family is trying to do everything they can to support her, but in this Pittsburgh neighborhood Franny is relegated to watching her friends do all the things she wants to do. Along comes the flea known as Fleabrain, who lives on the tail of Franny's dog, Alf. Fleabrain is a genius—inspired by the newly published Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (also a favorite book of Franny's), or perhaps Kafka, or even by surviving periodic attacks of flea powder. He is also a voracious reader. An entertaining cast of characters include older sister Min, errant friend Walter Walter, mean-spirited Nurse Olivegarten, and Franny's lovely grandfather, Zadie. Fleabrain is a thinker and a doer, determined to get Franny going. The inclusion of details of daily life during the time period adds to the realism, but the fantasy adventures make clear that imagination is also at work. Comedic and philosophical, readers will find multiple levels to enjoy. The prejudice against persons with disabilities is startling, but as true to the time as collecting conkers and bottle caps. Fleabrain writes some bad poetry, admires James Howell's Paramoigraphyand the proverbs contained in that 17th century work. Rocklin includes an author's note reflecting on polio and the disablity issues, as well as offering a helpful bibliography and discussion guide, which will lend this title to social studies curricula. Useful and fun.—Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

OCTOBER 2014 - AudioFile

In 1950s Pittsburgh, Franny Katzenback has been stricken with polio. As she grapples with that reality, she creates a fantasy world, courtesy of a literature-spouting flea with whom she corresponds, converses, and schemes. Julie Marcus is an animated narrator. Imaginative travels at night on a flying horse are a bit interruptive, but Franny’s love for the book CHARLOTTE’S WEB and her interactions with her family, caregivers, neighbors, and school friends reverberate with spunk and believability. Marcus uses speed and intonation to create a Franny’s emotions, especially as she befriends Fleabrain and rages about unfairness. As Fleabrain, Marcus is equally animated but with a high-pitched voice, which some listeners may find grating. An author’s note, which includes a history of polio, concludes the production. A.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2014-06-25
An exceptional flea helps a polio-stricken girl in this tale of friendship and acceptance.Ten-year-old Franny Katzenback, stuck in a wheelchair in her bedroom in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, waits for a miracle cure. She endures painful therapy and isolation as fear of contagion keeps friends away. An avid reader, Franny falls in love with the newly published Charlotte's Web. When a flea writes her a note, Franny, lonely and so aware of the power of even the tiniest viruses, writes back. Fleabrain has extraordinary powers. He mounts Franny on a flying horse, and together, they do nocturnal good deeds throughout the city and fly to see the Seven Wonders of the World. Fleabrain, scholarly and erudite, is pompous, too often spouting quotes followed by the name of the quoted, including birth and death dates. He's not a particularly likable flea (no Charlotte he); his pontificating interrupts the story and seems far too sophisticated for the intended audience, as do some of the fantasy adventures, as when Fleabrain is summoned to judgment by hordes of nuclei. On the other hand, Rocklin perfectly captures the era of 1952 and creates a sympathetic, realistic character in Franny, who begins to accept her condition, rejoin her friends and even protest her school's inaccessibility. As a historical novel, this more than succeeds; as a fantasy, it misses the mark. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171878146
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	08/12/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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