The Fran That Time Forgot (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist Series #4)

by Jim Benton, Jim Benton (Illustrator)

Overview

Goosebumps and Bill Nye the Science Guy fans, meet Franny!

Franny K. Stein didn’t think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn’t think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that’s what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. So Franny does what any respectable mad scientist would do—she goes back in time to change her name.

However, things don’t turn out quite as she calculated, and Franny ends up having to face her teenage self in a warped, fourth-dimensional, kid-versus-teen, good-versus-evil, Franny-versus-Franny battle of the minds!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689862946
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	03/01/2005
Series:	Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist Series , #4
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jim Benton is the New York Times bestselling writer of the Dear Dumb Diary series and a cartoonist whose unique brand of humor has been seen on toys, television, T-shirts, greeting cards, and even underwear. Franny K. Stein is the first character he’s created especially for young children. A husband and father of two, he lives in Michigan, where he works in a studio that really and truly does have creepy stuff in it.

Jim Benton is the New York Times bestselling writer of the Dear Dumb Diary series and a cartoonist whose unique brand of humor has been seen on toys, television, T-shirts, greeting cards, and even underwear. Franny K. Stein is the first character he’s created especially for young children. A husband and father of two, he lives in Michigan, where he works in a studio that really and truly does have creepy stuff in it.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 3: Franny Takes the Cake

The announcement of the yearly Science Fair at school always filled Franny with mixed emotions. On the one hand, Franny loved creating new inventions and sharing them with others.

On the other hand, Franny already had a long list of projects in her lab that she was anxious to complete.

And on the other hand, it was always an extra challenge to create a project that the kids at school would appreciate. Wait a second, that was three hands.

Well, this is Franny we're talking about.

Franny explained it to her mom. "I want to do a good Science Fair project, but I really don't like to take time away from the other lab projects."

Her mom smiled. "You can't have it both ways, Franny. You know what they say: You can't have your cake and eat it too."

A wide grin came across Fanny's face. "You can't have your cake and eat it too? We'll see about that."

Franny walked quickly to her lab, with the blueprint of her next creation beginning to form inside her head as she went.

Copyright © 2005 by Jim Benton

Editorial Reviews

It was undoubtedly the most embarrassing moment in Franny K. Stein's young life. When someone revealed her middle name at the Science Fair award presentation, little Franny was so mortified that she decided to go back in time to change her moniker. Perhaps not surprisingly, our heroine's delightfully simple plan catapults her readers into a fourth dimension of fun.

Gr 2-4-Franny K. Stein likes to project a menacing image, so she is mortified when her classmates learn that her middle name is Kissypie. Embarrassed by all the teasing, she invents a time-warp device to travel back and change her birth certificate to read Kaboom. While she is in the past, she tells her infant self, "There is nothing worse than being laughed at." Unfortunately, Baby Franny takes the lesson too much to heart. When she decides to take a peek at her future self before returning to her own time, she discovers that Teen Franny is out of control. Determined that no one will ever laugh at her again, the adolescent super villain is out to conquer the world. Can Franny save civilization from herself? The short, deadpan text is just spooky enough for transition readers and the black-and-white cartoon illustrations add to the mock-gothic atmosphere. There is even a subtle message about courage and self-confidence. A great choice for younger readers who demand "a scary one."-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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