Frances Bloom (Frances Bloom, #1)
By Katrina Nannestad
Illustrated by Marina Zlatanova
Reviewed by Helen Gearing
Katrina Nannestad, best known for her much-awarded WWII middle-grade novels, returns to junior fiction in her latest work, Frances Bloom. With comical black-and white illustrations by Marina Zlatanova, who won a 2020 Speech Pathology Book of the Year award for her debut picture book ‘Charlie’s Shell’, Frances Bloom will be thoroughly enjoyed by readers seven years and older who appreciate indomitable characters and a hefty dose of the ridiculous.
After eight-year-old Frances posts her parents to a faraway island for the serious crimes of being bossy and boring, she delights in her newfound freedom, swimming in her pyjamas and leaving the dishes for stray cats to clean.
However, her new (highly-satisfactory) living arrangement is soon threatened by her strict teacher, who sees an opportunity to banish Frances to an orphanage. To avoid this fate, Frances adopts some guardians: Grandma Maude, a juggling bear, and Grandpa Harold, a garden gnome. Together, the trio must convince the village nothing is amiss and turn popular opinion against Frances’ teacher, whose suspicions aren’t easily dismissed.
Frances is an interesting character as she doggedly pursues life on her own terms, unbothered by convention or by ‘being good.’ She lies, when convenient, without contrition or ill consequence – something I felt uncomfortable with until I extended Frances the same leeway I might an adult who was battling a powerful adversary threatening their way of life.
Zlatanova’s appealing illustrations take Frances and her grandparents’ outrageous antics to new heights while Nannestad’s elegant language, perfectly pitched to young readers, produces a highly engaging story. With echoes of ‘Pippi Longstocking’ and ‘Matilda’, Frances is an unforgettable character for a new generation.
Look out for Frances Bloom Dangerous Days coming soon
Teaching guide
Katrina Nannestad
More books by Katrina Nannestad reviewed in StoryLinks:
The Story Writer’s Handbook,
A Song for the King
All the Beautiful Things
Mim and the Mother Muddle (The Travelling Bookshop, #6)
