Frankie and Friends: Breaking News by Alea Marley, Christine Platt
Series: Frankie and Friends #1
Published by Walker Books on October 10, 2023
ISBN: 1536222097
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Frankie’s mother is a famous journalist who has to travel for work to cover important events.  While she is gone, Frankie, a budding journalist, decides to work on a broadcast of her own.  With the help of her dolls and toys, Frankie goes undercover and then does a human interest story with her older sister to share what she learned.  This early chapter book would be good for kids who are interested in learning about journalism.  New terms are explained within the text and there is a glossary in narrative form at the end of the book with explicit definitions.  The size of this book, larger font, and thicker glossy pages lends itself more as an early reader, but the vocabulary, content matter, and the amount of text makes the audience of this book a little older.  The colorful, expressive illustrations break up the text and add visual interest for readers.  The dialogue at times doesn’t seem realistic and the book seems very didactic, but the camaraderie between the sisters and the broadcast they make together brings the story to a satisfying conclusion.  

 

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library