This middle-grade book is about an unusual friendship between a sensitive, eccentric girl and the nonverbal boy she looks out for, until she makes a mistake and her friend goes missing; it explores how communication occurs through something much greater than spoken words.
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- Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
8+
Release Date
February 15, 2022
ISBN
978-0062999368
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Editor reviews
2 reviews
Riveting Tale of Friendship
(Updated: December 06, 2021)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Aurora lives with her parents and toddler brother, Cedar, in a small town in Maine. They are neighbors with classmate Frenchie and his mother Gracia, and Aurora and Frenchie have a devoted but unusual friendship. Both are on the Autism spectrum, but while Frenchie is nonvocal (an important distinction over nonverbal) and methodical, Aurora is overly talkative and struggles with impluse control. She understands his quirks, knows why he is so attached to the needlepoint purse he carries pictures of birds in, and advocates for him in school. She is alarmed when the two are not assigned to the same class, although Frenchie does now have an aide, Mr. Menkis, to help him navigate the new school year. Aurora tries to make some new friends (other than Darlene, who is also quirky and frequently thrust into Aurora's sphere, but whom she dislikes), but also tries to include Frenchie. It's an awkward balance, and when Gracia and Aurora's writer mother go to a spa in order to do an article, the daily routine is undone. Aurora is distracted going into the building, and Frenchie, who was right behind her, doesn't show up to class. The school goes into lock down, Aurora is questioned by the police, and the search begins. The book is told from the view point of Aurora, Frenchie, and many others in the town who come into contact with Frenchie at various times. The entire town gets drawn in to the search in the wooded surrounding areas, and Aurora tries to put herself into her friend's shoes to try to understand where he might be. Will Frenchie be located before he comes to grief?
Good Points
Like Connor's The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle (2018), Has Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? offers a bit of a mystery set in a particular landscape, concerning neurodivergent characters. Aurora's outbursts and Frenchie's wordless contemplation are both sides of the Autism spectrum I have seen in students in our unit classroom, and both are treated sympathetically. Like those in Martin's Rain Reign (2014) or Baskin's Anything But Typical, these representations offer a window into another way of seeing the world that is valuable to neurotypical students who might be trying to understand classmates who see the world differently than they do.
The sense of community is also fantastic, and we see everyone from a neighbor who coaches baseball to a thrift store owner, to teachers and others in Aurora and Frenchie's circle. The methodical description of how to search for someone who is missing was oddly compelling, and the fact that the community rallied together was great to see.
Throughout the story, a piebald deer appears as an almost mythical character, which goes along well with Connor's lyrical writing. I felt like there was much deeper symbolism to this animal, as well as with Frenchie's interest in birds, that I didn't take the time to sort out, but would make for interesting group discussions.
Connor is a strong writer who always puts an interesting twist on stories, from the parental neglect in Waiting for Normal (2008) to a world wide gas shortage in Crunch (2010) to a tween living with an incarcerated parent in All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook (2016), and Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? is also a nuanced examination of children living with and working through sometimes challenging experiences.
The sense of community is also fantastic, and we see everyone from a neighbor who coaches baseball to a thrift store owner, to teachers and others in Aurora and Frenchie's circle. The methodical description of how to search for someone who is missing was oddly compelling, and the fact that the community rallied together was great to see.
Throughout the story, a piebald deer appears as an almost mythical character, which goes along well with Connor's lyrical writing. I felt like there was much deeper symbolism to this animal, as well as with Frenchie's interest in birds, that I didn't take the time to sort out, but would make for interesting group discussions.
Connor is a strong writer who always puts an interesting twist on stories, from the parental neglect in Waiting for Normal (2008) to a world wide gas shortage in Crunch (2010) to a tween living with an incarcerated parent in All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook (2016), and Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? is also a nuanced examination of children living with and working through sometimes challenging experiences.
User reviews
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
5.0
Aurora Pauline Petrequin (what a great name) tells it like it is, she is bouncy and talkative. She lives with her mom and pop, and little brother Cedar in a small town in Maine, in a house she calls the A-frame because it is shaped like the letter. She also has a next-door neighbor and best friend that she's known for three years named Nathan French Livernois (whom everyone calls Frenchie) that doesn't talk at all, at least not in words and loves to watch birds. They're going to start sixth grade soon, but to Aurora's surprise she and Frenchie won't be in the same classroom, wondering how they're going to do without each other.
Then one morning during school Frenchie goes missing and the community comes together to search for him.
I loved this unique story of two friends who have a special bond; Aurora is a wonderful character that I fell in love with right away, I could relate to her in a lot of ways, like saying I am sorry ten times a day, and messing up a lot. I loved how she wasn't afraid to express her thoughts and feelings, I love how she refused to give up the search for her best friend. I also felt so sympathetic towards her as well, when she was blaming herself for Frenchie's disappearance. I thought Frenchie was a terrific and interesting character too in spite of him being an autistic boy who didn't speak. I don't think I've ever wanted a character to be found more than I did with Frenchie.
Wonderful writing and characters; I definitely recommend reading this lovely middle grade book, it is amazing!
Then one morning during school Frenchie goes missing and the community comes together to search for him.
I loved this unique story of two friends who have a special bond; Aurora is a wonderful character that I fell in love with right away, I could relate to her in a lot of ways, like saying I am sorry ten times a day, and messing up a lot. I loved how she wasn't afraid to express her thoughts and feelings, I love how she refused to give up the search for her best friend. I also felt so sympathetic towards her as well, when she was blaming herself for Frenchie's disappearance. I thought Frenchie was a terrific and interesting character too in spite of him being an autistic boy who didn't speak. I don't think I've ever wanted a character to be found more than I did with Frenchie.
Wonderful writing and characters; I definitely recommend reading this lovely middle grade book, it is amazing!
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