Frannie in Pieces

Frannies dad died two weeks before her birthday. And the worst part was that Frannie found the body&after two hours of hanging around her dads living room waiting for him to come home. He was lying on the bathroom floor all the time. Shivers!! She loved her dad. But her moms current husband¬ so much. Mel, the Beastoid.

Since finding her father, Frannies been obsessed with death, reading the small print on consumer packages&toothpaste, nail polish remover, etc. Toothpaste can kill you. Freaky!!

But, back to the point. When Frannie went to clean out her artist dads studio, she found, tucked in a corner, an old battered cardboard suitcase. Carefully cradled inside was a wooden box, with Celtic notes carved all around it (her fathers Irish heritage) and Francis Anne-1000 carved on the front. Inside was a hand carved jigsaw puzzle and a small photo of a coastal village.

Frannie assumed it was her birthday present, but thats not like her dad; to finish something early. Shes got to keep it a secret from her mom. She quietly brings it to her room, hides it under her bed and laboriously starts putting the border together, and then the middle&the town, part of the ocean, the winding steps up the mountain. As she completes more of the puzzle, strange things begin happening culminating in Frannie realizing a great many things&among them, Save the Blues for Last; Theyre the Hardest.

Frannie in Pieces is an intriguing book. Once you get sucked in, you wont want to get out. Frannie, her parents, Mel, her friend Jenna and co-camp counselor Simon are all unique characters. The story is wonderful. If a story about death can be uplifting, this is it.