Frankie & Bug By Gayle Forman. It's summer 1987 and Bug wants to go to the beach with her older brother. Everyone seems to be way too busy to be bothered with Bug so she's stuck hanging out with Frankie-the neighbor's nephew. Neither is super excited to spend the summer with the other but they soon discover that they do have some things in common. They also learn that it's important to support your friends. Sometimes sad and sometimes a laugh out loud read.

It didn't capture my attention. The characters didn't seem as appealing as I would have liked. It may just be me, as I am in a reading slump right now, so take it with a grain of salt, please.

First off I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It has emotional depth and character development that you don't normally see in a middle grades chapter book. Which brings me to my next point. This is definitely middle school reading material, not so much the reading level, but the content. It deals with some hardcore issues such as racism, sexism, violence against the LGBTQ+ community, finding one's identity, and emotional abuse. However, It also deals with friendship, understanding, and how a community can fight those things. Even though the book is set in the eighties, I think that it is relevant to what is happening in our world today. It is a very good read.

To be honest, I did not love this book. I like Gayle Forman's YA titles, so I was excited for this middle grade title. I don't know what it was, but Bug really irritated me. I felt like the story would have been more relatable if Bug had not been so annoying. Maybe it was the audio? Stockard Channing narrated and her voice was too much and maybe that affects my rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two of my new favorite characters in a book... Frankie and Bug! I loved everything about this one... full of great topics of discussion to have with younger kids... the setting was perfection and I felt like I was running on the boardwalks with F&B... also loved the mystery throughout the story! I was really excited for this book but had no clue how much it would touch my heart!

I cannot even begin to express how much I loved Frankie & Bug! Forman's jump into Middle Grade after writing YA was absolutely perfect! This book included so many different pieces beautifully put together and narrated by 10 year old Bug. Venice Beach California in the 1980s, a murder mystery, the AIDS epidemic, homophobia, coming of age, friends that are more like family than actual family... I could go on. Highly reccomended for ages 10 and up.

Forman's foray into middle grade introduces readers to Beatrice, mainly known as Bug, a young girl in 1987 Venice Beach, California. Now that Bug's older brother wants some space from his little sister, Bug thinks her summer will be ruined. Then her upstairs neighbor brings Frankie home for a visit and after a bit of a rocky start, the two become fast friends and decide to investigate the scary attacks by the Midnight Marauder that are frightening everyone in town. Those elements alone would have been enough for a middle grade novel, but Forman packs so many themes into the book, and though she does it quite skillfully, the book just seemed a bit overstuffed. Readers will encounter race relations, found family & family dysfunction, discrimination of multiple sorts, gender identity and more. The issues are all handled well and young readers who pay attention may learn a few lessons about how to treat those around them, particularly in not assuming that you know already--it's okay to ask questions.

Loved Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman! Wonderful middle grade novel to address issues that so many younger people are interested in. Definitely ordered copies already for the classrooms I co-teach in.

A beautiful story of friendship and growing up. This is that exact book describing the moment so many kids experience when they realize the world has hatred in it. It's emotional and beautifully written and really just so wonderful.

Cute but powerful story about two kids going through their own tough times. Bug is annoyed with her older brother because she has to spend the summer away from the beach and being “babysat” by all the old people in her building. Just because he wants to do his own thing this summer. And on top of that, she is forced to hang out with the nephew on one of them. And he doesn’t like to swim at all! Oh, and did I mention, there is a Midnight Marauder in the area? As the summer continues, Frankie and Bug become friends but they find out more about each other. They also decide the Midnight Marauder is someone who lives near them and they are determined to catch him.

4.5 stars. Great characters, sensitively portrayed. Issues of family, gender-identity, secrets, and siblings, set in Venice Beach, CA in the summer of 1987. Excellent middle-grade debut from a wonderful YA/adult author.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Aladdin, NetGalley, and LibroFM's Educator ALC program for an advanced digital and audiobook copy of this book.

Fans of The Guncle will delight in this coming-of-age book about friendship and found family. The audiobook is narrated by Stockard Channing and was delightful to listen to! The story is set in the 1980s in Venice, California. 10-year old Bug is bummed because her older brother is suddenly too cool to take her to the beach and hang out with her anymore. When her neighbor's nephew Frankie comes to visit for the summer, Bug is excited to have someone to spend her days with. But Frankie isn't at all interested in swimming. Oh well, at least he's interested in solving the case of a local serial killer. As the pair spend their days trying to crack the case, Frankie's uncle is attacked. From there, the story touches on some tough but timely and important topics. Gayle Forman captured my heart with this one!

This book was a real page turner. Reading this I had no idea what it entailed but I kept on reading and it absolutely just made me wonder who Frankie and Bug were. They seemed total opposites until they shared one thing in common. Course you will have to find that out for yourself. Danny and Bug seemed really close too. Until Bug starts to notice changes in her brother. All signs pointed to me that he was growing up and Bug was just beginning to realize that. The whole family plays one big role in this story. You’ll have fun discovering who the “Midnight Marauder” is and why Frankie made a map.

“So you get it?
Get what?
What it’s like for people to be mad at you, just for being you.”
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It’s 1987 and Bug’s life is about to change. Every summer Bug gets to hang out with her big brother, Danny, at the beach in Venice where they live. But not this summer. This summer Danny wants to be called Daniel, lift weights and hang out with his own friends at Muscle Beach. Bug is stuck at home most of the time until Frankie comes to visit their neighbor, who is his gay uncle. Frankie and Bug do not hit it off right away. The only thing they seem to have in common is their search of the Midnight Marauder, a serial killer who is on the loose. Through this shared interest Bug and Frankie grow close enough for Frankie to share his secret: he wasn’t born a male and his family sent him to California from Ohio for the summer to “get it out of his system”. This MG book explores what it’s like to not be able to share who you are with the world.
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I adored this book. This middle grade story discusses many topics from race to lgbtq issues to families of all different backgrounds in a way that is perfect for this age group. The fact that it’s set in the 1980s is progressive for the time in some ways and in others could have happened this week. Violence against the lgbtqiaplus community happens all the time and this novel shines a light on the horrific crimes that have happened against those in the community for years. This Pride month we need to celebrate the lgbtq community, but also bring awareness to this issue. Be an ally all year round. Frankie & Bug releases October 12. Grab a copy for your students and possibly save a life.
CW: transphobia, homophobia, racism, violence against the lgbtq community

10yo Bug is thoroughly disappointed this summer. Her brother Danny "wants some space" which means that even though they live in Venice, California, he won't be taking her to the beach like he has done for so many years, and Bug isn't allowed to go alone. Their upstairs neighbor, Phillip invites his nephew to come spend the summer with him, but when Frankie arrives, he and Bug do not hit it off. In fact, Bug is even more disappointed. Frankie didn't even bring a bathing suit! All Frankie wants to do is try to solve the mystery of the Midnight Marauder - a serial killer active that summer of 1987. He doesn't like the beach, not at all. It seems everyone needs some space this summer.

Historical fiction, I remember that summer in California, and Forman got it perfect - the beach bums, the guys on Muscle Beach, the old hippies in their vans, the roller skaters with the crazy wigs, the fish and chips. ah!, I was right there with them. The last third of the book addresses an attack on Uncle Phillip because he is gay, AIDS and Frankie reveals to Bug he is transgender - this may be his last summer as a boy, his parents want him to "stop this foolishness" and act like a girl. A thought provoking look at this time and these issues, I think readers may enjoy this look into the late 80's, but I suspect I'm feeling nostalgia and they will see Historical Fiction.

Excellent story. Wonderful characters. Left the reader with a lot to consider. I enjoyed this book and will tell others about it.

Bug (Beatrice) is growing up in the ’80s, and she wants to spend her summer with her older brother Danny (Daniel) on the beach. Like she does every year. Unfortunately, this year (1987) is going to be quite different. Her brother doesn’t want to spend as much time with his little sister as he did in the past because he is now a teenager, and Bug doesn’t understand why her brother is distancing himself from her. The cherry on the top is that she now has to spend time with a total stranger named Frankie. And he is definitely not interested in the same things as Bug until they discover the shared interest about the Midnight Marauder.

“Frankie & Bug” is such an important and cute coming-of-age novel for our middle grade readers out there. But not only for them because Forman gives us an important lecture about acceptance, love, tolerance and friendship. This lesson can also be helpful for an older target of readers. Teenagers, Young Adults and Adults.

The author states that she is herself a cis-gendered white woman, but you can observe, throughout the whole novel, that she has done her research, as she talks about a bi-racial girl and a young transgender boy. I loved to read about how we saw Bug growing up maturity wise.

This heartwarming novel is a must-read that I cannot recommend enough to all of you.

Gayle Forman's middle grade debut, Frankie & Bug, has a strong sense of place and time. Set in Venice Beach in the summer of 1987, it is easy to picture the sun, the surf, and the cast of interesting characters. Bug is a compelling lead, a kid who feels firmly her age -- young enough that she is often kept in the dark about the bad stuff going on around her by the well meaning adults in her life, but old enough to know they're keeping things from her.

With a main character who is mixed race, as well as an important character who is trans, it is hard to say whether or not this was a book that should have been written by a self-identified white cisgender woman, but Forman has clearly worked hard to make sure these issues are handled carefully, including employing the use of sensitivity readers.

Frankie & Bug feels a bit like a lazy summer day, one that will leave the reader wanting to have an ice cream cone, go for a swim at the beach, and maybe give their loved ones a call just to tell them you love them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Our main character is Bug (Beatrice) and she is a 10-year-old girl who lives in Venice Beach. She lives with her mother and her brother, Danny. Previously every summer she loves going to the beach with her brother but this year things are about to change. Danny (Daniel) wants his space and to be with his friends. Seeing her brother grow up Bug is a little heartbroken that he no longer wants to spend time with her.

Thankfully for Bug she discovers a new friend although, to begin with, she isn’t very keen on hanging out with a kid she has never met before. Her neighbor upstairs, Phillipe has his nephew, Frankie coming to stay with him for the summer. One thing about Frankie is that he is obsessed with the news about a serial killer in the area. Frankie and Bug want to figure out who this serial killer is but then something happens to Phillipe that lands him in the hospital the two want to find out what is going on because nothing is adding up. Are Frankie and Bug ready to uncover the truth?

One of the best middle grade novels I have ever picked up. I would give this to any middle schooler in my life or any parents who are looking to educate or show representation to their children!