I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitively written, respectfully portrayed description of two tweens as they begin to make discoveries about who they are and where they fit into this universe. Told from the the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl, Bug is resistant to changes in her environment, especially changes in her 15-year-old brother, Danny, who has suddenly (in Bug's opinion) discovered that he "needs his space." Growing up in the 1980s in Venice Beach, California, Bug would be completely happy just going to the beach every day. Her little micro-world is small, but multicultural, tolerant, and open for all kinds of people. But her brother's adolescence and his exploration into his Salvadoran cultural heritage, her exposure to her new friend Frankie's "unusual" behavior, and confrontations with a closed-minded band of skinheads forces Bug to open her eyes and make discoveries -- some uncomfortable, some unexpected, some enlightening -- about her family, her community, her city, and herself.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Growing up can be hard. Growing up with differences from the "norm" is even harder. In this tale of friendship, family and adversity two friends help each other overcome.

This was a tearjerker. The bravery of the characters and their experiences will stay with you. 10/10

Fabulous historical fiction read about found family, friendship, being comfortable with yourself, the AIDS crisis, and the 1980s. I loved so many things about this book to include the dialogue, refugee parallel, and subtle voice to address tough topics. I would definitely recommend this book to my 6th graders since Forman AIDS, prejudice, hate violence, and LGBTQIA+ issues in such a well presented 10/11 year old tone, yet I don’t think the ages of the protagonists would turn my older readers off.

4.25/5

I was granted an eARC of this book on behalf of the publisher in exchange for a fair, honest review. I really like middle-grade books that feature LGBTQ+ characters, so I really wanted to read this book and see where it went.

This book takes place in 1987 and stars Bug. Bug is a 10-year-old girl who lives on Venice Beach with her mother and her older brother. She loves to spend her summer on the beach with her brother, but this year plans change. When her brother wants some space, she assumes that her summer is going to be spent alone at home. Frankie comes to stay the summer with his uncle, Bug’s upstairs neighbor, and the two spend time together. It’s a rough road, but can they make it work?

Gayle Forman did a good job at writing Bug. Bug is in a place in her life where she’s a bit rough around the edges and full of herself. She’s 10, that’s just how many kids are. During this book you get to watch as Bug develops her mentality and learns about the community around her. She learns that not everything revolves around her and that there are some things people don’t want to tell her.

The emotion that went into this book was unexpected and just wrecked me at times. I didn’t know this book took place in 1987 with all the things that come with living in 1987 so I was unable to prepare myself. This book got to me at points, especially when it came to Bug learning about the hate around her. It was well-written and managed to make me invested in how the relationships and characters would play out.

This story was beautiful even when it managed to break my heart. I just felt invested in these characters lives and their happiness, that it hurt when they got hurt.

Ugg's summer plans are ruined now that her older brother doesn't want to watch her. Instead, she makes a reluctant friendship with Frankie who is visiting Bug's upstairs neighbor for the summer. This book had a really good message of acceptance. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by so many other things in the book. I believe the setting of Venice Beach in the 1980s has a lot of cultural and popular references that most middle grade readers will not comprehend. Also, the message is overshadowed by the search for a serial killer on the lose on the area. It the most negative aspect of the book was that I just did not like Bug, the main character. I found her to be unbelievably immature, self-centered, and annoying. She seemed much more like an eight or nine year old. Since the story was told from her perspective, I did not really enjoy it. I would have much rather heard about Frankie's point of view. Instead, there was minimal details about Frankie's life and what it was like for her living as a transgender.

In 1987, Venice Beach, California, Bug just wants a normal summer of going to the beach. But her older brother now wants his space and Bug is left befriending 11 year-old Frankie who is staying with his uncle Phillip. While having difficulties with Frankie not liking the beach, they find common ground in their search for the Midnight Marauder case. The book presents a changing world of prejudice, Skinheads and transgenderism.

It is 1987 in Venice Beach, California, and 10-year-old Beatrice “Bug” Contreras is upset to find out that her 14-year-old brother Daniel no longer wants to hang out with *her* all summer - he needs “space.” Bug loved the beach, but wasn’t allowed to go by herself. She resented Danny mightily for it, and protested to her mom it wasn’t fair, but as her mother always pointed out to her, “Life isn’t fair. The most you can hope for is that it’s just.”

Then she found out that 11-year old Frankie was coming from Ohio to spend the summer with his Uncle Phillip, who was Bug’s upstairs neighbor. Frankie didn’t seem much interested in the beach, but rather was focused on helping find out the identity of the Midnight Marauder, a mysterious serial killer in the area. In fact, it seemed to Bug she had nothing in common with Frankie, but they were destined to spend the summer together, and Bug had to learn to adjust. Why didn’t Frankie agree to like what Bug liked? How could Frankie not? Part of that adjustment was coming to understand the world didn’t revolve around her and her interests and wishes.

Bug faced other problems that summer. The Contreras family, made up of Mama, Bug, and Danny, was part Salvadoran - at least the kids were - but the skinheads on the beach only saw brown skin, and called them “Mexican monkeys,” especially Danny, who looked more like his father than Bug did.

(Bug both resented that Danny looked more like him, but also was glad she didn’t. All her feelings were confused. Her father, about whom she heard so much, had died in a car accident seven weeks before she was born. “That,” Bug thought, “was a kind of unfair that hurt too much to speak of.”)

The skinheads also threatened Mama in a sexually abusive way. Bug hated them, but Mama said she felt sorry for them: “People who need to exert force to make themselves feel strong are weak. They’re scared people who need to scare people. It’s pretty pathetic when you think about it.”

And there seemed to be secrets everywhere, to which Bug is not privy. When something bad happened to Phillip, and Mama’s sister arrived to help take care of Bug and Frankie, Bug finally learned the truth about all the mysteries surrounding her. The most important things she found out though were that stereotypes had nothing to do with the complexity of human beings, and that family is better defined as those who love and care for you, rather than those who are just related by blood. Or as Lin-Manuel Miranda would say, love is love is love is love.

Evaluation: I was not disappointed at all in this charming coming-of-age middle grade debut by Forman. It is designated for kids 9-12, but I loved it, and would recommend it for all readers. As a bonus, the depiction of Venice Beach, California in the late 1980s captures precisely that moment in time and what it was like.

4.5 ⭐️

Emotional and heartbreaking, but this story shows how friendship and acceptance will mend your heart (after reading this book) and be the start for change in the world. Thanks again to NetGalley and Aladdin for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for feedback.

Bug is experiencing a different summer in the late 80s compared to past summers, but she’s hoping all of that will change when a boy named Frankie arrives. Frankie is staying with his uncle, a neighbor to Bug, and the two don’t start off on the right foot. The only thing that brings these two together is a local murderer and the two want to solve the mystery and capture the suspect. As the summer progresses, the pair become great friends, but Bug finds out that Frankie’s uncle is gay and also finds out Frankie’s secret - both a little surprising to Bug, but she is very understanding and can’t believe that others would treat them poorly. When a tragic incident happens to Frankie’s uncle, the pair set out on a new mission to find out who is to blame and to put an end to the prejudice that surrounds not only her friends-turned-family, but her own family as well.

Great story about acceptance, friendship, and knowing who you are and being the truest version of oneself ❤️

I do not believe my sixth graders would enjoy this book as much as eighth graders would. I feel that the serial killer storyline may be too upsetting for the younger students.

Rolling back to the 80s on Venice Beach, complete with all the pop culture references give this book a real summery feel. But there's a good deal of depth here too. The author uses the concept of refugee to define the characters and to help the reader examine their own bias. I thought Bug was too naive - even in the 80s, 11-year-olds had a bigger sense of the world.

Frankie & Bug is the first middle grade book of talented author Gayle Forman. Frankie is the younger of two kids in a family living with their Mom and a community of family. Set in 1980s Venice beach, CA with some of the richness for kids who can easily walk to the beach, befriend the various color of the community members and move freely while being supported. Bug and her older brother, who is finally looking for his own summer with friends, now needs to adapt to a new summer plan. Enter Frankie, who's visiting from Ohio the neighbor also living in the apartment building just upstairs. Bug & Frankie learn to navigate their world, learning from family, all the while investigating the underlying mystery of a front page murder who's on the loose. Frankie & Bug is a satisfying read and will appeal to make middle grade coming of age readers.

Loved this middle grade book by Gayle Forman. Bug loves summer and spending time with her brother, but when summer comes, it's not what she was expecting. Realistic characters that are so relatable and fun to read about

It’s 1987 and Bug, her mom and her brother Daniel live in Venice Beach. When teenage Daniel wants time away from 10 year old Bug for the summer, she is crushed. Her neighbor Phillip, her mom’s bestie, has his nephew Frankie visiting for the summer. Bug is reluctant to make friends with him but is intrigued by his investigation into the local serial killer, the Midnight Marauder. As the summer progresses, Bug is confronted with issues she never faced before: Frankie is a transsexual boy, Phillip is her mom’s gay best friend and is a victim of a hate crime, her grandparents kicked her mother out for marrying her father, who was a teacher and farm worker from El Salvador, her grandparents wanted her mother to give Daniel away because he is darker skinned than Bug, her Aunt Terri loves them but is very racist and homophobic. Bug shows a lot of growth throughout the novel- she is often upset and confused by people’s words and actions at first but learns to accept people and situations for who and what they are.

It’s 1987 in Venice Beach, CA and ten year old uBg is looking forward to a summer of swimming in the ocean, That is until she learns that her older brother “needs his own space” and won’t be taking her to the beach. Fortunately for Bug, her upstairs neighbor has a nephew coming to visit. Frankie is Bug's age and has never been to the ocean. Bug is hopeful that she’ll be able to show Frankie how great the beach in Venice is while in the company of Frankie‘s uncle Phillip, but things still don’t go as Bug has planned.

While beach time may be at a minimum for Frankie and Bug, there are still other ways the two keep busy. Like learning how to not just be friends, but to be each other's allies, or becoming amateur detectives and trying to discover the identity of the Midnight Marauder, a murderer who strikes only at night (and whose crimes are written with a young audience in mind), or putting their sleuthing skills to work trying to learn about both the past and the present. Frankie and Bug strike a friendship that goes beyond a summer vacation and they both learn that friends can also be like family.

Forman’s foray into middle grade fiction does not disappoint. It is a story that upper elementary and middle school readers need to have in their libraries, because representation matters. Readers who loved George by Alex Gino will be delighted by the friendship story in Frankie and Bug.

Sweet story about friendship and acceptance. Even though the novel is set in 1987, the themes and events are still important today - trans issues, homosexuality, racism, etc. - and would be perfect for a middle school classroom as a whole-class or book-club book because there are plenty of discussions to be found in this story. The main characters, Frankie and Bug, are in that middle school age range and at times their behaviors can seem immature, but the topics they deal with are relatable to junior high students.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Excellent upper elementary/lower middle grades book set in 1980s Venice Beach. Bug (really Beatrice) is sure her summer is going to be ruined when her mother announces that Bug's big brother, Danny, needs "space" -- which means he won't be taking care of Bug at the beach all summer as he has in the past. Instead Bug will be spending her summer with her neighbor, Phillip, and Phillip's nephew, Frankie, who is visiting from Ohio (and who does NOT like the beach). Highly LGBTQIA2S+ inclusive. Subplots include issues related to identity, ethnicity, gender, community, and the value of found family.

Gayle Forman’s debut middle grade story is one to keep on your radar for an October release. It’s 1987 in Venice, California and all Bug wants to do is spend her summer on the beach every day as normal. But then her brother, Danny, wants to be called Daniel, wants space from Bug, and no longer agrees to “watch” Bug all summer - plans are changed. Their neighbor Phillip picks up his nephew Frankie from the airport to somehow fill the void of Danny in Bug’s summer life. Frankie not only fills the void, but becomes Bug’s best friend. Skinheads run the streets, AIDS crisis is in full swing, a murderer is on the loose, and there’s so much hate in the world Bug doesn’t know about. As Bug learns more about accepting the things you can’t change, she also learns to accept others for who they are - love them deeply, and be true to yourself first. Bug finds friendship and family.
“So you get it?” “Get what?” “What it’s like for people to be mad at you, just for being you.” 🏳️‍🌈
Themes: prejudice, LGBTQ, acceptance, family, friendship.

Full review on goodreads
This one covered some heavy topics but from the viewpoints of children. Racism, sexuality and sexual identity. Just so many things that would take some guidance. I wouldn’t hand this one over to a child and walk away. Kudos for hitting those topics, but approach with caution and guidance.

I’m going to be honest. I didn’t care for the first 100 or so pages of this story. It felt drawn out, with interesting points that just weren’t developed fast enough. Then the truth comes out. And I will share the quote that made this a 4 star read and me unable to put the book down til the end. “You’re not a mistake.” And it goes from there. Frankie and Bug have a forced friendship. Frankie is visiting his Uncle Phillip, who lives in the apartment above Bug and her family. This book does a great job highlighting found families and the complexity of the human personality. It’s worth the read!

This was such a wonderful book about friendship. I can’t wait to add this to my classroom library for students to read. There are not many books for children that have LGBTQ+ characters and I am so glad that there are books like this nowadays. Bug and Frankie (as well as the other characters in the story) were really fleshed out characters.