The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks: Do You Want to Be Part of the Club?

I loved The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks! Frankie is awesome; what a great, witty narrator and good example for girls! Do I have some problems with her? Will you? Does she make mistakes? Will she drive you crazy at times? YES—to all. But she is a stunning narrator with a pretty cool story.

At first, I was worried I would not like this book. Frankie, our protagonist, returns to her prestigious boarding school for her sophomore year of high school and gets a new senior boyfriend. Easily this could have been a book this blog would readily avoid. “Oh great, I thought. Now he’ll become the center of her universe and blah, blah, blah….I’ve heard this story too many times before…I don’t care if the new boyfriend Matt has fun quirks like knowing a lot of words.” I hate stories about girls who glorify a boy in their life and make them their universe (it’s quite unhealthy girls!). But Frankie LB surprised me; it worked what could have been a cliché love/teen angst story into a clever tale about gender differences and exclusive societies (By the way, secret societies in themselves are fascinating. I think it’s because they are a tangible example of what people intrinsically feel—the need to belong). Anyway, I was very impressed! E. Lockhart did enough to make me understand why Frankie was so worried about staying with Matt and instead of rolling my eyes with disgust that she cared so much about his acceptance (which I normally would do), I actually commiserated with Frankie and her want to stand-out, yet fit in, at the same time (It is a tough feat, let me tell you).

Although the setting is high school, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is about life. It's about overcoming obstacles no matter what class you are in. It's about realizing there are some differences between social classes, whether we like it or not. It’s about fitting in, while still being independent. It’s about taking chances, without being completely reckless. It’s about breaking down barriers, instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you. Frankie is a role model, not just for young girls, but for women of all ages.

Is she perfect? No. She makes A LOT of mistakes (most teenagers do though…). She is judgmental. She is sometimes selfish. And there are times where you as a reader will want to shake her and say “Grow up! The world is not just about you!” But isn’t that so real? Frankie is such a real girl, wanting to be proud of her womanhood, but still desiring to keep up with the boys. She wants to be liked, but doesn’t feel she needs to be taken care of. She wants to be self-reliant, but have a support system. It’s so true to life (at least in the emotional aspect). These are emotions so many women grapple with.

Parent/Teacher Advisory: Frankie and her friends are fans of pranks (aka they like to cause a little trouble). Adults tend to not like this kind of behavior (and sometimes with good reason), but it is noteworthy that there are consequences to Frankie’s rebellious actions. The book also includes teen drinking and sexual behavior. It’s pretty tame and must less suggestive than Gossip Girl, but the behaviors are still present.

Overall recommendation: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is a fun book. It deals with a lot of emotional questions and that is wonderful, but the best part about it still is that it is a good story. The characters are funny and memorable (There is actually an alpha-male they call Alpha—hilarious!). The plot moves quickly. You will totally love/hate Frankie all the way through (a sign of a really good/deep character). I highly recommend it. If the girl power message doesn’t entice you, then the pranks, the humor, and the secret societies should. I can see some people not loving the ending, but if you think about it long enough, it was the best ending the author could have chosen (Others would have been more dissatisfying. Trust me; I went through several). Give it a try ladies, you won’t be disappointed!