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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (National Book Award Finalist) Kindle Edition

by E. Lockhart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 684 ratings
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The hilarious and razor-sharp story of how one girl went from geek to patriarchy-smashing criminal mastermind in two short years, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud.

* National Book Award finalist *
* Printz Honor * 

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:

Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau-Banks.

No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:

Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.

 
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    353 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  5. Publication date
    September 16, 2009
  6. Grade level
    7 - 12
  7. File size
    5984 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Over the course of one summer, Frankie Landau-Banks, a somewhat geeky girl with an unassuming nature, has developed into a 15-year-old with an attention-grabbing figure, a new attitude, and sights set on making changes at her elite boarding school in this novel (Hyperion, 2008) by W. Lockhart. The teenager also has a new boyfriend, a gorgeous senior who belongs to a long-standing secret society on campus—The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, known mostly for silly pranks and a history of male-only membership. With a witty, sharp, and intelligently scheming mind, Frankie manipulates the Loyal Order to do her bidding with pranks meant to make a political statement about the male-dominated and classist nature of the school. Tanya Eby Sirois adequately voices the characters. Frankie's personality is portrayed most effectively; some of the slang and the attitudes of the male characters feel forced. Telephone calls are relayed using special effects that are mostly convincing, and the segments that are told via emails are well conveyed and perfectly paced. Listeners will feel that they are a part of the teen's disreputable and humorous history. An overall fun listen that the author's fans are sure to enjoy.—Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In the summer between her freshman and sophomore years, Frankie Landau-Banks transforms from “a scrawny, awkward child” with frizzy hair to a curvy beauty, “all while sitting quietly in a suburban hammock, reading the short stories of Dorothy Parker and drinking lemonade.” On her return to Alabaster Prep, her elite boarding school, she attracts the attention of gorgeous Matthew, who draws her into his circle of popular seniors. Then Frankie learns that Matthew is a member of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, an all-male Alabaster secret society to which Frankie’s dad had once belonged. Excluded from belonging to or even discussing the Bassets, Frankie engineers her own guerilla membership by assuming a false online identity. Frankie is a fan of P. G. Wodehouse’s books, and Lockhart’s wholly engaging narrative, filled with wordplay, often reads like a clever satire about the capers of the entitled, interwoven with elements of a mystery. But the story’s expertly timed comedy also has deep undercurrents. Lockhart creates a unique, indelible character in Frankie, whose oddities only make her more realistic, and teens will be galvanized by her brazen action and her passionate, immediate questions about gender and power, individuals and institutions, and how to fall in love without losing herself. Grades 7-12. --Gillian Engberg

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002PEP4NM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 16, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 16, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5984 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 684 ratings

About the author

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E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart

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I am the author of We Were Liars, Genuine Fraud, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and a number of other novels. www.emilylockhart.com

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
684 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Aira
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully refreshing read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2009
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book. The title was not very enticing for me but I'm glad I did not judge a book by its title. I won't summarize the story as many have done so already.

The book is one of the best coming of age books I have read in a long time. It tells the story of Frankie and the changes that she goes through ages 14 to 16, laying the foundation for the young lady that she will grow up to be. The author sets the story in a prep school and we get a good insight into the life of students at these schools. She has developed her characters amazingly well and story is very realistic. You feel for Frankie and Alpha and all their friends.

I like that Frankie shared a good strong relationship with her sister. Frankie has a great sense of humor, is very smart but has her flaws as well. In fact all the characters have their flaws but they work to make the best of what they have. In the end, Frankie stands up for herself while learning some important lessons all women need to learn along the way.

The authors writing style is different and delightful. She seems to have a good grasp of a teen boy's mentality too. The plot is well woven and is air tight. The book is very refreshing and the author does a great job with the pranks Frankie pulls and they will make you laugh. Frankie is courageous, strong and an absolutely lovable person and this book is something I would definitely recommend that teen girls read.
One person found this helpful
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Monica S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Review
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2013
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Looking for a cool way to introduce feminism to young adults? Look no further than The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Frankie is one of the coolest female protagonists I have ever read. Attending a prestigious, previously all boy boarding school, Frankie causes lots of trouble. The moral of the story, and the motivation behind Frankie's actions, is that women can be strong and awesome! My one complaint-I wish Frankie wasn't hot. I know she does not really play into her curvy figure, but still. I wish she could have been a Hermione Granger (not Emma Watson, but real Hermione as J.K. wrote her!) However, I guess she kind of needs to be hot in order to interact with the boys the way she does, but I still wish that wasn't a part of the text. Also, she does maintain enough insecurities to make her likable and believable.
Looking at New Girl's Jess, quirky, female protagonists are becoming more and more popular. Frankie is not a stereotypical character in any sense, and this could be a great novel to focus on dynamic characters because we see Frankie grow and change-out of the shadow of Zada into a fierce, funny, and strong-willed girl. You could also point out the unique point of view, which I think really serves to set this text apart.
Lockhart's novel is fast paced, filled with plenty of adventure and mischief. At some times cliche- we have all read the story of the younger girl who gets hot and gets the guy. We know the stereotypes of girlfriends who are not quite true-blue. We know the story of the girl fighting to best the boys. Luckily, despite these things, Lockhart's Frankie is funny and unique enough to provide an interesting and fun read. Frankie is also special because she does care about how her actions affect others. It also makes you think, more than you might originally assume.
3 people found this helpful
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feffer
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed the book, except for the conflicting messages it sends about women.
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
**Review originally appeared on fefferbooks.com.**

I am really conflicted about The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Up until the conclusion, I was really enjoying it, but I am struggling with its attempt at a sociological message.

I love that Frankie is a smart, strong girl who speaks up for herself and has clearly defined interests. I was like that as a teenager, EXCEPT when it came to boys, and then I turned into a “whatever you want” girl. Looking back, I was miserable, and I wish I could go back now and teach my young self a thing or two. If I could make myself have read this book as a teenager and learned from it to, for gosh sakes, be myself around boys, I’d be really happy. And I would gladly pass this along to my daughter with the same hopes, EXCEPT:

I Hate (with a capital H) when women take the position that choosing to do traditionally “feminine” things, particularly having tried the alternative and finding that being “girly” is what one prefers, is somehow an invalid feminist choice. Wrong. Feminism simply means we insist upon the ability to make those choices, the same way men do, and it embraces them all. If a girl prefers to (paraphrasing here) “stay home and make crumbles instead of stand around with stupid boys drinking beer on a cold, dark golf course,” well, can you blame her? And yet, an undercurrent of shame and derision for such choices runs throughout the book, equating them with lack of intelligence or, more subtly, courage or integrity. Shame on any author, reader, or feminist who can’t think through the fallacy in this kind of logic. I found myself a little disgusted with this book, in the end–not because of the characters or the plot, but because of the subtle message hidden within: that only certain choices are “valid” for women.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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verónica
2.0 out of 5 stars Regular
Reviewed in Mexico on February 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Las recomendaciones eran demasiado buenas, pero no me atrapó, el personaje principal me parece extraño, y resulta algo aburrido
Hay mejores opciones de literatura YA
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Tanabrus
2.0 out of 5 stars Sinossi ingannevole
Reviewed in Italy on June 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
Mi aspettavo un libro differente.

Dalla quarta di copertina pensavo che Frankie sarebbe stata una sorta di Dr. Horrible di Whedon, una ragazzina che diventava un genio del crimine partendo dalla propria scuola e dalla propria quotidianità.
Magari condito con una ribellione femminista contro una società maschilista.

E invece niente.

Frankie è una ragazzina che vuole entrare a far parte dell'elite maschile della sua esclusivissima scuola (di cui fa parte il suo ragazzo), e per fare questa cosa invece impossibile si finge il capo dell'elite e via mail guida gli scherzi del club di elite.
E tutto per essere considerata di più dal suo ragazzo, e per poter entrare nel circolo dei "vip tra i vip" e snobbare gli altri come loro li snobbano.

Il tutto condito, per non farci mancare niente, da una completa assenza di introspezione psicologica e dall'impossibilità di provare una qualsivoglia simpatia nei confronti dei personaggi.

Peccato, la quarta di copertina mi era piaciuta.
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Lucy Parsons
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent !
Reviewed in Australia on January 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
The combination of sophisticated words, a gripping plot line and characters to fall in love with, meant that i could not put the book down! I loved it
One person found this helpful
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S. Marsden
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly disreputable tale.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2010
Verified Purchase
The bastard child of Attwood's `Handmaid's Tale' and the `Chalet School' series. Elements of mystery and adventure stories, mixed with a healthy dose of feminist reality pervade this teenage fable set in an exclusive American private school with a boys-only secret society at its heart.

Tired of being excluded from the inner workings of her new boyfriend's clique of alpha males, Frankie Landau-Banks succeeds in piercing their veil of secrecy and begins to shake things up for the staff and students at Alabaster Prep.

Lockhart's triumph is in having Frankie undo the corset of expectations, the gamut of aspirations and constraints that family, friends and communities lace women and girls up in, and demolish it eagerly. Frankie herself is not a self-conscious feminist, but rather a postmodern feminist faced with a less-than-modern boy's club.

Writing in deceptively accessible English, Lockhart relates a carefully subversive story that most teachers couldn't justify confiscating- but it might just start a revolution if the right people read it.The book's themes mean it is probably most appropriate for women and girls aged 12+, although it will probably speak more to those with life experience on their side, not least because of the wry, witty commentary from the book's 'narrator',who I strongly suspect is in fact an older Frankie.

With that in mind, I hope to see further instalments documenting her career and time at college emerge in years to come.
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Simon S
4.0 out of 5 stars Sanfter, sympathischer Feminismus für Teenies
Reviewed in Germany on April 20, 2017
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Ein schönes Buch, das mit einer sehr liebenswürdigen Protagonistin eine kleine, aber clevere Geschichte im "Boarding School Genre" erzählt. Ausnahmsweise mal nicht britisch sondern amerikanisch, womit man das Thema "Secret Society" anschneiden kann. Natürlich ohne direkt mit "Skull and Bones" Verschwörungstheorien um sich zu werfen, sondern harmlos und dem Publikum angemessen. Angenehm. Die, nennen wir es mal Ideen Frankies sind herrlich kreativ und brachten mich mehrfach zum Lachen. Fazit: Man muss nicht immer mit Fanfaren "Girl Power" schmettern, die subtilere Variante ist manchmal effizienter. Empfehlenswert, auch für Erwachsene sehr zum Schmunzeln.
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