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Summary: Frank's Life is Funny should be read by parents first
Review: Frank's Life is Funny is well written and certainly represents a particular slice of life in an exact and honest way. As a school librarian, however, I am concerned that many reviewers have recommended this book for grades 7 and up. A parent complained that this book was too mature for her 10th grader, when that is the level at which I would place this book. While it is easy to read, the graphic language and descriptions may be best suited for high school students. I do believe that this book belongs in libraries, but I would caution parents to read the book and open up meaningful dialogs with their children.
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Summary: last stop, brooklyn
Review: I am a professional social worker and I work in NYC schools. This book was masterfully accurate. It was tough and real, and most impressively, full of hope. These characters learn that they can trust themselves, trust eachother and reach for the stars. Everyone should read this book. Everyone will love this book.
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Summary: Good Stories; Bad Language
Review: I found this book very interesting and true to life. It dealt with real teenage problems and held my interest. I would recommend it for grade 8 & up, as it has a lot of bad language and some content that should probably not be read by anyone under the age of 13. If you are under 13 then ask your parents to approve it first because my parents did not appreciate me reading it.
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Summary: it touched me
Review: i have read this book 6 times because i truly do love the story. it shows you how no matter how bad or good you have it out there, you are still going to have problems and it shows how other teens deal with theirs. you meet a group of teens and children from brooklyn who in a way all connect through themselves. you have gingerbread and keisha who fall in love, sam and grace who are models and are beautiful, sonia who is a muslim girl just trying to make her parents proud, ebony whose father is a jerk, drew whose parents fight nonstop, china who is just trying to get through life with her friends, linnette whose brother and best friend died at the age of ten, eric who is justs trying to keep his little brother mickey, safe and molly and her pregnant sister monique whose mother is messed up.the life of a teen is a hard life indead and sometimes it takes a second look at it to realize that you dont have it as bad or good as you may think. **i would recomend this book only to someone very mature, because of the content of the story**
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Summary: Wonderful
Review: I read this book for the second time last night (the first time I read it I was up til 2am) and it made me teary again. The people are completely lifelike, and I feel as if I know them. I would love to see a sequel with these or other kids, written only by E.R. Frank. Read this book, no matter how old you are. I'm bringing this with me when I go back to college, that's all I can say. (and, of course, being from Montclair makes it all that much cooler)
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Summary: Is there a lower rating than 1 star?????
Review: I think this book is AWFUL. I teach an afterschool English Language Arts program for inner city African American students. I found this book after searching for contemporary titles my students could relate to. And while it's true the characters are raw, edgy and some could be taken straight from my classroom, this books serves no higher purpose than illustrating the character's stuggles and frustrations. My students don't need illustration on how awful life is, they live it every day. They need ways to cope with what's happening in their lives and something to inspire them. I'm thankful I read the book before I decided to read it to my students, which will never happen.
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Summary: READ THIS BOOK!
Review: I'm surprised that this book hasn't won an award of two. The writer's ear is simply amazing. Accurately capturing the language of a specific generation, at the same time, she makes music. Her characters are not the cliches of so many "ghetto" books and films. They go beyond stereotypes as they make the reader cry for them and laugh out loud. What a wonderful book. How sad that parents will keep it out of their eager reader's young hands because of language that is simply honest. Don't they know their children have heard it all before? When will parents understand that honesty, compassion, and a setting a noble example will do so much more for their children than censoring their reading?
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Summary: It's great!
Review: It's a great book, and I'd recommend it highly!....to everyone 13 and over, that is. It has a lot of language, and some inappropriate things for 12 year olds. But for TEENS, this is an incredible book. Full of life, straight to the point, and something they can relate too. However, I do think Sonia's life is way too strict for any Muslim girl, but that's the way the author put it, but it's fine. Read this book!
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Summary: Gritty and Believable
Review: It's rare that a novel can really look into the minds and lives of teenage characters. I expected a cliche novel about cliche subjects but found a gem in Life is Funny. There are no happy endings or true resolutions which is what real life is and it really is funny when you look at it.
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Summary: Life is Funny by Frank should be read by parents first
Review: Life is Funny by Frank is well-written and does contain an accurate description of a slice of the population. Unfortunately, if your family is not a part of that particular slice, you may find the language too graphic for your children. Many reviewers have pegged this book for grades 7 and up. As a school librarian, I believe that for many families the level is placed too low. I would recommend this book for 10th graders and up. So, parents, read this book before or with your kids, and let it open up some frank discussions between parent and young adult. It is a well crafted book, but I have had parental complaints about language and graphic descriptions. The book does indeed belong in libraries. I, as an adult, found it to be worth reading, and it kept me interested.
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