Frankie and Amelia

September 15, 2021
A cat in need of a home finds a girl in need of a friend. Franklin, a massive Maine coon cat who's been homeless since he was accidentally separated from his person, finds a temporary new home. Franklin is persuaded to come inside by Chester, the therapy dog for Gus, an autistic boy who has seizures--a duo readers met in McGovern's Chester and Gus (2017). Cat allergies mean Gus' folks can't be Franklin's forever family, but he's optimistic about Amelia, Gus' classmate. Amelia adores cats, but Gus is her only friend. She's an anxious kid, sometimes bullied and sometimes mean herself (once, she's quite racist about a Korean American classmate's food). Her parents pressure her to be a mathlete, but though she's good at arithmetic, Amelia struggles with other types of math and hates being on the team. Conveniently, Franklin can communicate with her (what initially seems like realistic interspecies communication becomes a psychic bond), and he coaches her. Because of Chester, Franklin's learned that you need to act like a friend to have friends. Amelia's mother explores whether Amelia might have autism, though differently expressed than in mostly nonverbal Gus, while Franklin convinces Amelia to go back to mathletes. Outsider points of view are common in novels about autistic people, but a pet narrator who says that autism's not shameful because autistic people just behave like cats is not quite the empowering message it's intended to be. Main human characters read as White. Representations of autistic kids' friendships are valuable, but this is not the cat's meow. (Fiction. 9-11)

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November 5, 2021
Grades 4-6 A sweetly rendered story of friendship and finding your place, this tale brings together an independent cat and a girl, both unwittingly in need of each other. When Chester, the ever-watchful service dog, spies a Maine Coon who's been separated from his first family, a new adventure is about to begin. Chester loves his person, Gus, and this helpful pup knows someone who'd make the perfect person for Franklin--Amelia. Gus and Amelia are classmates who experience life on the spectrum, and readers will gain a vicarious understanding of their day-to-day challenges, frustrations, and successes with each page. McGovern creates natural conversations between not only Chester and Frankie but also between the animals and their persons, adding wisdom and humor to this gentle narrative. A companion book to Chester and Gus (2017), it stands on its own, developing Franklin's journey and sharing the trajectory for Amelia's future. A recommended read for young animal-lovers and those looking for an authentic experience of neurodiversity. A small gem of inclusiveness!

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