Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Frankie & Bug
Gayle Forman · 2021
78/100
👍 Worth It
Gayle Forman brings her adult-fiction compassion to middle grade and it shows — the friendship at the center of this book is warm and specific, and the 1980s Los Angeles setting gives the trans and LGBTQ+ storylines historical texture rather than feeling preachy. The fictionalized serial-killer thread is mild but parents of younger or sensitive readers should preview it. A New York Times Best Children's Book for good reason.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety60
substance80
craft82
originality78
accuracy82
hype80
age-fit70
human-eye82
Penny’s verdict78
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