April Stevens

A quiet story about a memorable kid on the edge of becoming more self-aware. Frances Pauley calls herself Figgrotten though nobody else does (it reminded me of [b:George|24612624|George|Alex Gino|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423358952s/24612624.jpg|44165520] because the close third person narration describes the main character as she sees herself, not necessarily as the world sees her).

Figgrotten is beautifully (enviably) un-self-conscious when the story begins. She wears the same thing every day and just wants to be outside all the time observing nature. Her favorite person is the very old man who drives her school bus.

As the story unfolds Figgrotten/Frances changes significantly and believably into a kid who takes an interest in her appearance and children her own age. Her relationship with her older sister evolves from hostile to understanding.

There's a death in this story that made me tear up, but I don't think this is a book about dealing with grieving a lost loved one as much as it's a story about how young hearts and minds change in the tumultuous tween years.

This also kind of randomly make me think of [b:Jeremy Draws a Monster|6399392|Jeremy Draws a Monster (Jeremy and the Monster)|Peter McCarty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316636531s/6399392.jpg|6588089] because it's also about a creative but lonely kid who finds his way to friends by the end of the book.… (més)

I first encountered this author via a YA novel, but this, her first published effort, is most memorable and requires an adult sensibility to appreciate its delicacy and effective handling of acute depression on all the members of a family. Father Gordie has left his wife Augusta and high school senior son Henry. Elder son Mathew, who never bonded with any other family members, has been immersed in a life of complete solitude at college and graduate school for years. In what was apparently never a household of happiness, the schism wrecks all three and their home becomes a tomb of alienated, zombie-like protoplasm. The story is told from each point of view, and relief and recovery comes in the form of Bette Mack, a teenager Henry meets at a party. The language is precise and poetic, and for the family and for the reader, Bette's care is like blessed rain in a drought-stricken desert. This is a novel worth seeking out and owning.

Quotes: “It was easy looking back. I could do it all day, my mind like an old buried landfill.”

“On the second day he went through several bad hours thinking he should do himself in. He wasn’t sure what he was sticking around for. But the idea of being gone made him sad anyway, not necessarily because he’d miss anyone but because he couldn’t help thinking he’d sort of miss himself. His own face and his stupid jokes and the junkyard of thoughts in his head.”… (més)

Frances Pauley was not a typical eleven year old. She was more interested in nature and being outside than she was clothes, makeup and boys like the other girls. This fact drove a wedge between her and her older sister. Until one day, when they experience a tragedy that brings them back together.
The Heart and Mind of Fances Pauley is recommended for readers grades 4-6. The relatable and well formed characters are easy for children in this age group to identify with. The story touches on the serious topics of bullying, death and family dynamics in a child like manner.… (més)