Hi, my name is Phoebe. I am in Year 5 in Mr Biddle's Class, and I read Frankie's World by Aoife Dooley. This book is about a girl who is called Frankie. She doesn't process the world the same as most other people and this is because she is autistic. She lives with her sister Abbey, who is six, her Mam and step-dad, Jerry. Also, she has her very best friend, Sam. They don't really have many friends but one thing they do have is each other! Frankie has special routines and habits, she hates her food touching and she doesn't do very well in social situations. Her Mam signed her up for karate (thinking it would be a good idea). It actually turned out it wasn't that bad. Frankie doesn't live with her real dad, she barely even knows him! Frankie was on a mission to find her dad throughout the book. Towards the end of the book she finds her dad and finds out that he's also autistic and also that she has a lot in common with him! One downfall she had was that her dad was the boyfriend of her bully's mum. (Frankie wasn't very happy about this.)
There were lots of things I loved about this book. One was that the only colours it actually uses are blue, orange, white and black. In the back of the book, it has all different ways to learn about autism and how to support people with autism. There are many ways to be empathetic and how to be a good friend. You can learn a lot about empathy by reading books. If autistic people are going through a tough time and you have some time to spare, let them talk to you and let them tell you how they are feeling. It costs absolutely nothing to be a real friend. A real friend would support you and cheer you on, not someone who would do the opposite. Just like what you would want other people to do for you. I love graphic novels and this is definitely one of my favourites. Not only that but lots of people in my class have read it and they all love it too. I think it is a book that is fun to read but also a book that has an important message about supporting other people.
Personally, I would rate this book a 10/10!! Also, I am looking forward to reading more books by this author and illustrator, Aoife Dooley. She has a lot of talent and that's a fact.
