Rockstar Book Tour: Spend the Summer with “Frankie & Bug” in Gayle Forman’s Middle Grade Debut

Title: FRANKIE & BUG
Author: Gayle Forman
Pub. Date: October 12, 2021
Publisher:  Aladdin
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 288
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

A touching story about friendship, found family, and loving people – and yourself – for who they are, Frankie & Bug is an incredible middle grade debut from renown author, Gayle Forman. Young readers are whisked away to a summer in Los Angeles at the end of the 1980s to join Frankie and Bug as they begin to come-of-age and find their way in the world.

As someone born in the late 1980s it’s a little hard to consider 1987 as the setting for a historical fiction story but that’s very much the truth here. Frankie and Bug tackles a lot of tough topics including racism, homophobia, and violent crime through this historically themed setting. Frankie & Bug tackles these tough topics in an incredibly natural way. The story is so beautifully well written that at times the characters and their stories almost felt real.

I loved this book and I recommend it for any middle grade reader – and those of us who are young at heart and wouldn’t mind a blast from our own past! The messages are timeless and at a time when our communities seem to become more and more divided, Frankie & Bug is a great reminder of what it means to love one another, accept one another, and be there for one another. Oddly perfect for those young readers who love stories about friendship and those who are budding true crime fans, Frankie & Bug is a must-read release for 2021!

About the Book

In the debut middle grade novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman comes a poignant and powerful coming-of-age story that follows a young girl and her new friend as they learn about family, friendship, allyship, and finding your way in a complicated world.

It’s the summer of 1987, and all ten-year-old Bug wants to do is go to the beach with her older brother and hang out with the locals on the boardwalk. But Danny wants to be with his own friends, and Bug’s mom is too busy, so Bug is stuck with their neighbor Philip’s nephew, Frankie.

Bug’s not too excited about hanging out with a kid she’s never met, but they soon find some common ground. And as the summer unfolds, they find themselves learning some important lessons about each other, and the world.

Like what it means to be your true self and how to be a good ally for others. That family can be the people you’re related to, but also the people you choose to have around you. And that even though life isn’t always fair, we can all do our part to make it more just.

Praise for FRANKIE & BUG

“I knew I would like Frankie and Bug from the moment I started reading it. What I didn’t know is how much I would end up loving it (a realization that hit me about halfway through the book, when it took a turn I didn’t see coming). This joyful, occasionally heartbreaking, deeply moving thrill ride through the 80s has it all: a mystery to solve, boy bands, and the tender surprise of new friendships. I didn’t want it to end.” (R. J. Palacio, bestselling author of WONDER )

“This wonderful, bighearted book has everything a bored eleven-year-old could ask for: from ice cream and roller-skating to tabloid murders and family secrets. After you spend the summer with Frankie and Bug and their colorful costars, you’ll want to go back to Venice Beach every year. Gayle Forman, please make me another!” (Raphael Simon, a/k/a NYT Bestelling author Pseudonymous Bosch )

“A beautiful and tender story about the discovery of a powerful friendship, starring two fantastic kids and one extraordinary family.” (Newbery Award-winning author Rebecca Stead)

* “Through Bug’s innocent perspective, Forman illuminates the pains and injustices suffered by so many, and readers will avidly watch this young girl stand up to skinheads and relatives, discovering that “family” are those who have your back, loving you without conditions, and allowing you to be who you are. The characterizations, setting, and messaging are genuine and heart-tugging, making this a must-read.” (BOOKLIST, starred review)

“During a summer of change and big realizations, Bug learns vital and sometimes painful lessons about the power of embracing her true self and meeting people where they are. Forman (We Are Inevitable) tenderly depicts a girl whose understanding—of identity, sexuality, and prejudice—is rapidly expanding, and whose chosen family provides a safe, loving space in which to navigate her experiences and learn to show up as an ally.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Readers interested in complex emotional development and relationships will appreciate each character’s subtle nuances. Superb storytelling.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Giveaway

3 winners will receive a finished copy of FRANKIE & BUG, US Only.

About Gayle Forman

Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and Elle in the US. Gayle Forman’s novel, If I Stay, was released as a blockbuster movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz in 2014. Her most recent YA novel is We Are Inevitable. Gayle lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.

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Tour Schedule

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