Original Fake

Starred review from January 18, 2016
Cronn-Mills (Beautiful Music for Ugly Children) tackles guerilla art, gender norms, and sibling rivalry in a whirlwind of a novel, aided by comics panels from Johnson (The Outliers). Seventeen-year-old Frankie Neumann doesn’t feel like he belongs in his theatrical family, with a mother and father who impersonate Frank Sinatra and Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, respectively, and a hellion of a younger sister, Lou, who alternates between theater practice and co-opting Frankie’s belongings for herself. When Frankie is asked by his crush, Rory, and her skirt-wearing cousin David to help street artist Uncle Epic with his installations, he says yes, despite the late nights and resultant irritated parents. Just when Frankie finds confidence in his own art, Lou begins to unravel, threatened by her friends over a prank gone viral. Johnson’s bold black and orange illustrations spotlight key plot points and emotions, emphasizing Frankie’s view of the world and his budding affections for David. Cronn-Mills’s consideration of the intersections between art and family is striking and heartfelt. Ages 12–up. Agent: Amy Tipton, Signature Literary Agency.

February 1, 2016
Loner artist Frankie struggles with his family when he helps a street artist renowned in his hometown near the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Frankie's mom and dad are gender-bending amateur actors who own a cleaning business. Frankie's access to the company's trucks interests hot but mean Rory and her cousin David, who designs and wears skirts--and often deals with torment at school. Their uncle is clandestine guerrilla artist Epic, whom Frankie admires, and Rory and David propose that he help haul materials for Epic's installations. A series of late nights results in major trouble for Frankie at home, and his discovery of his sister's own illegal doings further complicates the already-abrasive relationship between the siblings. Frankie's working-class, white, arty family is convincingly depicted in this energetic offering. His mom and dad's obvious affection and worry for their kids is heartening, even as Frankie's sometimes guilty disdain for it will resonate with teen readers--though at times it's hard to believe their parents are so ignorant of their many antics. The pacing of the feud between Frankie and his sister goes on a little long, but a romantic subplot involving a sort of triangle among David, Frankie, and Rory is fresh and sweetly real. Inky comics washed and textured with bright orange are interspersed throughout--a fine embellishment in this distinctive, smart novel. (Fiction. 14-18)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 10 Up-Frankie feels like a lesser player in his quirky family of performers, so he jumps at the chance to join the crew of legendary street artist Uncle Epic. Thrilled with being a scofflaw and with the attentions of fellow crew member Rory, Frankie's desire to create pure art threatens his relationships with his family. There are many stories of teens losing perspective in the throes of first love but few where that love is of the freedom of artistic expression. The world of street art may not ring true, but Frankie's passion for it does, even as it blinds him to realizations readers will see signposted some ways off. Short bursts of sequential illustration render key emotional moments and provide visuals of the fictitious art with a reductive effect, making them less dramatic than if imagined. Which is a pity, as they and the characters are funny and crude-some shouted insults and sculptures are particularly anatomical-and should be given free rein to flourish. VERDICT An attempt to inject graphic novel stylings into an identity narrative comes off as a bit pat and conventional, especially when in a narrative about anticommercial individuality.-Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Frankie is an introvert in a family of extroverts. Every weekend, his mother dons a suit for her Frank Sinatraimpersonation act, his dad puts on a bustier as Dr. Frank N. Furter in a Rocky Horror stage show, and his sister just keeps on being an insufferable theater kid. All Frankie wants to do is make art . . . quietly. When a couple of his classmates, including Frankie's crush, Rory, recruit him to assist Uncle Epic, a Banksy-like street artist, it's just the excitement he needs, and it inspires him to creatively get some much-needed revenge on his peevish sister. Peppered with engaging comic bookstyle panels, Cronn-Mills' off-the-wall art caper offers insight into a brash, up-and-coming corner of the art world, with a refreshing matter-of-fact acceptance for unconventional choices. Though some of the characters fall flat and a few of the curiosities occasionally only seem like weird window dressing, Frankie's late-night art installations are often hilarious, and his growing sympathy for his sister is touching. Hand to readers looking for a lighthearted romp with an oddball atmosphere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Frustrated with his theatrical family, Frankie agrees to help a street artist construct subversive exhibits. After Frankie's bratty sister and her friends commit an armed robbery, Frankie exposes them through public sculptures, framing his sister as the whistleblower. Frankie's belief in art's truth and power is compelling, but he often comes across as pretentious and mean-spirited. Comics-style panel illustrations complement the novel's pop-art sensibility.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)