The Day I Got Trapped in My Brain
Frankie Finkleton’s world is a very busy one. She’s a typical eleven-year-old with a loving family and lots going on at school. Frankie also has a sideline as a very secret investigator and from time to time goes on adventures to an imaginary world called Thoughtopolis with her younger brother Fred and her dog Blue.
Huberman’s narrator Frankie is lots of fun to spend time with, she’s smart and kind and full of hilarious observations about the weird obsessions of grown-ups. The illustrations by Katie Kear really bring Frankie’s worlds, both real and imaginary, vividly to life. Thoughtopolis, the imaginary world in Frankie’s brain, is initially a delightful escape from her real world worries, full of wonderful creatures and lots of groan-inducing puns but eventually the real world encroaches upon Frankie’s fantasy sanctuary and she must confront what is going on in her life.
Frankie has a very big secret, something that has caused her to distance herself from her parents and her school friends. She has difficulty keeping up with school work and has become the target of sniggers from the school mean girls. Frankie’s very big secret doesn’t get revealed until the end of the book and this secret provides a very sharp change in tone. This is a book with a lot of compassion and important things to say about the power of love and family bonds. It may break your heart a little but it will also mend it again.
