Bounce

June 1, 2016
Frannie Hudson, an anxiety-ridden 12-year-old white girl, is about to have the strangest Christmas of her life.First, her parents fly off to Jamaica for some surprise alone time on Christmas Eve, providing the perfect opportunity for Frannie's older brother and sister to throw the party of the century. Nobody seems to care that all Frannie wants is to have her family, horrifyingly insensitive and selfish as they may be, together for the holidays. But greater forces are at work here, and Frannie soon finds herself "bouncing," a la Scrooge without a ghost, from Christmas present to Christmas present. The difference is, she isn't invisible. At every stop along the way, Frannie becomes whoever belongs to the shoes she is filling--a farm girl, a pop star, a girl sailing with her father and brother in Tahiti, a girl whose brother has just died, and a homeless girl--and experiences their Christmases, their ways. (Just one, the pop star, is a person of color.) Unfortunately, just like many holidays, Frannie's story feels overdone. There is no middle ground here, no subtleties. Characters are either unfailingly kind or painfully cruel, though their circumstances vary. Predictably, Frannie learns important lessons about herself during each new homestay, lessons that are painstakingly, even insultingly spelled out. An over-the-top Christmas confection. (Fantasy. 10-13)

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October 1, 2016

Gr 5 Up-It's Christmas Eve, and 12-year-old Frannie Hudson's parents left her at home with her two older siblings in order to jet away on a Caribbean vacation. Carmen and Teddy are throwing an out-of-control party, exiling Frannie to her bedroom. She falls asleep, thinking things can't get any worse. Instead of waking up in her room the next morning, Frannie has "bounced" into another person's reality. She is thrust into the body of a country girl with a loving family who accept her without question. The preteen is totally confused but feels so much more at home than she ever did in her real life. At the end of each day, Frannie "bounces" into another person's life, from a pop star, to a girl sailing around the world with her father and little brother, to, most surprisingly, a girl she has seen being bullied at school. Each time she wakes up, the protagonist has to adjust to new surroundings and expectations. Instead of feeling alone and helpless, like she does in her normal life, Frannie rises to the challenge, and through being in other people's skin, she discovers the truth of who she is and what defines her. Shull uses the surreal narrative to explore the dynamics of family conflicts, taking Frannie on a journey in which she experiences emotions and situations that ultimately teach her to accept her situation but not let it define her. A somewhat unsympathetic narrator in the beginning, she grows more likable and even funny throughout. VERDICT Inspirational without being overly didactic. Hand this empowering novel to readers that need a boost of self-confidence.-Tara Kron, formerly at School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2017
Twelve-year-old Frannie's self-centered parents go to the Caribbean for Christmas and leave her with her terrible teenage siblings. She falls asleep wallowing in self-pity but wakes up in another girl's reality. As Frannie magically moves from life to life (pop star, sailor, homeless person), she gains insight. Short shift is given to Frannie's family, but the situations she bounces into will keep readers' interest.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)