Residing in Palm Harbor, Florida, I spend my days advocating for All Children's Hospital and The Children's Dream Fund and volunteering for several local schools. It is my hope that "Franky" and "Tommy" and possibly future books will make children AND adults think before speaking; learn before judging; and do the right thing. We can do amazing things if given the opportunity and support to do so.

Reviewed by Joy H. for Readers' Favorite

Franky is going on a field trip with his class today, and as mom is leaving for work, she reminds him of everything he needs to do and take, including his hated glasses. He starts thinking about all of the many names he’s been called because of those glasses, and even though it shouldn’t bother him at the age of 10, it did. Even reading books about good guys and heroes didn’t help; he could never be one because of the glasses.

Even though Franky was excited about this cool trip, the cruel treatment of his classmates on the bus and at the trip site ruined his excitement. He couldn’t do anything that didn’t result in embarrassment. As the trip continued, they ended up at an old jail and Franky was elated. But again, those feelings came to an end because of the teasing. Then the two main bullies in the class, in their wisdom, or lack of it, did something really stupid. Franky started thinking about all of the books he had read, and what he could do to fix the situation they were in. This would give him a chance to prove himself if he could pull it off, but that wasn’t what Franky was thinking. He only wanted safety for his fellow students and didn’t think about praise for himself. As his thoughts take action, does Franky’s solution work? Does he end up being the good guy and hero after all?

In this book in the Unusual Heroes Series, the author deals with peer pressure among classmates. To be different seems unacceptable to some students, and bullying and teasing is the way these students think is the way to handle it. This happens to so many young children and teens as well. Classmates can be so very cruel. The twist in this story helps students understand that they don’t need to be the best looking, most popular, or the biggest bully around to be important, or to be a hero. Studying, reading as well as caring about friends and classmates is what can make you the real hero or the good guy. I liked the message of this story because it teaches all kids a very important lesson about the pressures they face with others their age.