The 10pm Question

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Author(s)

Kate De Goldi

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Genre(s)

General Fiction

Age Range

12+

Release Date

September 28, 2010

ISBN

978-0763649395

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Frankie Parsons is twelve going on old man, an apparently sensible, talented boy with a drumbeat of worrying questions steadily gaining volume in his head: Are the smoke alarm batteries flat? Does the cat, and therefore the rest of his family, have worms? Will bird flu strike and ruin life as we know it? Is the kidney-shaped liver on his chest actually galloping cancer? Only Ma takes seriously his catalogue of persistent anxieties; only Ma listens patiently to his 10 PM queries. But it is Ma who is the cause of the most worrying question of all, the one that Frankie can never bring himself to ask. Then the new girl arrives at school and has questions of her own: relentless, unavoidable questions. So begins the unravelling of Frankie Parson's carefully controlled world.

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2 reviews

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.5(2)

Characters

4.5(2)

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4.0(2)

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Quirky and Charming

May 06, 2012

Overall rating

5.0

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I love love loved this book. Frankie is such an awesome narrator. He is young, which usually loses my interest, but incredibly clever and real. Being a worrier myself, I totally found myself rooting for him and hoping he would find a way to deal. The lists that he makes to calm himself down are something I can relate to as well. My lists aren't mental like his, but I do compulsively keep track of certain things (mostly to do with reading). I also sometimes write lists just for the sheer pleasure and soothingness of creating them.

Frankie is not the only character who is well-drawn. The whole cast feels completely real and full of life, from the big fat aunts to the dad called Uncle George by everyone (even though he's not an uncle) to the family cat (The Fat Controller) to the teacher at Frankie's school. Everyone has their own crazy quirks and I could connect with them all.

Part of the reason the story is so successful, despite having a rather contemplative plot, is the focus on the relationships between family and friends. De Goldi has captured how a family can be full of love and still be dysfunctional. While the story does have a bit of an overarching plot, it's not really what you think it is at the beginning and the resolution isn't momentous. This is a story of Frankie's personal journey to learn to understand himself and his family.

Everyone should read this. It is absolutely delightful! Fans of A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time should definitely check this out.

Christina Franke, Staff Top 10 Reviewer 677 reviews

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Heart-warming

April 30, 2012

Overall rating

3.7

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The 10pm Question is about a twelve year old boy, Frankie Parsons, who is in a constant state of worry. 'The Rodent Voice' is always nagging in the back of his mind, causing him to be a bit panicky. The questions range from diseases to batteries, but the most worrying question is the one which Frankie is afraid to ask. When the new girl starts asking questions about Frankie and his life, he gets even more freaked out. And when she asks the question that Frankie can't bring himself to ask, his controlled world starts to unravel.

This book focuses on family issues that some people have, and how their worlds like. Because Frankie's mum can't leave the house, it means that he has to grow up faster. This causes problems for his mind and his mind starts to collapse. With Sydney, she has deal with her mother who is on the constant move, and all the problems she brings with her.

The characters are well written and all have their own wonderful issues. The idea of this book is very clever and its full of emotion and tears. This is a great book with heart-warming scenes that want to make you cry, I recommend it to peopel who like realistic fiction.