Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Francesca Spinelli's proactive mother has forced her to go to St. Sebastian's School for Boys, recently made co-ed by giving the girls a toilet. Francesca would rather go to the other school with her friends, instead of being stuck at Sebastian's with an unusual group of people, including:
Siobhan, her ex-best friend and infamous slut;
Tara Finke, feminist and activisit extraordinaire;
Justine, an accordian player;
Thomas Mackee, whose specialty is farting and teasing the girls;
Jimmy, over-friendly upperclassmen who terrifies younger kids simply by asking them questions and who's determined to make himself a fifth member of Francesca's family;
and Will Trombal, their surly prefect whom Francesca can't stop thinking about.

She thinks that's bad, but it gets worse when her mother succumbs to depression and lies in bed for months at a time. Too late, Francesca realizes that she is more like her mother than she realized, and that the family needs her to feel complete.

Australian author Melina Marchetta's second book is jam-packed with wit and poignancy. It will make you laugh over and over and tug at your heartstrings. SAVING FRANCESCA is nearly perfect; now it just needs a large fan base.