The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley by April Stevens

Frances is a very special girl. She thinks deeply about things. She adores being outside even in very cold weather. She loves to observe nature. She has lots of questions about the world and she loves to learn new things. Her discovery of the World Book Encyclopedia is just perfect.

"They were impossible to put down. The color photos, the short paragraphs, about absolutely everything.While she could have sat at her family's big computer in the living room and probably found all this stuff, having the books to hold while she was up on the rocks made them especially perfect. Plus when she looked on line, there was too much information for her to sort through. In a book it was more pared down and not so overwhelming."

You might imagine Frances would enjoy school.  She does love her teacher Mr Stanley but the reactions of the other kids to her intelligence can be harsh.  Then things become more complicated when a new boy arrives. He seems to be even brighter than Frances and worse, the teacher is giving this boy all of his attention.

I guess you could say Frances 'dances to her own beat'.  She adores people like Margaret Mead and needs to be outside on her rocks not stuck inside where things are also hard, especially with Christinia.  Her relationship with her sister has become so difficult. They don't speak to one another at all. Her sister says she hates Frances. I found this aspect of the story heartbreaking. Frances does not understand why her sister is unkind and so different. Luckily Frances does have one very special friend - the bus driver Alvin. He is a keen reader and library user and he loves to discuss facts and philosophy with Frances. Every day she sits behind him on the bus.

"Alvin was different from any other grown-up, and at times she didn't even view him as one. He was just her friend. The only person who Figgrotten felt really understood her. The truth was, he was like that with all the kids, respectful of their true natures."

Did you read the name 'Figgrotten' in this quote.  Frances has decided to rename herself - Figgrotten.

"Her real name was Frances Pauley, which she felt didn't suit her, so she put all sorts of words together, backward and forward. Once "fig" and "rotten" rolled off he tongue together that first time, it stuck. And from then on she thought of herself not as Frances but as Figgrotten, adding the extra g because that's the growly way it sounded to her."

Frances spends hours each day up on some rocks near her house. "Some people hate being alone. Some people like it. I like it a lot' ... It was when she was around people that the feeling of being alone was a problem. The feeling of not being quite part of a group was not the best."

I love the words of wisdom from Alvin:

"Alvin do you like to be alone or do you like to be around people? 
Both. Everyone needs both. Solitude and friendship."

"Never forget that everyone needs plenty of understanding. Just as you do. Just as I do. People are very different, but they are very, very similar too."

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

One day Alvin is not on the bus. The world that Frances knows, and relies on, starts to spin out of control.

You can read chapter one on the publisher web site where you will also find an audio sample. This book moved me to tears. In fact I cried and cried. I would pair The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley with Junonia by Kevin Henkes and Jubilee by Patricia Reilly Giff.

If you read this book with a class there are some excellent character descriptions you could explore:

James - "Everything seemed to hang from him a bit: his dark brown hair and his jacket and even his jeans. He wore black-rimmed glasses that looked a bit big for him... "

Frances - "Figgrotten did not even try to manage her own hair, as it was not that kind of hair. It felt like dry grass, and after a bad experience with a burr once, she kept it shorter and most often wore a hat. It was one of those hats with the earflaps that hung down. She wore it not only to cover her hair but also because when she wore it she felt snappier."

Mr Stanley - "came into the room that morning dressed in his usual snappy outfit. Purple vest, grey tied, button-down shirt. And his shiny brown shoes that made a wonderful clean clicking noise as he walked."

Author April Stevens’ carefully crafted, beautiful prose imbues this tightly plotted, engrossing tale with weighty themes that neverfeel heavy-handed or preachy. The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley sings outheartfelt truths about Stevens’ quirky and genuine characters, who will resonate deeply with lucky readers. BookPage

A moving depiction of unique characters, grief, and the benevolent power of forgiveness.

 Kirkus Star review

FRANCES PAULEY is an exceptional book. Stevens has created the sweetest and most compelling heroine and has told her tale with such grace and beauty. Figgrotten is full of wonder and tenderness but her sadness and anger feels so very real. Grief, friendship, family, self-acceptance, and the joy of nature; FRANCES PAULEY packs it all into a short, thoughtful, emotional, and splendid novel. KidsReads