It’s no wonder kids are afraid of Franny. She keeps bats, a giant tarantula, and a special breed of flying piranha in her
bedroom. She transforms her Barbie doll to “Chompolina”, who has a particularly nasty biting habit. She jumps rope with her pet snake. With all these quirks, how does a mini mad
scientist make friends? First, Franny observes all the “normal” kids in Miss Shelly’s class and takes notes. Pretty, non-biting Barbie dolls – check.
Play ball with wooden bat (not vampire bat) – check.
Soft, squishy, peanut butter sandwiches – yuk, but check.
Then she creeps upstairs to her laboratory and conducts an
experiment that will transform her body to look like an ordinary, everyday girl. As an added bonus, the book includes a section in which the reader can cut along the dotted lines and flip the pieces to simulate Franny’s change from "fiendish to fabulous" and back again. The monstrous results of Franny’s experiment will keep readers on the edge of their seats (or falling out of their seats with laughter). This is the first book in the creepy, but tremendously popular, chapter book series created by author/illustrator Jim Benton. It has a great message for kids: to accept people for whom they are...even if they happen to be a mad scientist!