THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS

Here is a fun poke at fancy preparatory schools, their fancy-schmancy pedigrees, and the students who attend them. Tanya Eby Sirois is a great vocal match for the offbeat, unpretentious Frankie Landau-Banks, who takes on the status quo at her private school and proves to be the alpha-female of the old boy secret society The Bassett Hounds. As Sirois portrays Frankie’s transformation from skinny, near-invisible kid sister to the ever-so-noticeable "it" girl, her inflections, especially of sarcasm, are just right. Characterizations are also well done for boyfriend Matt and the pretentious Alpha Dog. Although rich, spoiled, and pampered, these teens are the same as any other: impractical, daring, and fun to listen to while they pull pranks and cause commotion—simply to prove they can. D.L.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]