Fleabrain Loves Franny

By Joanne Rocklin

A girl recovering from polio finds adventure through letters with a flea.

3.4/5 Goodreads · 237 ratings

288 pages· 49,899 words· Est. 7 hour read

$16.95Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1952 Pittsburgh, Franny Katzenback, recovering from polio, feels isolated and longs for adventure. Her unlikely companion, Fleabrain, a flea with a flair for words, takes her on imaginative journeys. As Franny navigates physical therapy and the challenges of her changed life, Fleabrain's friendship offers her a new perspective. Will their bond help Franny reconnect with her world and find her own strength? Discover a heartwarming tale of resilience and friendship in a time of struggle.

From the publisher

This gem of a novel takes place in Pittsburgh in 1952. Franny Katzenback, while recovering from polio, reads and falls in love with the brand-new book Charlotte’s Web. Bored and lonely and yearning for a Charlotte of her own, Franny starts up a correspondence with an eloquent flea named Fleabrain who lives on her dog’s tail. While Franny struggles with physical therapy and feeling left out of her formerly active neighborhood life, Fleabrain is there to take her on adventures based on his extensive reading. It’s a touching, funny story set in the recent past, told with Rocklin’s signature wit and thoughtfulness.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Words: 49,899
Reading age: 8–12
Audience: Middle Grade
Lexile: ~829L

Themes & topics

Books about friendship Books about bugs and insects Books about books and reading Books about Polio Books about vocabulary

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Serious Subject Matter

This book is primarily about the experience of a girl's recovery from Polio.

After the last page

Talk about it together

Franny’s biggest desire is to walk again, and she works really hard to make that happen. What have you worked really hard at?

Many words in Fleabrain Loves Franny have more than one meaning. For example, the word ‘great’ can mean powerful or wonderful, and the word ‘pedestrian’ can mean a person who walks or it can be used to describe something that lacks inspiration or excitement. What are other words that have more than one meaning?

Franny and Fleabrain perform all kinds of good deeds around the neighborhood when they’re out riding Lightning the horse together. What kinds of good deeds could you do in your neighborhood?

Inside the book

A peek between the covers

Good to know

Stories behind the story

What is Fleabrain Loves Franny about?

[It is] a story about a special girl, an inspiring book, and a brilliant (though unintentionally funny) flea.

Was your dog, Zoe, an inspiration for any of the characters in Fleabrain Loves Franny?

Yes! My new middle grade children's novel takes place in the 1950’s in Pittsburgh, during the worst polio epidemics of that era. Franny, my main character contracts the disease and can no longer walk. During her hospital stay she is introduced to the recently published Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and falls in love with the book, and, especially, the spider, Charlotte. She longs for a Charlotte of her own. Her wish is granted in the form of the brilliant and hilarious Fleabrain, her dog Alf’s flea. Alf, the patient and generous "host" of Fleabrain, is modeled after my good-natured and friendly Zoe.

What readers & critics say

Reviews

“Rocklin’s . . . rich depiction of 1950s Pittsburgh turns into a touching, imaginative whimsy . . .”

Publisher's Weekly

Critic

“Comedic and philosophical, readers will find multiple levels to enjoy . . . Rocklin includes an author’s note reflecting on polio and the disability issues, as well as offering a helpful bibliography and discussion guide, which will lend this title to social studies curricula. Useful and fun.”

School Library Journal

Critic

“Joanne Rocklin has brought into being perhaps the tiniest and most accomplished hero yet: a dashing, erudite, multilingual flea . . . moving and witty.”

The Wall Street Journal

Critic

“Fleabrain, scholarly and erudite, is pompous . . . and seems far too sophisticated for the intended audience. On the other hand, Rocklin perfectly captures the era of 1952 and creates a sympathetic, realistic character in Franny, who begins to accept her condition, rejoin her friends and even protest her school’s inaccessibility.”

Kirkus

Critic

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