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Fran Ellen's House
When Fran and her brother and sisters reunite with their mother after living with foster families for two years, Fran has a difficult time adjusting to her new life.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2026
Fran Ellen's House (1987) is Marilyn Sachs' sequel to her depressingly painful but also beautifully, gloriously realistic 1971 middle grade novel The Bears' House, and that I do indeed appreciate Fran Ellen's House having no accompanying illustrations (about how almost ten year old and living in a disrupted and dysfunctioning home Fran Ellen Smith finds solace, love and comfort but also experiences rather a relinquishing regarding her sense of what is real and what is make-believe by pretending being card for by the toy figurines of the Three Bears residing in her teacher's, living in Miss Thompson's dollhouse). And in Fran Ellen's House, Sachs' plot (which again presents realistic settings and characters but is definitely not nearly as depressing and as shattering as the first novel) shows how two years have elapsed since the events of The Bears' House, with he family having been separated and the five Smith siblings living with different foster families (which was precisely what the older siblings, what Fletcher, Florence and Fran Ellen were fearing would happen and were futilely attempting to prevent in The Bears' House, namely family separation).
So when Fran Ellen's House begins (in August as the first chapter says), the Smiths are shown by Marilyn Sachs as finally reunited, with the mother, with Mama taking regular medication for her depression (although she is still quite emotionally fragile as well as being prone to exhaustion and headaches), with Fletcher doing very well in school and having a job, with Florence still kind of stuck-up and also hugely into boys and using nail polish and how Fran Ellen tries to reconstruct the old balance, where the youngest, where Flora almost felt like her own child (and was always wanting to be picked up and cuddled by Fran Ellen) but that Flora (who is now three years old) has unfortunately in those two years of foster care pretty much forgotten her older sister, totally prefers seven-year old Felice (and seems almost scared of Fran Ellen) but also massively misses and is always pining and crying for her foster home (and with Fran Ellen who is now twelve years old just like in The Bears' House being presented by Sachs as the first person narrator ably and mostly relatably, although I do think that in Fran Ellen's House her voice is not quite as strong and that I do find Fran Ellen's often negative and judgmental attitude toward Felice more than a trifle infuriating, but that this is kind of forgiven when she helps and advises her little sister regarding how to deal with classroom bullies and tells Felice that she needs to stand up for herself and fight back).
Now the dollhouse of The Bears' House, which was given to Fran Ellen by Miss Thompson, by her fourth grade teacher, but which she sadly could not take along to her foster families (since they always and categorically refused to allow this although it is also never explained exactly why), this had been stored at a children's shelter and is returned to Fran Ellen and her family in majorly rough shape (with parts of the dollhouse broken, with the Three Bears having dirt and scratches on them and that Goldilocks and much of the furniture are in fact missing and nowhere to be found). Thus Marilyn Sachs' words show a pretty rough (and even potentially problematic) beginning for Fran Ellen's House, how Flora ends up being returned to her foster family since she misses the Carters too much and with her constant and inconsolable crying simply being too much for Mama to emotionally be able to handle (at least at present) and that Fran Ellen also lashes out whenever Felipe tries to approach her and is wanting to play with her sister and also with the dollhouse (with Fran Ellen both nastily calling and thinking of her sister as fat and stupid, so both silently and also within Felipe's earshot). And yes, in Fran Ellen's House, our main protagonist, Fran Ellen Smith, she is at first depicted as being fiercely protective of her returned and dilapidated dollhouse, but since Felice at the age of seven is actually both the right age for playing with a dollhouse and also persists with providing very good ideas for it, her older sister is thankfully and appreciatively (although also realistically a trifle begrudgingly) presented as relenting and how Fran Ellen starts both slowly warming up to her sister (including doing the above mentioned help with bullying issues) and also to Felipe helping with restoring and playing with the dollhouse (and that by Christmas in Fran Ellen's House, everyone in the Smith family, including Mama, has been shown by Sachs as in fact having helped with repairing and restoring the dollhouse and that Fran Ellen herself also now albeit still a bit sadly accepts that Felipe is and should be the dollhouse prime caretaker and custodian, that the Three Bears and the dollhouse are thus more for her sister now and not so much anymore for Fran Ellen, who is indeed kind of outgrowing all of this).
Not as hard-hitting and as such equally not nearly as depressing as The Bears' House is Fran Ellen's House (and with an ending that is still a trifle open, but is also hopeful even though one does feel a bit of emotional pain for Fran Ellen basically having to relinquish the stewardship of the Three Bears' and their dollhouse to Felipe, to her younger sister). But yes, what Marilyn Sachs textually provides in Fran Ellen's House, this is in my opinion and definitely a more than worthwhile sequel to The Bears' House (and that the only reason why my rating for Fran Ellen's House is three and a half but not yet quite four stars is that the scenario with the shoplifting feels somewhat tacked on, as coming out of the proverbial blue so to speak and that the school science project of Fran Ellen's House where Fran Ellen brings two cockroaches to school that then become breeding class pets named Romeo and Juliet is really delightful and funny, is in fact truly neat and shows a lot of promise but ends up kind of fizzling out, that this should most definitely be expanded on by Sachs).
So when Fran Ellen's House begins (in August as the first chapter says), the Smiths are shown by Marilyn Sachs as finally reunited, with the mother, with Mama taking regular medication for her depression (although she is still quite emotionally fragile as well as being prone to exhaustion and headaches), with Fletcher doing very well in school and having a job, with Florence still kind of stuck-up and also hugely into boys and using nail polish and how Fran Ellen tries to reconstruct the old balance, where the youngest, where Flora almost felt like her own child (and was always wanting to be picked up and cuddled by Fran Ellen) but that Flora (who is now three years old) has unfortunately in those two years of foster care pretty much forgotten her older sister, totally prefers seven-year old Felice (and seems almost scared of Fran Ellen) but also massively misses and is always pining and crying for her foster home (and with Fran Ellen who is now twelve years old just like in The Bears' House being presented by Sachs as the first person narrator ably and mostly relatably, although I do think that in Fran Ellen's House her voice is not quite as strong and that I do find Fran Ellen's often negative and judgmental attitude toward Felice more than a trifle infuriating, but that this is kind of forgiven when she helps and advises her little sister regarding how to deal with classroom bullies and tells Felice that she needs to stand up for herself and fight back).
Now the dollhouse of The Bears' House, which was given to Fran Ellen by Miss Thompson, by her fourth grade teacher, but which she sadly could not take along to her foster families (since they always and categorically refused to allow this although it is also never explained exactly why), this had been stored at a children's shelter and is returned to Fran Ellen and her family in majorly rough shape (with parts of the dollhouse broken, with the Three Bears having dirt and scratches on them and that Goldilocks and much of the furniture are in fact missing and nowhere to be found). Thus Marilyn Sachs' words show a pretty rough (and even potentially problematic) beginning for Fran Ellen's House, how Flora ends up being returned to her foster family since she misses the Carters too much and with her constant and inconsolable crying simply being too much for Mama to emotionally be able to handle (at least at present) and that Fran Ellen also lashes out whenever Felipe tries to approach her and is wanting to play with her sister and also with the dollhouse (with Fran Ellen both nastily calling and thinking of her sister as fat and stupid, so both silently and also within Felipe's earshot). And yes, in Fran Ellen's House, our main protagonist, Fran Ellen Smith, she is at first depicted as being fiercely protective of her returned and dilapidated dollhouse, but since Felice at the age of seven is actually both the right age for playing with a dollhouse and also persists with providing very good ideas for it, her older sister is thankfully and appreciatively (although also realistically a trifle begrudgingly) presented as relenting and how Fran Ellen starts both slowly warming up to her sister (including doing the above mentioned help with bullying issues) and also to Felipe helping with restoring and playing with the dollhouse (and that by Christmas in Fran Ellen's House, everyone in the Smith family, including Mama, has been shown by Sachs as in fact having helped with repairing and restoring the dollhouse and that Fran Ellen herself also now albeit still a bit sadly accepts that Felipe is and should be the dollhouse prime caretaker and custodian, that the Three Bears and the dollhouse are thus more for her sister now and not so much anymore for Fran Ellen, who is indeed kind of outgrowing all of this).
Not as hard-hitting and as such equally not nearly as depressing as The Bears' House is Fran Ellen's House (and with an ending that is still a trifle open, but is also hopeful even though one does feel a bit of emotional pain for Fran Ellen basically having to relinquish the stewardship of the Three Bears' and their dollhouse to Felipe, to her younger sister). But yes, what Marilyn Sachs textually provides in Fran Ellen's House, this is in my opinion and definitely a more than worthwhile sequel to The Bears' House (and that the only reason why my rating for Fran Ellen's House is three and a half but not yet quite four stars is that the scenario with the shoplifting feels somewhat tacked on, as coming out of the proverbial blue so to speak and that the school science project of Fran Ellen's House where Fran Ellen brings two cockroaches to school that then become breeding class pets named Romeo and Juliet is really delightful and funny, is in fact truly neat and shows a lot of promise but ends up kind of fizzling out, that this should most definitely be expanded on by Sachs).
April 24, 2018
I enjoyed reading this book this semester because it portrayed the harsh realities some children experience. I think this would be a great book to read to students to allow them to connect with a character who may be going through the same issues (low socioeconomic status, feeling lost, etc.). It also allows other students to see into the lives maybe their peers are experiencing. Additionally, this book is a great story of redemption. When read after the Bear's House, students can discover amazing character development like how Fran becomes so independent and matures.
April 20, 2016
This book is a wonderful continuation to The Bear's House. We got to continue the story of Fran Ellen and see her grow up from the mixed up little fourth grader taking care of a baby to the young independent girl she has become. As the reader, we get to see her mentor her younger sister that she used to hate and move away from the crutch of the bear's house. We also get to see the whole family grow and come together. I loved this book!
April 21, 2021
This book is the sequel to "The Bear's House" and continues the story of Fran Ellen and her family. This book provides a powerful perspective of a young girl growing up and learning to move on when changes in her family and childhood adventures occur. I would use this book in the classroom as a read-aloud paired with grand discussions talking about Fran Ellen's interactions and experiences.
December 12, 2021
This is a great book to discuss hard topics with your students! Discuss what broken families can look like or what it could look like coming from a less privileged home! This could be a great book for students to relate to their own lives.
March 21, 2016
These are a bit harsh for me. I liked them, but only sort of. They are of that "harsh reality" genre that leaves me a little flat.
February 26, 2019
This was just an OK book. Not as good as The Bear’s House.
December 11, 2017
Wow! What a story of redemption and second chances. The story has an overall theme of restoration and hope. It was interesting as a reader to analyze the Bear's House in this story and to see how it was different from the Bear's House in the story, The Bear's House.
December 2, 2019
(Sequel to the Bear's House) This book uses the house as a metaphor for the current state of Fran Ellen's real family. It is a powerful metaphor.
January 1, 2020
Very sad
December 13, 2011
Great book, loved you reading it to us in class. Would be great for the classroom.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews