Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Wight, Eric [Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers,2010] (Paperback) Reprint Edition

Frankie Pickle #1

by Eric Wight

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Wight, Eric. Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers,2010, Paperback Reprint Edition

Genres: Graphic Novels, Humor, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Chapter Books

Unknown Binding

First published May 5, 2009

About the author

Eric Wight is the author and illustrator of FRANKIE PICKLE, a new chapter book series published by Simon & Schuster. Prior to that, he was an animator for almost ten years for such companies as Walt Disney, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network. Wight's comic book adaptation of the AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY helped garner both the Harvey and Eisner Awards for Best Anthology, as well as the Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer, and his debut graphic novel MY DEAD GIRLFRIEND was listed among the 2008 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by YALSA. His artwork has also been prominently featured on such television series as THE O.C. and SIX FEET UNDER.

Reviews

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankie Pickle rocks. It is laced with satirically charged pop culture references; it has a protagonist who is almost as likable as Watterson’s Calvin; it has a Dad who’s at home in the garage as he is in the breakfast kitchen; a Mom of wisdom and coolness, and a pair of fair sisters who are cool in their own right. Plus, Frankie has a dog named Argyle.

His smelly lesson is what Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom is all about, though, and it rocks as much as he does.

This book is an excellent mix of comic graphics and prose, which is the perfect shift for boys and girls moving from storybooks to pre-teen books. Yet it didn’t blow me away. It was good. I liked it. I did, but it was more butterscotch than vanilla. And that’s nowhere near chocolate.

[Miloš & Brontë · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pa: So what did you think, Loš?

Miloš: I liked how he could move clothes with his mind, and I liked how he could clean up his room like that *snaps fingers*! And I liked how he cleaned up his room and said, "I should take a bath," and how at the end he was tired along with the baby boom, or just Lucy. And I liked how he, um, fixed GoGoRobo.

Pa: Did you like his family?

Miloš: Yeah! I liked Lucy. I liked Dad. I liked Mom. And Piper.

Pa: You're missing someone important. Who was his best friend?

Miloš: And I liked Kenny. How all he did was play music, to speak, that's what he did to speak.

Pa: But Kenny's not his best friend.

Miloš: Oh! I liked Argyle. I liked how in the dream he could surf. I liked how Argyle could stand up. I liked how Argyle helped him clean his room.

Pa: But can't everyone stand up?

Miloš: Mmmm,. Most dogs can't He's a dog.

Pa: Aaaah.

Miloš: He's a human. Why do you keep writing Pay?

Pa: I am writing, Pa.

Miloš: Oh. I see.

Pa: Was there anything else you dug?

Miloš: No. I said that's it. But it was a fun book too.

Pa: Okee Doke.

[Mohsen M.B · Rating 4 out of 5]

به عنوان کتاب کودک خیلی خوب بود، برای پسربچه‌ها هم هیجان‌انگیزه هم آموزنده

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Reality is for grown-ups!” This is a quote from a pirate-clad Frankie on the back of the book, and it perfectly expresses the scope and tone of Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom. Eric Wight’s comic creation is a celebration of the imagination, and each page ruptures with a laugh-out-loud sense of humor.

I picked the book up for my nine-year old son, Hunter, to read. I wanted to spice things up for him a bit. In the past couple of months he has read Harry Potters 4 and 5 and The Lightening Thief by Percy Jackson. He has really enjoyed all of them, but I didn’t want him to become daunted by reading such long novels all the time. I thought Frankie Pickle would be a nice break for him — a fun, light read. Well about an hour after I handed it to him, he was finished reading it, and he emerged from his room with a smile on his face, ready to tell me all about Frankie’s silly and fun adventures.

One of the really interesting and innovative aspects of the book is it’s format. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom is a mix of traditional chapters (pages filled with print) and illustrated pages that are written in a graphic novel/comic book format. As much as my avid reader loved it, it would be the perfect book for boys who may be leary of a traditional chapter book.

For a school assignment Hunter decorated a large tin can to look like Frankie Pickle, and then put ten slips of paper on the can that described Frankie. Here is what Hunter wrote:

•Frankie has a crazy imagination.
•Frankie doesn’t like cleaning.
•Frankie’s best friend is Kenny.
•Frankie’s dad likes baking.
•His mom let’s him get dirty.
•Frankie’s dog and sidekick is named Argyle.
•Frankie leaves a sandwich on his floor.
•Frankie’s sister likes sports. Her name is Piper.
•Frankie’s real name is Franklin Lorenzo Piccolini.
•Frankie’s baby sister is named Lucy.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hybrid graphic novel/chapter book is going to be just right to booktalk to 3rd graders who enjoy adventure books. Frankie Pickle is a boy with a lot of imagination and he's about to face his biggest challenge yet: cleaning his room! Lots of kids will identify with Frankie's struggle (he doesn't see the POINT in cleaning his room!) and laugh at his attempts to get out of cleaning.

The graphic novel sections add appeal and do not seem forced. Frankie is a kid who loves comic books and adventure stories, so the comic sections fit right in with his story.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anybody remembers the old Bobby's World t.v. show, this will be a walk down memory lane.

Kid's imaginations are amazing things. Using the world around them to create exciting adventures, especially when it concerns "cleaning your room".
Join Frankie Pickle as he sets off to deal with the closet of doom, aka what happens when you don't clean your room....Duh Duh Duh....

Good for reluctant readers; Quick read; cute story; fun; comic strip transitions of illustrations of Frankie from his imagination and reality;

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read with kids book. :) Half chapter book and half graphic novel, my tutoring kids adored it. Go lava monsters!

[Gideon · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT WAS AWESOME. it was so funny when he falls in to all of his junk.

[Kristy Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eli wouldn't let me put this one down.

[Jane Maple · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about an imaginative boy who imagines that he is an Indiana Jones character or fighting lava monsters. After breakfast with his Dad, older sister who is very into sports, and younger sister who is just a cute baby, he is about to head out to his friend Kenny's house to play a video game. His friend Kenny doesn't speak but often plays instruments over the phone to let others know what he is thinking.

Frankie is about to head out but is stopped by his mom "a laundry basket with legs" who tells him he has to clean his room. He goes off to his room imagining it is a jail cell and tries to clean but ends up playing instead. He wants to have super powers like the Dryer Sheet Fairy who drops off clean clothes in his room along with a dryer sheet. He tries to move clothes with his mind and when they seem to move he things it is working but it ends up being his dog Argyle who was hidden under the dirty laundry.

His mother finally decides to not fight him on this anymore and he can let it be as dirty as he wants but he must deal with the consequences. Of course Frankie is thrilled and immediately takes her up on her offer. He goes out to the kitchen and makes a mess in the kitchen making a sandwich. His older sister, Piper, warns him that mom will be mad which she is and makes it clear that their agreement only extends to Frankie's room and Frankie himself. Nonetheless Frankie is loving his new freedom until he steps on one of his favorite robot toys in the mess of his room and breaks the toys leg. He rushes to his dad to look for help. Dad reminds him that he has to live with his own consequences, but does give him the hint that Epoxy Glue would probably be useful. Frankie glues the robot's leg back on and so things are once again ok.

However Frankie begins to experience adverse consequences related to his messy room. First he can't get out of the door of his room in order to beat his older sister to the TV so she gets to watch her show. Next he is so smelly that his family avoids him during family game night. Then going to bed he can barely make his way into his room and their are towers of clothes and toys around him and he knocks over his lamp and is in total darkness. He then has a bad dream where he is getting overwhelmed by stuff from his past, present and future.

When he wakes up he decides it is time for him to clean. With his dog Argyle by his side, they thoroughly clean and organize the room. When the family awake they are impressed, but there is one more thing Frankie wants to clean. He goes off for a long bath. Now that he is clean he wants to head off to his friends house to show him a sandwich he found in his dirty room which is now more of a science experiment. The next he finds that while he slept the Drier Sheet Fairy has left him a Green Cape in his closet.

The book ends with a tutorial on how to draw Frankie and Argyle and a comic strip of Frankie taking care of his baby sister.

It is a cute story the only frustration I had was how much it made cleaning a mom thing (she is constantly cleaning in the story, introduced as a "laundry basket with legs." She is repeatedly the one who has to bug Frankie, father doesn't seem to clean or care if Frankie cleans. And she seems to be the alter ego of the Dryer Sheet Fairy. It's fine but a bit stereotypical.
Boys

[Jessica Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom is on my favorites shelf because it is a terrifically fun story about the wildly imaginative and vibrant Frankie Pickle and his adventure with not cleaning his room. Having argued with his mother about having to clean his room one to many times, Frankie is told he can do what he wants – he just has to live with the consequences. As the consequences become messier, stickier, more and more disorganized, dirtier, and finally STINKIER, Frankie learns a valuable lesson about bedroom cleanliness. This story is interspersed with illustrations supporting the text as well as sections written like a graphic novel that bring to life Frankie’s inner monologue and imagination. A fun fiction read best suited for 2nd and 3rd graders, this story has all the makings of a go-to for reluctant readers.

In a reading classroom, I would use this as a whole class-read aloud – a story to be read to students a chapter or two at a time while students listen and engage silently. Filled with humor, expression, dialogue and an engaging pace, this book is a great support and aid for children to experience the sound of fluency. If read by a student independently, this would be a great book to practice fluency and expression during small group or individual conferences. Reluctant (most likely boy) readers will enjoy the pace, humor, character perspective, and illustrations/graphic novel sections of this book. Lastly, Frankie Pickle has many more adventures to be enjoyed in other books making this a great gateway book for reluctant readers to find a character and style they enjoy.

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This easy-to-read series is the perfect way to help reluctant readers bridge the gap between graphic novels, (often written at a second grade reading level), and chapter books, which can be intimidating pages full of words. In these books Frankie has an active imagination, and whenever he's imagining that part is shown graphic novel style. The rest of the book has illustrations every few pages.

In this particular story Frankie's Mom is fed up with trying to get him to clean his room, so she agrees he can let it get messy as long as he accepts the consequences. At first he's super happy, but of course things eventually deteriorate and Frankie learns his lesson. This sounds pretty didactic but the story has a lot of humor and my 9 year old grandson liked it enough to check out all the other in the series out, too.

NB - The reading level of this series is about third grade and recommended for reluctant readers.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the past, it was easy to figure out what children's books fit where. Thirty-two pages that are 11 X 8 inches? Picture books. Thirty-two chapters of smallish print? Older middle-grade fiction. See? Piece o' cake. Then graphic novels had to come in and throw the whole system in the blender. At first it was easy to catalog them. You have comic book panels and speech balloons? In the new Graphic Novel section of the library you go. Then Captain Underpants came along and ruined everything. Wait . . you have speech balloons and long passages of text? Images and words mixing it up willy-nilly with nary a by-your-leave? Impossible! Inconceivable! But there it was. The result? Meet Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom. The first in a series, Frankie's books are the natural successor to Captain Underpants, stirring together pictures and words in a raucous melding that's bound to entrance reluctant readers, but still be enough fun to lure in hardcore comic book fans. Expertly penned with a wry sense of humor entirely its own, Frankie's a welcome addition to a difficult to define category.

It's the worst of all possible worlds. A beautiful day, video games to be played, and what does Franklin Lorenzo Piccolini (a.k.a. Frankie Pickle)'s mom tell him to do? Clean his room. Fortunately Frankie has a wild enough imagination to get him through anything. One gigantic robot fight later and his room isn't the least bit clean. In fact, it's worse! But instead of punishing him, Frankie's mom strikes a deal. He doesn't have to clean up his room, but whatever the consequences are, he'll have to deal with them himself. Frankie agrees readily, but soon the delights of filth turn out to have problems enough of their own.

When it comes down to the writing and the art, they both work but I'm probably more a fan of the latter than the former. Not that the plotting has anything wrong with it. Wight includes plenty of details that I've not seen done in a children's book before. While everything from Calvin & Hobbes to Harold and the Purple Crayon has used the motif of bringing a child's imagination to life, there are some ideas in here that are wholly Wight. For example, at one point Frankie falls through a veritable ocean of his own stuff. In doing so he is able to see all the stuff he might own in the past, present, and future. Other things I liked, a mock version of Dora the Explorer as the French Avril the Traveler ("Bonjour, mes amis!"). The rat sidekick in the beret is a nice touch. Or the robot with the catchphrase "It's Hammerin' Time". A pity it's not wearing Hammer Pants as well. Finally, any book that shows a clean room and then calls it "a museum of awesome" has my love.

Still, it's Wight's art that's the real draw. There's a clean-lined, almost angular style to it. Wight takes the time to shake up the panels, angles, and fonts when needs be. I'm also going to assume that it's not easy to constantly have to figure out where the written text, as opposed to the panel text, goes on a given page. In a comic book an artist has to be constantly aware of where the speech balloons and narrative appear. But at least the characters aren't constantly peeking out from behind a paragraph, or twisting to avoid a run-on sentence. On each page Wight has to constantly keep in mind where image gives way to text or text bows in the face of image. He makes it look easy, and it's not. There's some sophisticated work going on behind the scenes here.

Let's now talk about Frankie's mom. For reasons entirely of my own, Frankie's mom became my favorite character in the book (sorry, Argyle). Here's my reasoning on this. At one point in the novel Frankie pretends that he is defending the city against a malicious giant robot attack. Grateful Mayor Mom then enters the room and is wearing the greatest outfit of all time. It's kind of tiny, so you may miss it, but essentially she's decked out in a top hat, mayoral sash, and fishnet stockings. Between the grandmother in the Magic Trixie books sporting open toed leopard print boots and these stockings, children's literary fare is getting its share of eccentric outfitting. I have other reasons for enjoying the presence of Frankie's mom besides her son's strange interpretations of mayoral fashion, though. To look at her, Mrs. Piccolini is every bit the 1950s housewife, from her neat bob to her Capri pants. However, if you happen to take a close look at the family dynamics at work here, you'll see that it's actually Frankie's dad who does the cooking in the household. Woot!

I doubt not that in some libraries Frankie Pickle is going to get seriously confused with Magic Pickle (another great graphic novel series, only that one actually stars a real pickle). However, for those library systems in the know Frankie Pickle is going to find its fan base without any difficulty or confusion. For those kids in need of a transitional book between comics and novels, Wight provides. A good early chapter book, and fun to boot. Boys, girls, and small white well-read dogs will all be able to enjoy Frankie's adventure and hope that the future yields more. Real good.

Ages 7-10.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The liked the integration of graphic novel with Frankie Pickle having an Indiana Jones fantasy adventure and a real life as a boy with a beyond messy room and a real family. Frankie's active imagination create a very creative quest to locate an ancient artifact known as The Idol of the Morning Sun. But in real life he has to cope with the growing mess in his room and his parent's pressure to clean it up. As he allows his stuff to take over his room he suffers an unwanted consequence when one of his favorite robot toys gets broken underneath one of his piles in his room. A very creative twist that should ring true to many reading this book.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book on a whim for my son as I want him to start reading chapter books, but I wanted something with a few pictures and smaller chapters. This was perfect.
I chose it because it reminded me of Indiana Jones, a kid version. My son was hooked immediately even though the story centers around Frankie being a slob and learning to clean up after himself. It was great and I enjoyed it as well.
My son is begging for the second book. I'd say this book has done it's job in captivating the reader.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read and I can see kids liking it -- it's a good book for kids just getting used to longer books, with a split between comic sections depicting Frankie's imagination and his adventures as Pickle Man or other heroic characters and regular text showing his actual life with his family.

I was grumpy though because my kids had messy rooms and I figured it was their room so who cared, and they just had vaguely messy rooms. So the whole premise was a poke in the eye for my parenting technique. This of course has no relation to whether normal people would like this book!

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Miss 3 didn't like it. She adores Captain Underpants so I thought the comics might appeal but she found it jarring that he keeps having different mini-fantasies instead of the comics being consistent and more integrated.

Miss 3 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

79 pages. Fun graphic novel about a boy who has fantastic adventures in his bedroom that most definitely needs cleaning. When his mom gives him the ultimate to clean his room, he doesn’t comply. All kinds of things happen as a result. The story flips back and forth between regular text and graphic novel style plot moments. Kids will really enjoy the sarcasm and fun episode. I think boys will especially enjoy this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankie likes getting lost in fantasies. When his mom tries out a new strategy, he learns from the consequences of the mess he created and does an amazing job cleaning up one night. Great drawings and characters, fun story. Loved the dryer sheet fairy. Has instructions how to draw Frankie and Argyle, the dog. It's short, but would be a good choice as graphic novel/chapter book with lots of pictures.

[Fox Lake District Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

19 kids signed up for Radical Readers to read Frankie Pickle! They loved the comic book/chapter book style writings and the Lava monsters were a big hit! We discussed the pros and cons of cleaning our rooms.
For our craft we made our own Superhero masks and tried to think up our own superhero names just like Wonder Pickle.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half comic book and half regular text, makes it a bit different than other chapter books. I think there are only four or so in the series, so it’s not at the top of my recommendations, but a solid enough book.

Frankie hates cleaning, so his mom uses some reverse psychology, telling him he never has to clean his room. Chaos ensues. Frankie learns his lesson and cleans his room.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't normally read something like this, but I am trying to find a good, children's read alike for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. This is not it, but it good for what it was. This book is comedic book about Frankie and his woes with cleaning with little comics depicting Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 9-year-old loved this series. It's a fast paced chapter book/graphic novel combo - great for getting reluctant readers to consider the transition for GN to chapter books. It's definitely written for a young audience, but I found it amusing.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early chapter book. A mix of prose and comics.

Frankie Pickle spends a lot of time in fantasy worlds. In the real world, his mother gets sick of fighting him over cleaning his room and lets him leave it as messy as he wants. It doesn't go well.

[Stacey Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agreed with the book review of a good blend of graphic novel/early chapter book for a 2nd-3rd grade reader. Maybe this book convinced Jacob to do a better job cleaning his room and toys?

[Tomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that it had a lesson about picking up your room. The comic parts were my favorite.

[Dyck House · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for a reluctant reader, as it is part graphic novel , part chapter book.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved this book. They thought it was funny how messy Frankie's room got after Frankie's mom told him he didn't have to clean his room anymore.

[Lindsey Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can totally see my reluctant readers enjoying this one!

[Terry]

Read. Not reviewed.