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Frankie Fish #1
Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase
In his bestselling children's novel, Australian writer & comedian Peter Helliar takes young readers on a hilarious time-travel adventure about mega mischief, missing limbs, and a grandad with a wicked secret.
Twelve-year-old Frankie Fish hates visiting his grandparents. Grandad Fish is cranky, and yells a lot, and has a creepy hook for a hand – plus he NEVER lets Frankie go inside his shed. But after a teensy tiny prank goes wrong at school, Frankie is packed off to Old-People Jail for the whole holidays.
What Frankie doesn’t know is that Grandad has been building a home-made TIME MACHINE in the Forbidden Shed, and the old man has big plans to get his missing hand back. But when Grandad goes back in time, he changes history and accidentally wipes out Frankie’s entire family – Nanna, Mum, Dad, even his annoying sister Saint Lou. Somehow, everyone is gone but Frankie and Grandad! And it’s only a matter of time until Frankie disappears too...
Twelve-year-old Frankie Fish hates visiting his grandparents. Grandad Fish is cranky, and yells a lot, and has a creepy hook for a hand – plus he NEVER lets Frankie go inside his shed. But after a teensy tiny prank goes wrong at school, Frankie is packed off to Old-People Jail for the whole holidays.
What Frankie doesn’t know is that Grandad has been building a home-made TIME MACHINE in the Forbidden Shed, and the old man has big plans to get his missing hand back. But when Grandad goes back in time, he changes history and accidentally wipes out Frankie’s entire family – Nanna, Mum, Dad, even his annoying sister Saint Lou. Somehow, everyone is gone but Frankie and Grandad! And it’s only a matter of time until Frankie disappears too...
280 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2017
55 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Peter Helliar
29 books18 followersPeter Helliar is an Australian comedian, presenter and bestselling children’s author. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and three kids, and currently co-hosts the award-winning news and current‑affairs program The Project on Network Ten.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 11, 2022
A fun adventure story, perfect for students who are ready for the next step on from Diary of a Wimpy Kid or the Treehouse books.
July 17, 2017
Currently at home, I am reading a book named Frankie Fish. This book written by Peter Helliar and illustrated by Lesly Vamos. This book, only being published a few weeks ago is a fairly new book. Although I am on page 80 in this book. I am fascinated on how the story is going so far. What I like most about this book is the fact that it explores time travel in good and bad ways. Even though I just started the book a week ago, it is a spectacular book. The book makes me feel like I am in Frankie’s shoes. Overall I would highly recommend this book to all ages.
February 22, 2017
A forever morphing, triple paced collision of Doctor Who meets Top Gear is one way of describing Pete Helliar's first foray into writing for kids. His enthusiastic use of wacky, over the top metaphors is almost as extravagant as mine but oh do they provoke forehead wrinkling chuckles. Francis (aka Frankie) Fish's race against time back into time has all the hallmarks of a mega time travelling adventure with one difference; he is making the journey in desperation to preserve the existence of the Fish family line of which he may or may not still be a part of (it all depends on the battery!) with his very grumpy, slightly geriatric, grandfather.
Dementia is beginning to erode Granddad Alfie but he is still stubborn and gruff enough to raise Frankie's bile. How they learn to over come their dislike for each before they become trapped forever in the Happy Days 50s makes for a fun light read that kids will rip through.
Helliar's slightly bent, glib one liners dwell comfortably within narrative that is conversational and choppy with comedy, thus appealing to older readers like yours truly, as well. You can shelve your screwdrivers, the sonic suitcase has arrived.
Dementia is beginning to erode Granddad Alfie but he is still stubborn and gruff enough to raise Frankie's bile. How they learn to over come their dislike for each before they become trapped forever in the Happy Days 50s makes for a fun light read that kids will rip through.
Helliar's slightly bent, glib one liners dwell comfortably within narrative that is conversational and choppy with comedy, thus appealing to older readers like yours truly, as well. You can shelve your screwdrivers, the sonic suitcase has arrived.
March 6, 2024
Pete Helliar's first foray into children's literature is a thrilling blend of sci-fi and humor, reminiscent of the beloved TV shows Doctor Who and Top Gear. His liberal use of outlandish metaphors matches my own, but they are sure to generate side-splitting laughs from readers. In Frankie Fish, a young boy must navigate through time at breakneck speed to save his family line, all while being accompanied by his irritable grandfather who may or may not still be part of the family. As if that isn't enough to contend with, Granddad Alfie's dementia adds an extra layer of complexity to their journey as they struggle to get along before being trapped in the 1950s forever. Helliar's clever quips are seamlessly woven into the fast-paced plot, making this a delightful read for older audiences like myself. So put away your trusty screwdrivers, because it's time for an unforgettable sonic suitcase adventure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2017
For July our younger kids bookclub group read Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase by Peter Helliar and thoroughly enjoyed it. All participants rated it 9.75 or above out of 10!
They enjoyed the humour and the time travel and recommend it "for anyone who can read!"
This is a fun read and we had a great discussion about life in Grandad's day back in Scotland as well as about the perils of time travel.
They enjoyed the humour and the time travel and recommend it "for anyone who can read!"
This is a fun read and we had a great discussion about life in Grandad's day back in Scotland as well as about the perils of time travel.
April 7, 2017
I find Peter Helliar to be funny on stage and screen, but I felt he tried a little too hard in his first novel. Some moments were amusing, and maybe I'm just too old for the humour. There were some pretty cool illustrations in the novel.
There were also, as usually happens in time travel stories, many plot holes. To avoid spoilers, I won't list them here.
Overall, a fun read for lovers of Doctor Who and children's novels.
There were also, as usually happens in time travel stories, many plot holes. To avoid spoilers, I won't list them here.
Overall, a fun read for lovers of Doctor Who and children's novels.
March 16, 2017
This is a story about time-travel for younger readers. Frankie Fish gets sent to his grandparents house for the holidays and ends up on an amazing adventure with his grandad. The story was really funny and moved at a really good pace. The characters were fleshed out so you really got involved in their story. Can't wait for the next one.
March 13, 2017
I really enjoyed this fun story...trying to predict what was going to happen and what has already happened. A time slip story for the ages. I look forward to reading what Frankie and his Grandad will get up to in the next book.
August 16, 2017
I’m a fan of Peter Helliar and a lover of time travel tales so I just had to buy this little baby.
Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase is a humorous action packed tale of a Granddad and Grandson tackling the perils of time travel together. Both the young and old learn valuable lessons along the way and the two different generations of the Fish family bond while on their accidental adventure together.
There are wonderful lessons for the younger reader threaded through Helliar’s humour. Lessons about knowing when pranks go too far, the importance of love and family, and of knowing when to leave mistakes in the past and move forward.
I am looking forward to sharing this book with my son when he is a little older.
I don’t think you could read this book and not enjoy it!
Bring on Frankie’s next adventure!
Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase is a humorous action packed tale of a Granddad and Grandson tackling the perils of time travel together. Both the young and old learn valuable lessons along the way and the two different generations of the Fish family bond while on their accidental adventure together.
There are wonderful lessons for the younger reader threaded through Helliar’s humour. Lessons about knowing when pranks go too far, the importance of love and family, and of knowing when to leave mistakes in the past and move forward.
I am looking forward to sharing this book with my son when he is a little older.
I don’t think you could read this book and not enjoy it!
Bring on Frankie’s next adventure!
June 21, 2018
Cute story with absolutely wonderful illustrations. It is a nice homey story full of good fun, witty banter and perfect for moving kids along from the Wimpy Kid et all. I'm looking forward to introducing the series to my non-readers. Those who like David Walliams and who need somewhere to head to will be well suited to this series.
March 18, 2017
Pete Helliar is a well respected comedian here in Australia, and this is his first kids book, and what a cracker!! Such fun, but really well written, which was hardly surprising. What was surprising was how much I enjoyed it - it is such a good yarn and kids, (especially boys) will love it.
January 28, 2019
Absolutely loved this book and it is a welcome addition to my class library. It has wonderful humour and I have shared it with my strong readers to learn about Australian similes used throughout the book. Well worth a read for boys aged 8 and above.
November 16, 2019
why was it so funny and weird? why was it a sonic suitcase and not a sonic dog or cat? it was very funny. i liked it a lot.
June 2, 2025
Frankie Fish and The Sonic Suitcase is a chapter book for kids, written by Peter Helliar, and illustrated by Lesley Vamos. It introduces Frankie Fish. He’s a kid who is sent to spend time with his grandparents, after he does a cruel prank at school. But it’s not a place he wants to be. When calling his grandad into the house for dinner, he finds that his grandad is gone. He’s meant to be in the shed. Instead, Frankie finds a time machine and that his grandad has decided to change an important moment in history.
My first thoughts about it are that it feels like a really generic time travel book. The basic premise is that something terrible happened in the grandad’s past, but when he goes back in time to change it, it changes the rest of his life in unintended ways. I think it’s an okay book, but not very original, as it follows along a lot of ordinary tropes of the genres. Though, the author has put a reasonable amount of thought into the aspects of time travel. I think it makes a good amount of sense, and it’s explained in a way that kids would understand. But, again, it’s pretty ordinary, in terms of time travel. Honestly… At some points, it felt like it was just rewriting bits from “Back to the Future”
I wouldn’t necessarily like to have any of the characters as friends or to know them, if they existed in real life… But I think the author wrote them reasonably well. I appreciate that the author is able to capture realistic characters, from both sides of the story. For example, with the teacher stuff in the beginning of the book and the prank. I appreciate that the author is able to show how the characters would react in such a situation, such as how Mr. Harris is bothered by how a prank affected him and how a different prank affects other teachers. The author is able to give characters understandable and logical behaviour. Even with Frankie. A lot of his own actions are driven by a lack of understanding of others. In many scenarios, he doesn’t even try to consider how his own actions will affect other people, or how the other people think or feel. So, he often misunderstands the behaviour of others, and he doesn’t really have empathy for others in a lot of the scenarios.
I didn’t really appreciate the humour aspects to the book. The author kept bringing up poop and farts, as if automatically mentioning either is funny. I felt like those “joke” moments were uncreative and bland. I just don’t think they were crafted very well at all. And to be blunt, I felt like a lot of the scenes were cruel and didn’t come across very well. Such as the stuff going on with the electric eels at the end, or the early prank at the beginning of the book.
There are some good illustrations. They present a lot of fun views of the incidents going on in the story. There’s definitely a lot of visual action going on and it’s easy to see what the characters are doing, at a lot of stages in the book. There’s a good level of detail to the art and the illustrator has done a lot of good linework to each picture.
Overall, it’s mediocre. Though I feel as if it relies too much on standard time travel tropes and the poop/ fart jokes. To be blunt, I would have liked if there were more originality to it. Though, as a children’s book, I’m sure a lot of kids would love to read it. And I’m sure many would be excited and thrilled at the time travel aspects of it. For me, I definitely wouldn’t rate it any higher than 3 stars. But I might give the next one in the series a try.
My first thoughts about it are that it feels like a really generic time travel book. The basic premise is that something terrible happened in the grandad’s past, but when he goes back in time to change it, it changes the rest of his life in unintended ways. I think it’s an okay book, but not very original, as it follows along a lot of ordinary tropes of the genres. Though, the author has put a reasonable amount of thought into the aspects of time travel. I think it makes a good amount of sense, and it’s explained in a way that kids would understand. But, again, it’s pretty ordinary, in terms of time travel. Honestly… At some points, it felt like it was just rewriting bits from “Back to the Future”
I wouldn’t necessarily like to have any of the characters as friends or to know them, if they existed in real life… But I think the author wrote them reasonably well. I appreciate that the author is able to capture realistic characters, from both sides of the story. For example, with the teacher stuff in the beginning of the book and the prank. I appreciate that the author is able to show how the characters would react in such a situation, such as how Mr. Harris is bothered by how a prank affected him and how a different prank affects other teachers. The author is able to give characters understandable and logical behaviour. Even with Frankie. A lot of his own actions are driven by a lack of understanding of others. In many scenarios, he doesn’t even try to consider how his own actions will affect other people, or how the other people think or feel. So, he often misunderstands the behaviour of others, and he doesn’t really have empathy for others in a lot of the scenarios.
I didn’t really appreciate the humour aspects to the book. The author kept bringing up poop and farts, as if automatically mentioning either is funny. I felt like those “joke” moments were uncreative and bland. I just don’t think they were crafted very well at all. And to be blunt, I felt like a lot of the scenes were cruel and didn’t come across very well. Such as the stuff going on with the electric eels at the end, or the early prank at the beginning of the book.
There are some good illustrations. They present a lot of fun views of the incidents going on in the story. There’s definitely a lot of visual action going on and it’s easy to see what the characters are doing, at a lot of stages in the book. There’s a good level of detail to the art and the illustrator has done a lot of good linework to each picture.
Overall, it’s mediocre. Though I feel as if it relies too much on standard time travel tropes and the poop/ fart jokes. To be blunt, I would have liked if there were more originality to it. Though, as a children’s book, I’m sure a lot of kids would love to read it. And I’m sure many would be excited and thrilled at the time travel aspects of it. For me, I definitely wouldn’t rate it any higher than 3 stars. But I might give the next one in the series a try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2020
Frankie Fish shakes his head at finding himself sitting at a car race next to his 85 yr old Grandad, where a younger version of Frankie’s Grandad is giving his all on the race track. What’s even weirder is they are both hoping young Grandad will crash!
Sound strange? Let’s back up a bit to the very beginning. Frankie loves pulling pranks, nearly as much as his best friend Drew Bird does. When a prank in a final school assembly goes incredibly well, but results in an incredible (but funny at the time) wrong, the boys are banned from seeing each other in the school holidays. Disaster!
Frankie hasn’t heard the bad news yet. He will be spending the summer at his grandparents in what he dubs (old people jail). His grandmother is lovely but Grandad is a surly grouch. When Grandad is away from his ‘strictly forbidden’ shed one day, Frankie can’t resist. He finds photos of a race car driver and a weird looking suitcase. Grandad’s been lying to him all along. Inside the suitcase, Frankie finds a computer… sort of.
A mind-blowing adventure results. Grandad has been working for decades on his time machine. He has a long-winded boring name for it which Frankie quickly changes to a ‘Sonic Suitcase’!
As a huge fan of Doctor Who, Back to the Future and Terminator, Frankie knows the risks in time travel and the terrible time conundrums that can result. Just like in these classic movies, muddling with things in Grandad’s past can incredibly upset the future – even wipe out Frankie’s existence!
Which is how Frankie ends up sitting at the race track with his Grandad, hoping his ‘other’ Grandad will crash. Frankie and Grandad Alfie will never be the same.
A great start to a funny series about Frankie Fish, his best mate Drew Bird and the adventures and pranks they pull through time. Full of fun and b&w illustrations, this story lightly explores a grandson/grandfather relationship, with themes of regret, ambition, love, and appreciating family and friendships. Fabulous for young Tweens.
Sound strange? Let’s back up a bit to the very beginning. Frankie loves pulling pranks, nearly as much as his best friend Drew Bird does. When a prank in a final school assembly goes incredibly well, but results in an incredible (but funny at the time) wrong, the boys are banned from seeing each other in the school holidays. Disaster!
Frankie hasn’t heard the bad news yet. He will be spending the summer at his grandparents in what he dubs (old people jail). His grandmother is lovely but Grandad is a surly grouch. When Grandad is away from his ‘strictly forbidden’ shed one day, Frankie can’t resist. He finds photos of a race car driver and a weird looking suitcase. Grandad’s been lying to him all along. Inside the suitcase, Frankie finds a computer… sort of.
A mind-blowing adventure results. Grandad has been working for decades on his time machine. He has a long-winded boring name for it which Frankie quickly changes to a ‘Sonic Suitcase’!
As a huge fan of Doctor Who, Back to the Future and Terminator, Frankie knows the risks in time travel and the terrible time conundrums that can result. Just like in these classic movies, muddling with things in Grandad’s past can incredibly upset the future – even wipe out Frankie’s existence!
Which is how Frankie ends up sitting at the race track with his Grandad, hoping his ‘other’ Grandad will crash. Frankie and Grandad Alfie will never be the same.
A great start to a funny series about Frankie Fish, his best mate Drew Bird and the adventures and pranks they pull through time. Full of fun and b&w illustrations, this story lightly explores a grandson/grandfather relationship, with themes of regret, ambition, love, and appreciating family and friendships. Fabulous for young Tweens.
April 6, 2018
This would have been a good kid's book but the reason I have not rated it more highly is because somehow authors who write books for kids think that you've got to have it full of toilet talk, mild swearing or even a hint of blasphemy to make a "good" story. It doesn't. It's terrible.
I don't get the hang of why Frankie decides to call his Grandpa's time machine (a laptop computer in a red suitcase) the Sonic Suitcase. There appears to be an indication that in order to understand Frankie's so-called knowledge of time travel that you are familiar with Doctor Who. I have read a couple of Doctor Who books years ago (but have never viewed a movie or any other media) but it still doesn't enlighten me as to why Frankie knows there are certain do's and don't's of time travel.
The story is aimed for young kids around about nine or ten and has a certain action paced appeal. I have read the second book in the series (see separate review for that) but I wouldn't be bothered making any more purchases in the series. If Peter takes out the rubbish, this could make for a decent winner. I do like the family reconciliation themes and the empathy and increased understanding involved.
I don't get the hang of why Frankie decides to call his Grandpa's time machine (a laptop computer in a red suitcase) the Sonic Suitcase. There appears to be an indication that in order to understand Frankie's so-called knowledge of time travel that you are familiar with Doctor Who. I have read a couple of Doctor Who books years ago (but have never viewed a movie or any other media) but it still doesn't enlighten me as to why Frankie knows there are certain do's and don't's of time travel.
The story is aimed for young kids around about nine or ten and has a certain action paced appeal. I have read the second book in the series (see separate review for that) but I wouldn't be bothered making any more purchases in the series. If Peter takes out the rubbish, this could make for a decent winner. I do like the family reconciliation themes and the empathy and increased understanding involved.
June 17, 2020
Probably more of a 3.5..... but I’ll go with a 4 because it is much better fare than several other attempts I’ve recently read....all by Australian comedians.
Every time I quip that there isn’t a comedian in Australia that hasn’t had a go at writing children’s books.....another one appears.
Yes, Peter Helliar wrote this a couple of years ago....I just didn’t have the stamina to read it at the time. But now that I have, I will say it’s much better than average. We have time travel, we have the importance of family, we have a wee bit of historical life in Scotland ..... and a cheeky smart alec brat called Frankie Fish in the lead role. Cheeky brats are not my go-to lead characters.....but I’m certainly not Mr Helliar’s target audience....so that won’t bother him a bit.
There are other Frankie Fish books in the series. This one is the first.
Good luck Mr Helliar....it’s a tough market.
Every time I quip that there isn’t a comedian in Australia that hasn’t had a go at writing children’s books.....another one appears.
Yes, Peter Helliar wrote this a couple of years ago....I just didn’t have the stamina to read it at the time. But now that I have, I will say it’s much better than average. We have time travel, we have the importance of family, we have a wee bit of historical life in Scotland ..... and a cheeky smart alec brat called Frankie Fish in the lead role. Cheeky brats are not my go-to lead characters.....but I’m certainly not Mr Helliar’s target audience....so that won’t bother him a bit.
There are other Frankie Fish books in the series. This one is the first.
Good luck Mr Helliar....it’s a tough market.
June 21, 2020
Frankie Fish is a kid who can't live without two things: pranking others and 21st-century tech. When an elaborate prank at the school assembly goes wrong, Frankie is sentenced to stay at his grandparents' house during the school holidays. Sure, his nan is nice and all, but his grandad is super grumpy -- and has a creepy hook for a hand. Frankie is sure that he'll never survive the lack of Wi-Fi and die of boredom, until one day he has to go down to his grandad's shed to call him for dinner.
The shed is off-limits. And it's off-limits for a reason.
The shed is off-limits. And it's off-limits for a reason.
June 3, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Helliar's writing - my 10yo son and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this together. The laugh out loud moments were not unexpected given Helliar's comedic background, but I also felt he dealt with many issues with a significant degree of sensitivity. Overall a rollicking adventure through time and the relationship between a young boy and his grumpy grandfather.
September 19, 2018
Peter Helliar proves to be as funny and engaging in print as he is on TV.
Frankie Fish is a brilliant character and I really enjoyed following his adventures and can't wait to read the next book in the series and beyond!
Frankie Fish is a brilliant character and I really enjoyed following his adventures and can't wait to read the next book in the series and beyond!
October 11, 2020
I enjoyed this book a lot, despite being much older than the target audience. I found myself smiling at the jokes and wondering what would happen next. I read the book in one sitting without getting bored. I will definitely read the others in the series.
August 6, 2024
good but not great
An honest review from my 7 year old son: good but not great. Frankie is a bit of goose. Some bits were boring and some bits were exciting. I would recommend the book to some friends that like silly stuff, but not to all my friends
An honest review from my 7 year old son: good but not great. Frankie is a bit of goose. Some bits were boring and some bits were exciting. I would recommend the book to some friends that like silly stuff, but not to all my friends
July 17, 2017
Fun sci-fi read for middle grade readers. A back to the future type for the modern day.
December 28, 2017
Hilarious!
January 7, 2020
For something I don't usually read - Loved it! Can't wait to read the rest now
March 20, 2021
Puiki knyga apie Frenkio nuotykius su seneliu
June 30, 2024
I came across a book by Peter Heller while working in the library and decided to read it. I found it to be quite engaging. I can't help but wonder, is there anything this man can't do?
April 3, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Mr 10 did too.
March 20, 2017
An hilarious story about time-travel and family for younger readers. I can definitely see that this book is going to be very popular with younger readers - Frankie is a great character to follow around, and I particularly liked how his relationship with his grumpy grandfather changed throughout the novel. A fun romp through time!
March 19, 2017
In his book 'Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase', Pete takes you for an inventive, free-flowing, time-bending ride. Wacky fun for younger readers!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews