Framed

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

The perfect crime – it's a work of art, in Frank Cottrell Boyce's ingenious story, Framed . Dylan is the only boy living in the tiny Welsh town of Manod. His parents run the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel garage – and when he's not trying to persuade his sisters to play football, Dylan is in charge of the petrol log. And that means he gets to keep track of everyone coming in and out of Manod – what car they drive, what they're called, even their favourite flavour of crisps. But when a mysterious convoy of lorries trundles up the misty mountainside towards an old, disused mine, even Dylan is confounded. Who are these people – and what have they got to hide? A story inspired by a press cutting describing how, during World War II, the treasured contents of London's National Gallery were stored in Welsh slate mines. Once a month, a morale-boosting masterpiece would be unveiled in the village and then returned to London for viewing. This is a funny and touching exploration of how art – its beauty and its value – touches the life of one little boy and his big family in a very small town. This edition of Framed includes bonus material and discussion questions from Frank Cottrell Boyce, and illustrations by Steven Lenton.

Genres: Childrens, Art, Fiction, Middle Grade, Humor, Young Adult, Juvenile

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2006

About the author

Frank Cottrell Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor.

In addition to original scripts, Cottrell Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction, winning the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his debut, Millions, based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name.
His novel Framed was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year as well as the Carnegie Medal.
He adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. His 2009 novel Cosmic has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

He is married and the father of seven children.

Reviews

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.3/10
What a pleasant read!

Αρχικά είχα την εντύπωση πως θα είναι βαρετό, ευτυχώς έπεσα έξω, ποοοοολύ έξω.

Κύριος πρωταγωνιστής του βιβλίου είναι ο Ντίλαν, είναι 9 ετών και είναι το μοναδικό αγόρι, στην ηλικία αυτή, που ζεί στο Μάνοντ, μια μικρή πόλη του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου. Για να μη στην περιγράφω πάρε μια εικόνα

Ωραίο μέρος. Ε λοιπόν στο βουνό που βλέπεις πίσω είχανε μεταφέρει οι Άγγλοι, κατά τη διάρκεια του β' παγκοσμίου πολέμου την Εθνική Πινακοθήκη. Τέρμα το μάθημα ιστορίας πάμε πίσω στο βιβλίο πάλι.

Τίποτα δεν έχει αλλάξει στο Μάνοντ εδώ και πολύ καιρό, με εξαίρεση το ότι όλο και περισσότεροι το αφήνουν για να πάνε στο Λονδίνο. Όταν μια μέρα πέρασαν 20 φορτηγά, με προορισμό το αχρησιμοποίητο εδώ και χρόνια βουνό, λογικό ήτανε να προκαλέσει απορίες. Η φαντασία των κατοίκων των κατοίκων δημιούργησε διάφορα σενάρια. Αυτό που δεν μπόρεσαν να φανταστούν είναι πώς η τέχνη θα άλλαζε ολόκληρη η ζωή τους.

Όμορφα γραμμένο και με μικρές δώσεις αληθινής ιστορίας, το βιβλίο αυτό σε πηγαίνει ένα ευχάριστο ταξίδι μέχρι το Μάμοντ όπου θα γνωρίσεις ωραίους ανθρώπους.

[Elisha Condie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww, another awesome book recommend by my friend who produces the Bob Edwards show. I'm all alone in the dark without her.

This story is so great. It's about the small English town of Manod where a little service station owned and operated by Dylan and his family is struggling to survive. Then the entire art collection from the British Museum comes to be stored in Manod Mountain and things get interesting. Different townspeople are touched and inspired by different works of art and things start to change in Manod.

I love a story where you can't put a finger on who the best character is. Is it the two old ladies who live halfway up the mountain? One is blind and the other doesn't know how to drive. So the blind one drives and the other one steers. Or is it Dylan's Dad who can fix anything - even people? Nice Tom (formerly Daft Tom) who is obsessed with the Ninja Turtles? Dylan's little sister Minnie who loves bandits and reading about the guy who stole the Mona Lisa? I can't decide. I loved them all.

A friend asked me why I read a fair amount of young adult fiction and I've settled on the reason that it's more imaginative and optimistic than adult fiction. And I'll take imagination and optimism almost any time.

[Jean Brodahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adorable narrator of this book is 9 year old Dylan from Wales. He's the ONLY boy in the small town of Manod so he has no one to play soccer with...a real bummer in a young English boy's life.

It starts out slow, but don't give up, you will be richly rewarded. I read a LOT of this book out loud to my husband because it is laugh out loud hilarious! We don't have this in our library yet but we have his first book "MILLIONS" & it's my favorite of the two, but only by a hair. It was turned into a delightful English movie. Very quirky, my favorite kind! (The author was a famous screenwriter before he started his hand at children's books, MILLIONS being his debut. So, of course, he wrote the screenplay for the movie, and it shows!)

"You've probably never heard of Vincenzo Perugia..." Dylan tells us that he stole the Mona Lisa and it was the perfect crime. "He didn't try to sell it. He didn't steal any other paintings. He didn't want to be famous or rich. He just wanted the Mona Lisa. And that's where he went right. That's why it was the perfect crime. Because he didn't want anything else. And that's where we went wrong. We wanted something." I hope a movie of FRAMED is planned.

The family is strapped for money so his sister, obsessed with master criminals and crimes, thinks it's time for a perfect crime of their own.

The minor characters are a riot. My favorite being Daft Tom, an older person (you get the idea he's in his 20's or 30's??) still obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, "what the shell" is heard throughout the book.

Surprisingly I found out that the author incoporates all real art, artists, and criminals. Lovely!

[Christina Baehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I never review this before?? Not a full reread, but my 13 year old was reading a section aloud to us tonight and we were all giggling with pure delight. This is one of my favourite comic novels and one of my favourite books written within my lifetime. It’s set in a depressed small town in Wales and viewed through the eyes of a child who loves it. It’s hilarious in the tradition of the great English humourists, and it is achingly life-affirming in its portrayal of a deeply flawed but lovable/loving family, and it speaks truthfully about the power of great art.

(I would absolutely love to meet and chat with Frank Cottrell Boyce one day. He has seven children, so we could swap war stories.)

[Alesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, its so interesting
I was reading this is the same country its set in...what a coincidence!
Dylan is an amazing character, and talks older than what he is, I was surprised when I found out how old he was...!
I loved the fact that he called his chickens Donatello and Michelangelo... its great!

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

eponymous-ey sentence:
p58: She beckoned me closer to the Connect Four frame with her finger and, when I was right up to it, she poked me in the eye.

plain wrong:
p44: In case you don't know, the Technodrome is the headquarters of the Turtles' arch enemy, Arko Saki, known as the Shredder.

spelling:
p171: Note: COLLECTABLE SPLINTER ACTION FIGURE WITH SIXTY-SEVEN POINTS OF ARTCULATION

Nerdz rulez!

Geek out.

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I loved the main character, Dylan, a young boy living in the small Welsh town of Manod. He has great pride in Manod and is oblivious to its many drawbacks (constant rain, poor economy, etc.), though the adults reference them often. He and the other children in his family pull together to help save their family's gas mart from financial ruin.

There were a few sections of the book that dragged a little, but I had to keep reading because the author was so good at throwing something in that would just make me laugh out loud. Dylan relates many of his experiences to the Ninja Turtles, which is popular with the children (and especially with a child-like adult named Tom) in Manod. I couldn't help laughing every time Tom would say incredulously "What the shell?!"

I love the voice and thought processes of Dylan. He is a well-developed character. He and the entire town are greatly affected when paintings from the National Gallery are transferred to their old mountain quarry where the works will be stored to protect them during some bad flooding in London. Dylan realizes that when people see the paintings, the paintings act as a mutagen on the viewers, changing their lives for the better. (He and his friends know all about mutagens because of The Turtles.)

I want someone else to read this book so I can laugh with them about it!

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A misunderstanding involving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and famous works of art; a small welsh town with quirky residents; and a family trying to save its struggling business and home—the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel—makes for a witty and hysterical read about how art can transform. The story is told from the perspective nine-year-old Dylan Hughes, the only boy left living in Manod—a dying, dreary grey town in Wales. But the town slowly becomes alive again after record flooding in London causes the National Gallery to evacuate its paintings to the safety of Manod’s closed slate mine. The Hughes family and the town and its residents begin to change and grow as they come in contact with the works of art housed up in the mine. There is “powerful stuff in those pictures.” Try listening to the book on audio. The narrator, Jason Hughes deftly captures the wonder of young Dylan’s narrative. Listeners will be hooked. (Recommended for grades 4-7)

[Sara Register · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Pretty quirky book...just like Millions. I enjoyed reading it for the quirkiness. I had to laugh at all the references to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", having grown up watching them. I laughed every time someone said, "What the shell?"

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

it's rubbish i have to read it for school :(

[Alice Kuzzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided to read a book from my childhood, as I needed something easy going and light hearted. Quite frankly, it was sweet and entertaining, even looking back as an adult.

[Ashley Judge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read 3 FCB books this year so far, and my favorite is this one. About planned art robbery, it has all the interesting, wacky elements and twists one can expect of a bunch of bright young kids trying to carry it out. I was surprised to find out that this is rooted in true history (i.e., the National Art Gallery hiding their art work in a slate town in Wales). I will definitely be keeping this book. It has also encouraged me to look into the art work Mr. Cottrell Boyce picked to include in his book. The way he describes the art work from the insightful and pure perspective of a child are all so much fun. I would recommend this book! Now to find the BBC drama that was made out of it!

[Pers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and engaging book that teaches the reader quite a lot about Art in a very subtle fashion.

[Tallulah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Deb Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know it's a kids book and i read it years ago, just wanted an easy read and picked this up again. Is a delightful story about Dylan, a 9year old boy, trying to save his family's business in a remote Welsh town. It was inspired by a true story of how treasured paintings from the National Gallery were moved from London and hidden inside a welsh mountain during WWII.
Full of great characters, beautiful paintings and quite a lot of references of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!!

[Rhys_BookDude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool book! based in wales in a town called Manod and very interesting!

[Austin Ajit · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic book filled with fun and emotions.

[Hstillson88 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Framed

Frank Cottrell Boyce
I had a great time reading the book Framed. Boyce did an amazing job getting his message across, in a number of pages. This book is great for sitting on the couch and relaxing.

The book Framed is a truly great read. Dylan, a small-town boy, shows his town that even through life’s biggest mistakes there is always a good ending. Throughout this book Manod goes through a lot of changes and struggles, all of which are because of a mix up of names. Dylan is a kid who was never noticed and was all alone, but after the mix up he became the most popular kid in school and in the town. It all happened when a mysterious gang of cars came up the mountain road and set up a camp at the old mine. No one had the strength to ask what was going on, but Dylan did. When the gang came to the auto shop that Dylan's family ran, Dylan asked questions and wasn't shy at all. It turned out that the man was a secret agent, and he was storing paintings in the old mine because the National Gallery in France had a flood. Throughout this book there are constant struggles but Dylan continues to give his input, which inspires many.
Overall I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. The author Frank Cottrell Boyce does an amazing job expressing detail and also making his words come to life. I did have to take a point off because the beginning and end were not all that exciting. If you’re looking for a book that is exciting and inspiring then I would totally suggest Framed.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Framed

By Frank Cottrell Boyce

‘Framed’ Is a wonderful story about the power of Art. The story is set in the small, bleak, ex-slate mining town of Manod in Wales and Dylan is the last remaining child in the whole town! He is just Nine years old and helps his dad to run the failing ‘Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel’: a petrol station with a coffee machine. There is not much going on in Manod until the arrival of some mysterious suited men. It transpires that due to some unprecedented flooding in London the National Gallery are relocating their painting to the unused slate quarries of Manod and the presence of the Art changes the lives of the community for the better.

There are lots of quirky fringe characters who add a great deal of comedy. My favourite is Daft Tom a 30ish childlike character who is obsessed with 'The Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles' (who were all named after Renaissance artists). At times the pace becomes a bit slow but at no point did I want to put the book down. Frank Cottrell Boyce fantastically generates the rich environment and atmosphere and though the view of most the characters is that it is a depressing and desolate place the affection with which he intimately describes it generated in me a wish to visit.

This book would be brilliant for an enthusiastic year 5 or 6 child to read independently and I would recommend reading it as a class before a trip to the National gallery as all the Art referenced in the book is real and can be found there. The characters are excellently developed and the descriptions beautiful.

[PiMaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Framed is an interesting book, but it is not without flaws. The novel is written in a Diary format, and the main character, Dylan, says how the weather is and what cars he worked with, because his family runs an automobile garage. He lives in an isolated town located in Wales. Dylan essentially talks about his experiences that day, and it gets interesting when he and his sister try to steal a valuable painting for money. The plot was good, as even though Dylan wanted to take the masterpiece, he still had doubts about the ethics of doing so.

Now, onto to the problems. This book could have received 4 stars if there had been more plot twists. When Dylan's family was in a poor financial position, and they were speculating what to do, suddenly a group from the London National Gallery comes in to Dylan's town to keep paintings there to protect them from the London floods. It is hinted about what they are going to do, and I knew Dylan would attempt to steal the painting. There should have been more suspense. Also, the whole book was basically about stealing the painting and what to do. This book needed more plot twists. Yes, Dylan's father did disappear suddenly, but that was not suspenseful enough. If you are looking for a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Framed is definitely not for you.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Framed bercerita tentang seorang anak cowok yang keluarganya punya bengkel mobil dan pom bensin. Karena usaha keluarganya itu, dia jadi ahli banget mengenai mobil. Mereka tinggal di sebuah rumah di kota kecil, di dekat gunung yang menurutnya "terbalik", dalam arti, bagian luar gunung tidak dilapisi oleh pohon dan rumput, melainkan oleh batu, sehingga gunung tersebut seperti terbalik bagian luar dan dalamnya.

Pada suatu hari, banyak mobil yang naik ke atas gunung tersebut, dan menimbulkan kehebohan di kota kecil ini. Karena rumah si anak ini adalah rumah yang paling dekat dengan gunung, maka tetangganya berkumpul di rumahnya. Ternyata, mobil-mobil yang naik ke atas gunung itu, menyembunyikan koleksi lukisan yang sangat berharga. Nama-nama pelukis terkenal dan judul lukisannya jadi bertebaran di buku ini.

Konflik tiba di saat keluarga anak ini mengalami kesulitan ekonomi. Muncullah ide yang dilontarkan oleh adiknya yang menurutnya jenius, untuk mencuri lukisan-lukisan tersebut.
Nah, lucunya, karena tokoh novel ini anak-anak, jadi cara berpikirnya juga anak-anak banget. Termasuk dalam cara mereka membuat strategi untuk mencuri lukisan-lukisan terkenal itu.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty sure this is my favourite book of all time. Dylan (the main character) is so believable as a young boy, the voice is very accurate. The entire book is charming and funny, while also being quite thought-provoking and really sweet/heartfelt at times. Sometimes it makes me roll on the floor laughing and at other times I almost want to cry. All the characters are believable, and even the most ridiculous situations are rationalised in the mind of Dylan, allowing the reader to see through the eyes of this little kid and experience the wonder that comes with that.

The book is really clever, in the way that one thing leads to another, and small moments of foreshadowing keep the reader engaged and excited to find out what will happen. I have read this book over 50 times (this is not even an exaggeration) and can recite probably up to chapter three word-for-word, and I still do not get bored of it ever. I'm almost 19 and I still love this book. It is timeless and deserves to be part of the greatest children's books of all time in my opinion.

[Readertime1779 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry. this was more of a one and a half book.
I almost never do this, but I stopped reading about halfway through. This book didn't really have any plot for me- it seemed like it just went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on TMNT reference and onand onand on and on and on and on TMNT reference and on and on and on and on and on and on and on another TMNT reference and on and on and on and on and on and on and on oh what a surprise another TMNT reference and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on OMFG yet another TMNT reference and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA STUPID TMNT REFERENCE OKAY I'M DONE WITH THIS BOOK!!!!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, dry humor. Fantastic.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago and loved it. So I passed it to Ethan who also loved it. So fun.

[Paulinlong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and clever. Great book which has mysteries and convolutions as great as any adult book

[Turrean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charmer! Lovely story about how exposure to great art changes the lives of the people in a small Welsh town.

[Ruby Maggard · Rating 4 out of 5]

What else can I say? It’s a masterpiece, obviously.

[Kimberley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is categorised as a children's book, normally I am perfectly fine with reading children's books because they are fun and really entertaining. However with this book it was just too childish. 

In this book we follow 9-year-old Dylan who helps out in his parents shop and when they have money issues decides that they are going to steal a £25 million painting (as you do). However for me the story was just so slow, there were so many Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle references that I'm sure a young teenage boy would enjoy but for any other reader this makes the whole thing incredibly boring. 

From there you expect me to believe that a parent would let their child walk up a mountain alone? Or to be left in charge of babysitting? OR TO STEAL A PAINTING?! I highly doubt there would be so little a defence system that a 9 year old can steal a priceless masterpiece. Therefore the majority of this book just seemed a little weird, at times Dylan spoke and acted just like an adult except when it became apparent that we needed him to act as a child, then it went the opposite end and Dylan became a clueless child with no idea what was going on. This made it a really uninteresting read because none of the characters felt real, they all acted too false and couldn't seem to decide what age they are. 

I liked the setting of this book, the town of Manod was a really interesting setting! I liked that it wasn't some flashy city where it was really easy to make a story, it was just a little village where everything is grey and nothing really happens unless you are a 9 year old boy who knows a lot about cars. 

However for me this book just dragged, nothing really happened throughout the entire book, it was basically just a log of who came in and out of the garage, any story that did occur seemed false (see 9 year old stealing painting comment above). If you are a young boy who likes cars and teenage mutant ninja turtles then you will absolutely love this book. For the rest of us though I don't think I'd recommend it, any book that refers to the ninja turtles on every page is bound to have low reviews for the majority of people. 

Read more on my blog at: https://bookgeek2015.wordpress.com/

[Katie O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this middle grade book. I loved it as an adult, but for sure the character/author voice is fully focused on engaging the intended audience. (The audiobook voice actor is also excellent, btw.) It's funny, sincere, sensitive to different kinds of people and circumstances without flapping about with virtue signaling. The forthright manner of the main character is endearing and his clarity will keep a variety of readers in the flow even as he and his posse lose control. At the same time, readers of any age/stage will enjoy the plentiful, at times subtle observations of and insights to small town life, loyalty with family & friends, honesty, and relationships. Mostly, the plot and theme are delightfully intertwined around how, when, and why art matters - to everyone and for many different reasons. The truly clever bit is that there's no didactic derailing to be found. Or if you sniff it out, it's quickly leavened by dork-tacular references to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And it all skips along on humorous and poignant unintended outcomes of the best (and not-so-best) laid plans that lead to a master(piece)fully satisfying end.