The Fran That Time Forgot

Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist #4

by Jim Benton

Franny K. Stein didn't think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn't think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that's what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. So Franny does what any respectable mad scientist would do -- she goes back in time to change her name.

However, things don't always turn out as calculated, and Franny ends up having to face her teenage self in a warped, fourth-dimensional, kid-versus-teen, good-versus-evil, Franny-versus-Franny battle of the minds!

Genres: Science Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Fantasy

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Benton began his career in a custom design t-shirt shop where he started designing his own characters. At the same time, Jim did illustrations and artwork for magazines and newspapers. People magazine named him "the most visible cartoonist in America" .

Benton also created greeting cards and worked in the magazine and publishing industry. In 1998, his SpyDogs characters became an animated series, The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs, that aired on Fox Kids. Licensing his own creations brought them widespread attention on products, such as It's Happy Bunny, The Misters, Just Jimmy and more.

Benton currently lives in Michigan, where he operates out of his own studio.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now, Franny K. Stein has invented a time machine! She won her school science fair, only to be mortified when her middle name was revealed on the official first place certificate. She goes back in time to change it and inadvertently sets her baby-self on the pathway to evil mad science with her stern warning that "The most important thing is that nobody will laugh at us again. There is nothing worse than being laughed at."

Again, the illustrations and chapter titles are highlights: "You Should Have Gotten a Grip on Yourself before Yourself Got a Grip on You."

A great lesson for kids to learn - our reactions are a choice we make and we can only control ourselves, no one else - but it came across slightly more didactic and less entertaining than the previous books. I still love Franny, but this was for me the weakest one so far.

For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.

[Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

trust no one, not even yourself

[Michaela]

anyways I read this in first grade and it was my favorite one of the series. i thought of this series today and thought I should add it.

[Adriana Servin-cruz]

Readers will come across much humor and lessons learned as they read about Franny K. Stein, a young scientist girl who enjoys conducting various science experiments. However, her experiments are definitely one of a kind; from messing with her dog’s behavior to producing clones Franny’s experiments can sometimes lead her to trouble. Franny is a young, adventurous scientist whose ideas spark based on her needs and wants. Once she hears the announcement about the science fair approaching at her school she gets extremely excited and is looking forward in really wowing the crowd and getting first place. She soon finds inspiration for her experiment by her mother’s saying of “You can’t have your own cake and eat it too” which leads Franny to invent an extraordinary time machine. As she was being announced the winner of the science fair, her teacher goes on to formally congratulate her in front of the whole school and she states her middle name, Kissypie, one that she has always been deeply embarrassed about. After being teased by her peers, she decides to use her own time machine to go back in time and give herself a new middle name, Kaboom. She manages to do so successfully however, her curiosity strikes once again as she decides to visit herself in the future. Once she sees the damage she has caused to herself by her new middle name she learns she should have never taken such approach and learns to not pay much attention as to what people say about her name. The moral of the story is well defined as Franny becomes aware that she cannot change situations so easily and the importance of learning to deal with them in a good manner. By its creative illustrations and humorous tone, students will not only use their imagination but learn about Franny’s mistake and how she could have taken a different approach.
I really liked this book because there are several different ways in which a teacher can use it in the classroom. We read about Franny’s inventions which are entertaining however, very unrealistic. Creativity and imagination is what makes Franny’s inventions fun and students can come up with their own Franny-style inventions This is very important because it triggers student’s imaginations and can lead them to think of their own inventions and lets them decide how much realism to put in their invention.. There is also another important theme this book touches on and that is dealing with bullying. We see Franny getting teased by her classmates, which gets her very angry and deals with her anger in an unusual manner. Teachers can have a discussion about bullying and how to properly handle the situation whether it is witnessing it or getting bullied. The language in this book mainly targets and is appropriate for primary grades making it a great read-aloud book.

[Gabriela Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Benton's book, The Fran That Time Forgot, is a humorous and entertaining science fiction story about a little mad scientist named Franny who is embarrassed and teased when she wins an award at the Science Fair. Franny K. Stein never thought the day would come, when all her peers would find out about her embarrassing middle name. Kissypie was no name for a tough, mad scientist, and of course just as she predicted everyone laughed at her. Outraged, and determined to be never laughed at again, Franny builds a time machine and goes back in time when she was a baby, and changes her name to Kaboom. Surely no one would ever laugh at her, but just to make sure, she goes to the future to find herself as a teen. What she found was not what she expected, and she saw herself as an evil, destructive, and revengeful teen. Franny realized that it wasn't the name she had to change, but the way she reacted when her peers laughed at her.

I think readers can relate to this story, and it teaches a lesson that not everything always goes as planned, and that sometimes there are people that might not say the kindest things, but what matters is how you handle the situation.

I think this short chapter book is great for grades 2-4, especially for reluctant or struggling readers. The cartoon illustrations really captivate and engage the reader by adding humor and a bit of madness that any reader will find entertaining and find it simple to read.

This book won the Eleanor Cameron Award in 2006. This award is given to chapter books and middle grade novels. The protagonists are science users and problem solvers just like Franny. This book is also a part of a series, and I would really recommend them in the classroom, especially for those who love science and are inventors.

[Ms. Myers]

Author:Jim Benton
Tittle:Franny K.stein The Fran that time forgot
Genre:Science fiction
SUMMARY

This is a book about Franny K.Stein going to get represented at school for 1st place making the time warp dessert plate and she doesn't like her middle name Kissypie because she is so evil and that name is girly.So,she made a bracelet that takes her back in time and she saw herself as a baby and changed her name from Kissypie to kaboom.And later in life when she was a teenager she got mad because people still laughed at her middle name.

Setting:At her house and a little bit of the hospital nursery.
Characters:Franny,mom,ignore
Mood:angry,upset,happy
I liked the story a lot.
I think people who like science fiction.

[Lady Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franny is determined to win the science fair this year. And is thrilled when she does, and then it hits her, the principal is going to read out her middle name! She hates her middle name (what sort of parents give their child a name like Kissypie, anyway?)! When it's read out everyone bursts out laughing and Franny is convinced that their is nothing worse than being laughed at. She goes home that night and creates a time machine. She goes back in time to the day she was born. She sees her birth certificate and changes her middle name from Kissypie to Kaboom. She speeds forward in time and decides to see what she will be like as a teenager. She goes to her house and finds that her elder self is incredibly evil. Franny decides she has to stop herself and figure out how to avoid becoming this evil. As both teen Franny and child Franny duke it out Franny realizes that no matter what her middle was, people would have laughed and that that was okay. Teen Franny was so evil because she couldn't laugh at herself. Franny zooms back to her time determined to be able to laugh.

Franny really is adorable and will be a hit with most kids between 7 and 11.

[Edward Creter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franny K. Stein, the ten-year-young mad scientist has returned to FULFILL HER DESTINY (as well as full-fill her beloved mutt Igor his dog dish!). Her middle name is FINALLY REVEALED...and it is THE ULTIMATE IN TERROR! I may as well reveal it to you all...be prepared...hold your breath...try not to scream...it's Kissypie. (Now you can insert scream here!) Her middle name is so cute it's TERRIFYING!!!! She needs to go back in time to change that...dreaded!...middle name and alter her future! BUT: her plans don't go as planned when her evil twin in a future time is planning her plan of...REVENGE!!! Armies of five-eyed elephants! Battles over a banana peel (so Twin Fran can get the slip, LOL!) and the future of the world at stake!!! Can Fran save time from self-destructing in five seconds? Can she save time for her baby brother, who can't seem to put up OR shut up? The answer is within....stay tuned!

[Mimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were 8 years old, I probably would have given this 5 stars. Franny K. Stein lives in an ordinary house, with an ordinary family. But she is not an ordinary little girl-- she is a mad scientist. In this installment of her adventures, Franny wins a prize at her school science fair and is thrilled until she realizes that the certificate that is being presented to her in front of the whole school has her full middle name on it. Its so bad that even the principal laughs. Only one thing to do... use her mad science skills to correct the problem. The result is a time traveling trip complete with cute baby Franny and evil teen Franny.

This book had a nice mixture of pictures and text as well as humor that would make it a great choice for kids looking for a good series of chapter books to get into. Plus, I love that Franny isn't your typical little girl.

[Courtney Umlauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Franny wins first place at the school science fair, she realizes too late that winning means her name will be read out to her whole class. Her entire name, include the embarrassing one in the middle. Determined to prevent anyone from laughing at her name ever again, Franny goes back in time to change it, inadvertently leading to a future in which teenage Franny becomes a truly evil mad scientist. In order to set things right, Franny must learn that there are much worse things than being laughed at, and that being able to laugh at yourself can even be fun.


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[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Fran's full name gets read after winning the science fair and the kids laugh, she decides to go back in time and change her middle name. But she discovers maybe her middle name isn't the biggest issue when she goes forward in time and realizes she's gone past mad scientist to evil. Can Fran figure out the root of her issues before she goes truly evil?

This one has a great message about attitude and how you respond to situations being more important than even other people's responses. Fran learns to take ownership of her issues and is surprisingly a great model for kids. Of course, there's some typical Fran goofiness along the way. Recommended for reluctant readers, scifi fans, dark humor fans, and kids who need to learn that your own attitude is over half the battle.

Notes on content: Some bodily/gross humor.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was funny just a little bit, but a the same time it is very ridiculous. This time Franny participate in the Science Fair at school. She gets the first price but the principal reads her complete name and they laught at it. So, she gets very upset and travels back in time to change her middle name. Then she gets curious and travels into the future and discover she turns into a very mad and evil scientist. She tries to fight her but at the end she goes back to the present time and when she ges her prize and everybody laught at her she decided to laught too. Thenshe realize it is not so bad to laught at yourself. This is the theaching in this story but still it is kind of wierd the way it is told.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read part of a Franny K. Stein book with my 5th grade reading buddy a few years ago, and I have high respect for the series simply because that was the one thing Bradley loved to read, and would devour. Franny K. Stein is a mad scientist, something her "normal" family and schoolmates put up with. When she gets a certificate for winning first prize at the science fair, it is revealed that her middle name is "Kissypie." Kids laugh, and Franny invents a time machine to go back in time and give herself a new middle name. It doesn't quite work out how she hopes, though. A cute, simple story about changing perspective.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard the author, Jim Benton, give a talk the other day and two things he said inspired me to pick up Franny. He described Franny as a girl who creates her own problems, but she also solves her own problems. And when he was asked how he writes about little girls he responded similarly to George R.R. Martin and said that he doesn't write about using tampons, but focuses on emotions like jealousy and embarrassment, and that boys feel those things, too.

In the end, my almost-four-year-old son loved this as a readaloud, and I would very much recommend this series to children beginning to jump from the more advanced leveled Readers to chapter books.

[Anica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always looking for this series for Juneau, and I was so thrilled to find this at the used book store. I was even thinking of wrapping it, but I left it on the coffee table and fell asleep. Later that night, Juneau woke me up and said she'd already read it. I thought she meant she already had the book, but she meant she had read the whole thing -- that night!
Juneau thought it was great that she got to see what Franny was like as a baby and as a teenager, and finally found out her middle name.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franny K. Stein didn't think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn't think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that's what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. Franny books are really funny.
:)

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

She went back in time because at the science fair she got laughed at because her middle name was Kissypie. She went back in time to when she was born and she changed the tag on the crate she was in and asked the baby Franny what shall it be and the baby took out her nucka and said kaboom! And she thought the baby Franny was pretty cute. So she wanted to see what the teenager Franny was like.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story in this series for I would say the 8 to 11 year old crowd... Great lesson on having the ability to laugh at yourself a little and not take some things too seriously... I liked this one very much and would recommend it to anyone of that age that likes a good story that is funny in part and also teaches a good lesson.

[StorySnoops · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franny's mad scientist ways continue in The Fran That Time Forgot. Crazy inventions abound, as usual, such as the Time Warp Dessert Plate, the Voice-Activated Cheese Cannon, Cannibalistic Broccoli, and Zero Gravity Dog Food... (click for full review http://www.storysnoops.com/detail.php...)

[Amnicon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grabbed this audio book based on what it said on the back of the cover.

It was a disappointment. No one in the car thought it was very good.

I take it back. My son said he liked the story even though he didn't laugh out loud. As you can tell, he is reading over my shoulder.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my little brother and I recommend it to 7-9 years old kids. It is an interesting book with a good lesson to smaller kids, that if people laugh at you, laugh with them instead of taking revenge on them.

Of course, for me it wasn't too interesting, but my brother enjoyed it very much.

[Bret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for struggling readers and young kids. It is basically a picture book that looks like a novel! A great way for reluctant readers to feel like they are reading a chapter book (well, it technically is a chapter book) along with their classmates :)

[Vee41dmb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the couple of other books in the Franny K Stein series, but it was good. Hard to read to a large group out-loud, bc the pictures (which add so much to the story) are hard to show everyone. Great for a small group or one on one.

[Anna Loeppky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a hit among the children today. This book is about a girl, a mad scientist, who was being made fun of because she had a weird middle name. She tries to go into the past and change her name, but it makes things worse. This book is great for upper elementary students.

[Turknoys Demirkol · Rating 5 out of 5]

By a 7 year old Kylie

Franny travels back to the time when she was a baby and changed her name but, at the end she finds out that it's not the name she had to change it was her feelings. This book is SUPER.

And that's the end of the story.
Warmly Welcomes
Kylie

[Raylynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting one I got to say. My favorite part would have to be why Franny caused all of this trouble to change her middle name, which is quite funny if I do say so myself! I recommend this book to anyone who likes mad scientist stuff, and anyone who has an embarrassing middle name!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

7th read aloud of 2016-2017. Tried to find a science fiction book that was part of a series and might appeal to reluctant readers. While I didn't particularly enjoy this book, many in my class did and they are currently flying off my bookshelf!

[6†REM†6 · Rating 5 out of 5]

mon 2 chapter
tes 2 chapter
wen 2 chapter
thu 2 chapter
fri 2 chapter
to be done with the by fri
to do 5 or 6 book report

[KeKe_SO_LoVaBl3 {4_mii_boo_only} · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it

[Elora · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED JUST LOVED IT LOL LOVE THE AUTHOR FAV ONE OF THEM ALL