Frankie and Amelia is a charming stories as narrated through the voice of Frankie Gus. This is a young readers book but would be a great read for all family members as it has values of friendship, inclusivity and determination.
Frankie is a cat, separated from his family who ends up with a boy named Gus and his service dog Chester, Gus and Amelia are classmates and Gus sees the difficulty that Amelia faces as she struggles to relate to other humans. This charming story has well developed characters, and a compelling story about friendship what warms the heart.


Special thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the audio copy of this book which I very much enjoyed

This book depicts the fictional life of a neurodivergent girl and the cat that tries to help her learn to deal with society and her family. Franklin the cat is used in a metaphorical way to help the reader understand Amelia's struggles. The author gives information that is valuable to understanding how differently autism spectrum disorder manifests in a female and the coping skills that females attempt to use to blend in with their peers.

This book is timely and would lend itself to valuable conversation in the middle school classroom.

My Review: I was instantly drawn to the cover of this book with the big Maine Coon on the cover, and once I read the synopsis I was really intrigued. This book definitely did not disappoint! I loved the tone of the book, sweet, a bit emotional and difficult at times but also triumphant. I think it handled the subject of the way autism spectrum presents differently in different people pretty well, though I am no where near someone to really recommend it, I felt like it opened my eyes a bit more. My favorite part is that we get to read from the perspective of the cat, Frankie. He may not know or understand everything that happens with the humans around him but he does know what he can do and gives with his whole heart. It was an interesting way of approaching a difficult subject and I think it is one that will have young readers turning the pages when they may have put the book down when it got a bit heavy.

My Rating: This was really a great book, it was short for me but full of heart and I think there are many young readers that may identify with Amelia and Gus. I give it a rating of Four Paws.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I am not a big fan of audiobooks but I finally found one that I loved. It is not because there is a gorgeous Maine Coon on the cover- although as another prime example of our breed, I can say we are all beautiful. No. It is the story I loved. Frankie, the Maine Coon, misunderstand what his humans are doing and ends up lost and homeless and quite desperate.

He has many challenges and it is questionable whether he would make it until he meets his “mentor” a raccoon named Rocky. As street wise as Frankie is innocent, Rocky is not quite as smart about the street as he thinks he is. Soon Frankie is once again alone and looking for a place. That is when he discovers a family who bring him in and provide him with a safe place. The young boy is autistic and he and Frankie connect but sadly the boy’s father is allergic and soon the mom is trying to find a loving forever home.

Amelia is a classmate and when she and Frankie meet, it is clear a match has been made. They both have a different view of the world to those around them. They understand each other. It is a sad story no longer. Filled with adventure and obstacles, this is the story of misfits who find love and acceptance. It is moving and entertaining. And did I mention the hero is a Maine Coon. Five purrs and two paws up.

Franklin is a cat that has been through quite a lot. He is trying to find his person. It takes awhile, but eventually that person is Amelia. In fact, his best friend, Chester, a service dog, has found his person in Gus, who becomes Amelia's friend. It doesn't take Franklin long to find a very good rapport with Amelia.

Amelia has trouble communicating, but when it comes to Franklin, she is completely comfortable. Adults don't understand Amelia, but Franklin is different. He understands her, just as Chester understands Gus. Additionally, Amelia's parents have gotten her diagnosed after several visits to her doctor. Amelia is autistic and this diagnosis goes a long way making it clear why she has difficulties both at home and at school.

Franklin proves a godsend. He is perfect for Amelia and shows beyond a shadow of a doubt how pets and humans can bond in the most helpful of ways. This touching story will be with me for years to come. This book is perfect for children who have difficulties communicating, whether they are on the spectrum or not.

Many thanks to HarperCollins and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Frankie and Amelia was such a sweet story! I couldn't stop listening to this and really enjoyed every moment. I appreciated the unique point of view and the representation in it as well. I know many people who would really enjoy this book and have already recommended it to them to listen to with their children. I think people of all ages will gain something from this story!

Synthesized narrator aside, this book was just the sweetest. I enjoyed it so much and every middle grader should read it. I didn't know it was a companion to a prior novel, Chester and Gus, so I definitely plan on reading that one! It's so fun to have an author pretend to be inside an animal's head because the way we see our pets and the way they see us, is probably so so different. And it was funny to see how Franklin saw Chester, the dog. I was sad about Franklin's first family and how that didn't get resolved. I mean, I guess it would've been worse if they'd seen Franklin and wanted him back...but still. Unresolved. I would hate for that to happen in real life though I'm sure it does. Awful! I enjoyed the autism rep and thought it was portrayed well, though I can't speak to having any experience with people with autism so I hope someone would call it out if it's inaccurate. I didn't care for the title though since its inaccurate?

Frankie is a stray that gets disconnected from his family one day and finds a new one one day though a new dog friend, Chester. At first, Frankie just gets familiar with a family again, then he starts to notice Chester’s boy Gus's mannerisms. Shortly after finding out that Gus has autism, he gets adopted by Gus’s friend, Amelia. Frankie finds new purpose once he finds out he can communicate with Amelia, and as he helps Amelia, he learns some things about himself along the way.

I think the perspective of the cat was great for this book because readers see there are some similarities between Frankie and Amelia. There’s also little tidbits included about autism, like how autism can look different in girls than in boys and how autism can be genetic.

Also, this wasn't the final narrator for the audio, so I won't comment on that.

Thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook.

A stray cat names Franklin befriends a service dog named Gus. Franklin doesn't really want to be a pet, but he does want to belong to a girl named Amelia the same way that Gus belongs to a boy named Chester. Franklin sees something in Amelia that no one else does. Amelia has a hard time relating to people and making friends, but she loves cats. She is likely on the autism spectrum although an official diagnosis is never given in the book. I love that there are more and more children's books starring neurodivergent characters. Frankie and Amelia would be a good addition to any middle-grade library or reading list.

Franklin finds himself separated from his human family. As he learns to live the life of an independent cat he meets some interesting characters and begins to learn about relationships and that other animals aren’t so bad. One day, while hanging out on a woodpile, like you do if you are a cat, he locks eyes with a boy. This is where Franklin’s journey takes a turn and leads him to a friend in Chester the dog, a new forever home, and to Amelia. Amelia has her own struggles with peer relationships and fitting in in middle school. Chester and Frankie manage to find a way to bring their two kids together and to help Amelia. Like Amelia, Frankie wants to be social, but figuring out how to do that isn’t easy. In fact, Frankie and Amelia have a lot in common. This middle grade novel is spot on! I am a long time cat owner and I think I have some knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of cat personality. Franklin/Frankie’s voice is convincing in the conceited yet affable way that cats have. I love that the humor in the story makes it so accessible to all kids. I laughed out loud so many times. The advice that Frankie’s mother gives him, especially about mice is hilarious. So is his attitude about showering. I was glad to have so many laughs because it kept me from crying in the parts that describe Amelia’s struggles. My own child is an autistic girl. There were scenes that rang so true to my experience as a parent and the experience of my girl when she was a similar age. The book stands on its own but is a companion to McGovern’s earlier Chester and Gus (HarperCollins, 2017.) I wish this book had been around when my girl was going through a hard time in fourth grade. I think this book could serve as a sort of bibliotherapy for some autistic kids. This book isn’t the first time to match autistic traits to cat behavior but does a much more positive job of it than All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome by Cathy Hoopmann (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006.) I think Frankie and Amelia does a great job at giving insight and could help siblings, friends, and classmates (not to mention adults.) I would also recommend this book to any kid who loves animal stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Audio for the VoiceGalley advanced review copy.

Got this free from NetGalley. It was actually better than I thought it would be. But in the end, the anthropomorphism just couldn't hold my attention. It did make me want to get one of those huge cats though. I'm not the intended audience for this book, but I bet my kids would like it.

Don't tell our dog, but I am most definitely a cat person. When I saw this cover and the description, I clicked on the "Request" button -- even though it meant listening to the computer audio. This is a companion book to "Chester and Gus." Even though I had not read that one first, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one. Cammie McGovern's new book not only gives us a window into the world of autism, it helps us understand both cats and dogs better. There are some really great conversations between Frankie the cat and Chester the support dog and between Frankie and Amelia. I love the way Frankie is first discovered by Gus and then ends up living with Amelia. This would be a fantastic classroom read aloud to help kids understand the motivations behind the behavior of both themselves and others. A parent separation is also part of the plot and will resonate with some of the listeners. Thank you to Gus for all your wisdom and to Frankie for recognizing that there is still much to learn about life.

My gratitude goes to Harper Audio and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I thought that this was freaking adorable. I love Amelia and thought that her apprehensiveness towards humans was both endearing and relatable, and I also just love Frankie. He truly is a cat that made the best narrator. I was a little sad that Frankies original family didn't get closure, but I also think that wasn't the main point of the book. I love the inclusion of Autism, as I think it is so important for children to read characters that are either similar to them, or will introduce them to children who are different than they are. I think that this story was really cute and I highly recommend.

This is such a precious story!

Frankie and Amelia is told from the perspective of a cat (Frankie), who was lost, and then found by a new family who wasn’t able to keep him. With the help of Chester (their dog), a new forever home is finally found!

But it’s more than that: It is also the story of a young girl named Amelia who is struggling with relationships in school. She is deeply misunderstood and lonely. She needs the friendship she forms with Frankie, which proves to be more beneficial than either of them could have predicted.

I absolutely loved the way McGovern developed the cat’s personality and paralleled it to Amelia’s personality. I also adored the character growth shown in Frankie, himself. He is the typical cat, or how we typically perceive cats to be, but that air of superiority we often attribute to their personalities was taken down a notch as he learned about true friendship and the value of animals that aren’t cats. I thought this was done seamlessly and really made me love him even more.

You may be familiar with some of the characters in this book if you’ve read Chester and Gus. You don’t need to read that story to understand who they are in this book, but it’s important to know both books address neurodiversity, this one specifically demonstrating how different autism can look in boys and girls and how shortchanged girls have been with this diagnosis. That makes these books wonderful for both children and adults to read, providing a lot for people of all ages to learn from, while being completely palatable for its target audience.

This read was nearly perfect for me, but two minor issues surfaced toward the end. I was a bit dismayed that there was no resolution to Frankie’s past, as I had expected something meaningful to take place with that.

I also struggled a bit with an unrealistic aspect as it concluded. Obviously, a story told by a cat isn’t realistic, nor are animals communicating with each other verbally, but this charming aspect still worked for me. It blended well with the more serious, reality based subject matter. The choice the author made as the story ended kind of tainted the separate magical aspect for me. I imagine, however, that it will work well for young readers.

Frankie and Amelia is truly a wonderful story filled with humor and heart. It’s definitely one worth adding to the entire family’s reading list!


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I am immensely grateful to Harper Audio for my review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Frankie and Amelia will be out on October 26, 2021!

I love cats, and so reading this book was such an awesome experience! It was quite fun reading from the perspective of Frankie the cat, but the book deals with so much more - autism and anxiety. I love the way the author weaves such strong topics together with animals, and I think it's adorable that Frankie became an official service animal.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harperkids @harpercollins for the gifted ALC of Frankie and Amelia by Cammie McGovern! This book comes out October 2021.
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Synopsis from the publisher: After being separated from his family, Franklin becomes an independent cat, until he meets a goofy dog named Chester. Chester is a service dog to his person, a boy named Gus, and Chester knows just the girl to be Franklin’s person—Gus’s classmate, Amelia. Amelia loves cats, but has a harder time with people. Franklin understands her, though, and sees how much they have in common. When Amelia gets into some trouble at school, Franklin wants to help the girl who’s done so much to help him. He’s not sure how, yet, but he’s determined to try. This sweet and moving novel demonstrates how powerful the bond between pets and people can be, while thoughtfully depicting a neurodivergent tween’s experience.
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This was a very sweet and moving middle grade story about the healing power of friendship in both human and animal form. This book’s main characters are under the autism umbrella. While it is impossible to show all of the different ways in which autism presents or influences an individual’s life, I feel like this novels representation was done in a well researched and empathetic manner. This would be an excellent book for a middle grade book club where readers could discuss a large number of topics seen in this story.

Often an animal, a dog, cat, or horse, brought into a child’s life enriches that child. If the child has an illness or a social disability, the animal can be the buffer the child needs to navigate a difficult world. Such is with Amelia. Through a series of events Frankie, a cat, comes to live with Amelia. I got the idea Amelia has Asperger’s syndrome and has trouble associating with the other kids in school. Amelia loves cats, so we see the unfolding of events through Frankie's eyes as he tries to help Amelia stay calm and focused.

Even though the narrator is computer generated, I felt the pace was such that a young person could keep up with the story. Also, the words were clearly enunciated.

Using this story, parents or teachers could have some good discussions about empathy, friendship, and family.
Thank you #Netgalley for my first audiobook, #frankie and amelia by Cammie Mcgovern. I enjoyed it very much. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was a kid's story from a cat's point of view, a large maincoon cat named Frankie that needs to be rehomed due to his boy's father's allergies. His boy is autistic and has a therapy dog that helps Frankie with the idea of being rehomed. He's brought to school for a show and tell and this is when the entire Special Ed class learns that Frankie is up for adoption. This is where Amelia comes in, she loves cats and has always wanted one - she's also the girl that the therapy dog says would be an awesome fit. So Frankie eventually goes home with her and eventually he's able to communicate with her telepathically, helping her deal with her behavioral issues related to autism and the abandonment issues she's beginning to have because her dad has a new gf and it's cutting into their visitation time. Frankie is intelligent and quirky, I enjoyed that he was our main storyteller. Other than that, it really wasn't for me - very kiddy and a bit ridiculous with the supernatural twist completely outta left field (telepathy)

Thanks netgalley for giving me the audiobook so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡

This is a super cute story about a cat who loses his family but wanders into a new one.

Gus is an autistic boy who is looking out the window and discovers Frankie. The cat. Frankie is soon living with Gus, his mom and dad, and his support dog Chester. It's soon apparent that Frankie will need to go to a new home because Gus's dad is allergic to cats. So the hunt for a new family begins. Chester has this great idea to get Frankie to go to school with Gus so he can meet Amelia and she can fall in love with him and take him home. But he has to figure out how to make that happen since Gus doesn't talk that much. But before you know it that's exactly what happens and of course, Amelia love's Frankie. But Amelia has some problems. Her dad and mom just divorced and she lives in a new apartment with her mom. She doesn't get along with the kids at school. She's different from the other kids. Frankie tries talking to her like Chester does with Gus, but can she hear him? How can Frankie make her understand and help her with her problems? Will she ever make a friend at school? You will have to read the book to find out what happens.

I enjoyed the story and the characters but felt like it could have had more to the ending. It felt like I was reading along and then it was finished. It felt like there was more to tell. But I still enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Franklin, aka Frankie, is left behind when he runs off rather than get in the cat carrier. He is on his own for awhile until he meets a raccoon who teaches him how to live in the wild. When the raccoon is killed, he is alone again until he meets Chester, a service dog to a young boy named Gus. He stays with Chester's family until they are able to find him a new home. He moves in with Amelia and her family. He becomes a comfort animal to Amelia, but the funny thing is, Amelia is able to hear his thoughts and she talks to him. It turns out that she is as much a comfort to Frankie as he is to her.

This is a relatively short story that packs a punch. Amelia is a young girl, who although not diagnosed, appears to be on the autism spectrum. She as a hard time getting along with people and has a lot of anxiety. She loves cats and her and Benjamin, the name she gives him, hit it off right away. This was a cute story from the perspective of a cat. This is a companion book to a book about Chester and Gus, which I will definitely be reading after this one. Gus and Amelia both need help interacting with the world and Chester and Frankie do their best to help them. This is a book with a great message about acceptance, inclusivity, caring and service/comfort animals. Being a grandma of a young boy with autism, this is my hope: that this book helps adults and children understand the experiences of those with autism and help them accept those who are neurodivergent. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.