Frankie Zapper and the Disappearing Teacher

Elizabeth Siegel Masih is the editor of Write On: The Newsletter for
Young Canadian Writers and Readers.

Reading Frankie Zapper and the Disappearing Teacher is a little like
watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The pace is occasionally frantic, and
there is a delightful tongue-in-cheek humor behind both the action and
Rick Van Krugel’s illustrations that will entertain children and
adults alike. Even the basic plotline—a villainous Grade 6 teacher is
transformed into a parrot by a young Native Canadian with magical
shamanistic powers—has the madcap feeling of a cartoon. And of course
the plot thickens for Frankie Zapper and his pals, Jen and Odie, when
the parrot/teacher disappears and Pusscat, the school mascot, is the
suspected culprit.

Despite the zaniness of the plot, Linda Rogers has taken the time to
weave some of the ideas and beliefs from Frankie’s Native culture into
the story in a way that will both educate and intrigue young readers. In
Frankie Zapper she has created a very real character who likes both
Tootsie Rolls and traditional Native food and who wears black basketball
runners while dancing to the drums in the bighouse. She also gently
touches on the theme of prejudice and explores how a young person can
take pride in his or her culture—and manages to do this without any
preachiness and without interfering with the entertaining flow of
events.

Unfortunately, there are places in the book (including the ending)
where the plot gets so melodramatic it ceases to be funny. Yet, despite
this occasional shortcoming and a few references to things that might
upset a squeamish reader (such as a kitten’s accidentally being killed
in a dryer), Frankie Zapper and the Disappearing Teacher is a
well-written book that will keep even reluctant readers entertained.
Recommended.